Shunsei, Kutchan

Shunsei is another place that took us all season to get too. It's on Ekimae heading away from the station just a few doors from the corner with the wooden entrance. We tried on several occasions for lunch and for dinner. Then we worked out they're closed on Sundays .. gosh! And many other times we tried they'd been full.



They do an amazing value lunch set for 1000¥. It includes soup, salad, rice, pickles, main course (we had the Ezo deer), soft drink and chocolate rocks.




It's our last dinner in Hokkaido before we leave for our holiday's. There's 6 of us, and Ange has called ahead to make sure we can get a table. We've decided on the 3500¥ set course. They do a few courses, ranging from 2500¥ up to 8000¥. We arrive smack on 7pm and see our table waiting. Each place setting already has a plate of salad awaiting our arrival. The salad is very similar to the one served at lunch, with little pieces of diced prosciutto, tofu, mini tomato, greens and sprouts. As soon as we sit down and order drinks, someone appears with a jug of dressing and each salad is dressed before our eyes.



We're all pretty hungry and the salad disappears in no time! The next course to arrive is a trio of seared seafood. There's a beautifully seared piece of salmon, white fish and a scallop. It's resting on 3 half green asparagus spears that are so crisp and vibrant. There's a generous spoon of a chunky tartare like sauce, laced with gherkins, capers, herbs and hard boiled eggs. There's salmon roe around the plate and caviar (black herring roe) on top with a nice sprig of chervil. Even I like this dish, despite my usual aversion to cooked salmon.



Wow! We had seen the venison dish before when we'd enjoyed lunch here. But we still are all quite shocked with just how much colour makes it onto this one plate. The venison itself is delicious and rich, and cooked perfectly. It's covered in a mild onion sauce and then there's the eccentric selection of vegetables ... everything from broccoli, cauliflower, beans, carrots and green and purple cabbage. The flavours are all really nice, but we still find it quite strange that the vegetables are cold?! (same as when we had this dish for lunch)



Now for some kitch-a-rama! A half avocado is scooped out and frozen. There's an avocado mayonnaise binding a crab salad that is resting back in the frozen shell with a slice of smoked salmon draped over the top. I don't mind it, but Ange devours hers in about 2 seconds flat and I see just how much she enjoys it, so have no problem offering the rest of mine for her to enjoy.



The next dish was definitely my favorite of the evening. A nice chunk of crispy, delicious, fatty pork sitting on a disc of brasied daikon. There was loads of freshly grated mountain wasabi, which is like a wild Hokkaido horseradish, which cut through the richness of the dish and just added such depth to the flavour and complexity of the meat. Mmm.



Then, Kim thinks this was rather strange, well, we all did, mid-meal we just get a little saltine cracker with cream cheese and prosciutto. I mean, it was tasty, but maybe better left to Mum's book club or something ...



Allthough we were a little puzzled as to where the meal was going as it kept going up and down. We thought with Mum's cracker that may have been the cheese course? and maybe just dessert to come. But we were all surprised when a plate of Hokkaido lamb arrived. The lamb was cooked to a beautiful blush pink. It was sitting on a velvetly smooth eggplant half and covered in crispy fried shallots. The sauce was spiked with seeded mustard and it definately didn't need anything that was sitting to the side (especially when we'd already had so many courses). There was a piece of marron (chestnut) one lonely piece of broccoli and half a mini tomato.



All on the verge of exploding, we're thoroughly relieved when dessert arrives as a single scoop of vanilla ice-cream with half a strawberry on top.



But the little chocolate rocks that are placed on the table are just so cool. Look like rocks, taste like chocolate.



I would have to say that each individual dish worked better on it's own, as it was a bit hard to see any sort of cohesion in the whole menu. But the thing I most love about Shunsei is the personable service and humble space. It does feel like a privilege to be allowed into this space, like you've been invited into the families private abode and each and everyone of them treated us to feel comfortable and welcome.

It just keeps pulling ... Fei, Sapporo.

It’s a gravitational force that just keeps pulling us in.

