粋な空間、魅惑の料理 - Tsuru(2020年03月号)
「Sheraton Hotelの一角に日本料理店がオープンした」と聞くこ と数ヶ月前。行ってみたいと思いつつ、年末年始のバタバタでなか なか実現しなかったが、ついに創作日本料理店Tsuruに足を運ぶ ことができた。今回は店の料理を知り尽くしているメディア担当の MartinさんとAmyさんのお勧め料理をいただいた。
 
まずは日本のビールを片手に乾杯。つまみには、食欲をそそる 香ばしい香りの黒ごまのペーストをまとったEdamameと、スイート ポテトのほのかな甘味にスパイシーマヨが絶妙なコンビネーショ ンのSatsumaimo。2品共、食べ出したら止まらない。
Edamame $7
 
Satsumaimo $8
 
続いてはKuro Ebi Katsu。何が黒なのか...と思ていると、衣が 真っ黒の海老カツが登場。聞けば、炭を使用しているそうだ。パン 粉 の よ う な サ ク サ ク と し た 食 感 で は な く 、カ リ カ リ と 少 し 固 め になっていて、ぷりっとした海老との食感の違いも新鮮。ワサビが効 いたマヨネーズをたっぷり付けて食べれば、頬が緩んでしまうこと 間違いなし。
Kuro Ebi Katsu $19
 
Sake Tartareは、テーブルの上でフランベするエンターテイニン グなひと皿。ちなみにフランベは、アルコール度数の高い酒に火を 移し、一気にアルコール分を飛ばすことにより食材の旨味を閉じ 込めたり、風味や香り付けを行う調理法。微かに火の入ったサーモ ンのタルタルを、パリパリした海苔の天麩羅にのせてパクリ。サー モン特有のトロリとした感覚と、海苔の風味が口いっぱいに広が る。ワインや日本酒とも相性が良さそうだ。
Sake Tartare $21
 
メインにはガツンとしたNikomi Beef。12時間以上煮込まれた牛 肉は、味はシミシミ、肉はトロトロ。甘辛系の味で、思わず「ご飯下 さい」と言いたくなるホッとする味わい。豚の角煮のように練り辛
子があっても良いかも。
Nikomi Beef $28
 
ご飯ものが食べたいならWagyu Chahanがお勧め。上にのった 温泉卵を崩しなら、和牛の粗みじん切りがたっぷり入った炒飯を いただく。実は私、この温泉卵のせに非常に弱い。胡椒がピリッと 効いた炒飯に卵が絡まり、うーん至福の時。見た目は地味だが、是 非お試しを。
Wagyu Chahan $15
 
食事の最後を飾るのは、淡いピンクの色合いのSakura + Momo。日本の白桃の瑞々しい甘さ、甘酒の濃厚な風味、桜のジェ ルが一体になったサッパリとした日本の春を感じさせるデザート。
Sakura + Momo $19
 
モダンな装いの料理が映える、スッキリとした空間。ホテルの一 画にありながら、手頃な価格がうれしい。次回はランチに訪れよう かな。ごちそうさま。
 
 
Chic Space, Beguiling Food
 
We first heard about a Japanese restaurant opening within the Sheraton Hotel a few months ago, but due to the Christmas and New Year rush, we couldn’t get there until now. Tsuru is a contemporary Japanese restaurant that serves a wide range of dishes, and with the aid of media relations chiefs Martin and Amy, who know the menu backwards, we sampled some of their recommendations.
 
Before we started into the food proper, we kicked things off with a cold Japanese beer. Then we tucked, into the accompaniments ‒ Edamame coated in aromatic black sesame paste, and Satsumaimo, which are mildly sweet potatoes served, in this instance, with a spicy mayonnaise. The combination of the faint sweetness of the potatoes with the taste and texture of the mayonnaise was sublime. Indeed both dishes, while simple, were dangerously more-ish.
 
The next dish we tried was the Kuro Ebi Katsu. ‘Kuro’ means black in Japanese, so we wondered what was so ‘black’ about these prawn cutlets. It turns out the batter, which apparently has charcoal in it, creates the dark colour. As a result, they’re a bit more crunchy than crispy, and it contrasts nicely with the tender prawns. If you eat them dipped in plenty of the accompanying wasabi mayo, you can’t help but smile.
 
The Sake Tartare (sake being salmon in this context) was served with a flourish, being flambéed in front of us, and came with crispy tempura nori which we duly topped with the salmon.The salmon’s creamy richness and nori’s flavour filled our mouths, and made us think this dish would go well with wine or sake.
 
For our main, we ordered the Nikomi Beef. Stewed for 12 hours, the sweet and spicy flavour had been absorbed deep into the sinews, and the texture was very rich and tender. It’s the kind of heartwarming dish that instantly makes you want to order rice to accompany it. It could even go well with a little crushed chilli ‒ akin to how Kakuni Pork is served.
 
If you’d like a rice dish, we’d recommend the Wagyu Chahan. You eat it by breaking apart the poached egg on top and mixing with the fried rice, which is packed with roughly-diced Wagyu. Truth be told, I’m a sucker for anything with a poached egg on top, and the combination of the black pepper heat and creamy egg was just heavenly. The presentation isn’t flashy, but it’s definitely worth trying.
 
We finished off our meal with the Sakura + Momo dessert. Faintly pink in colour, the sweetness of the Japanese white peach, along with the rich Amazake flavour and sakura (cherry blossom) gel worked together to create a refreshing dessert ‒ one that evoked a Japanese spring
 
Tsuru offers a chic, classy atmosphere with modern Japanese cuisine. And despite being inside the Sheraton, the prices are reasonable, too. Next time, we’ll have to try their lunch menu. Gochisousama.
 
Tsuru
Shop 1/27 Little Collins St, Melbourne
03 9080 7884
Mon~Sat: 12~3pm, 7 Days: 6~10:30pm
 
Before each meal in Japan, you say ‘itadakimasu’, and afterwards, ‘gochisousama’. Itadakimasu conveys your gratitude to both the ingredients that gave up their lives to feed you, and everyone involved in bringing you your food. Gochisousama, meanwhile, conveys thanks purely to the people who prepared and served your meal.