Fei is the perfect stop. Whether it be for a dessert after a mountain of Yakitori and a midnight pizza fix, a fantastic start to an evening with a few amuse for the bouche or in this case, for a special night out, some nice wine and the chef’s omakase course. What’s great is we keep going back and we’re always having something new.



The evening starts with a terrine. The ever-so-gracious Kumi going out of her way to explain to us what we’re eating and willing to go to any extremes to do so. With a little charades we gather it’s a bird … but then Kumi and her partner both harmoniously let out a little “Cooo ,, Cooo”. Ah-hah, Pigeon! It is a fine demonstration of a pigeon terrine, there are chunks of all the bits encased by a thin slice of bacon. It’s nestled in a romesco-like spicy sauce with some crisp watercress fanned out from one side.



Some crusty baguette arrives to accompany the terrine, and an Italian olive oil is poured at the table into a tiny little ramekin.



The house Prosseco, which is generously poured from a magnum pairs just beautifully with the terrine.

Pink soup. Pink wine. It makes perfect sense! We move onto a beautiful pink velvet beetroot soup. It tasted every bit of sweet red beets, served just warm and seasoned with only salt and pepper and finished with just a splash of cream. A large shard of homemade cracker and a delicious Italian rose have us both seeing pink!



Tatchi, or cod sperm, is the next star of the night. A clump of the stuff is pan-fried with a super crispy coating. It’s super fresh and although being quite creamy, it’s still quite firm. It’s sitting in a pool of gorgonzola sauce which marries together incredibly. A single round of fried potato giving it that little bit of extra crunch.



Okinawa always features as a point of interest on Fei’s menu. We’ve had from the little jewel of the south, banana, golden kiwi, baby vegetables and many more. Tonight is a showcase of Okinawa Spring vegetables. The risotto is made with a handful of the vegetables, the al dente rice clinging to them with a touch of cheese and butter. There’s an array of tempura’d baby vegetables on top a splash of balsamic reduction and a citrus salt.



As the risotto plate was whipped away we enjoyed a little break before the next course. We both patiently sat … and there was an amazing smoke smell that filled the room. It was a mellow wood, perhaps apple or cherry, with such a sweet smoke aroma. We were intrigued as to what was happening in the kitchen. Secretly I was hoping whatever the cause of the delicious smoke aroma filling the room was for us, but not expecting it. Smoking something during service is pretty dedicated, and being it was the only time of the evening we noticed it happening it was also pretty special. As the plate was placed in front of us we both indeed did feel special. Kumi tells us we’re about savor the delights of smoked Wild Hokkaido Duck. It was so beautiful, the coulors bringing us back to winter after our little Okinawa Spring break. And the duck, oh divine! Delectable! Delicious! The smoke was racing around my head and filling every crevice with each bite of the tender pink flesh. I made of point of putting down my cutlery with each bite to truly enjoy each moment. The dishes accentuation’s consisted of smokey pan juices, fresh shitake’s and 2 perfect spears of Treviso. A basket of crusty fruit bread arrives just in time to mop up all the delicious juices.



Kumi then gives us about 4 options for our pasta course. Again with above-and-beyond to explain to us one pasta dish, firstly snapping her hands together like a hungry shellfish, we kind of assumed it was some sort of mollusk. Not content, she returns moments later with a Seafood Handbook. Ah, surf clams! Kim jumps at that one. Plump morsels of the clam meat are tossed through a fresh saffron spaghetti with dried mini tomatoes and herbs.



It was a hard choice, but I settled on the gnocchi. The baby gnocchi silky smooth in my mouth, coated in butter, parmesan and cracked pepper.



We’re now getting pretty full … but when offered a Margarita pizza we’re not going to say no!



After a little break we start with the grappa. A glass of grappa di pinot noir is poured at the table for Kim. I enjoy a beautiful rose liqueur. So elegant!



Another thing we, well, me especially, cannot resist on a visit to Fei, pistachio gelato.



The other choice is always a tough one, as there’s always a new dessert on the menu, but tonight with the Zucotto on the menu, the choice was easy!



Every single time we have the pleasure of popping into Fei, we leave with a feeling of exhilaration and inspiration.

Until next time ...