Japan trip-星岡茶寮

I remember this was the last day of our Japan trip. My dad decided to end the trip with a wonderful, perfect, filling meal.

We did not really plan for the last day, so my mom (and ahem, my sister) chose to make a last minute shopping at Isetan. We, well at least I, were totally exhausted after spending the entire day walking and walking around Shinjuku. My dad and I were too tired to bother finding a fancy restaurant for our last meal. At last, we went to Isetan for dinner again (To see the first dinner I had at Isetan, please read here), and we saw this Japanese restaurant that was hidden inside an alley.


新宿星岡茶寮(しんじゅく ほしがおかさりょう)(Shinjuku Hoshiga Okasaryo)
7/F Itoparadaisu, 3-14-1 Shinjuku, Shinjuku Isetan, Main Building
東京都新宿区新宿3-14-1 伊勢丹新宿店本館７Fイートパラダイス
Tel: 03-3352-0976

Ratings
1:Yucks! 2:Improvement needed 3:So-So~ 4:Good 5:Very good 6:Heavenly

Food: 5
Price: n/a
Service: 6
Ambiance: 5
Overall: 5

• Mon-Sun 11am-10pm
• The thing that attracted me to try this restaurant was the colourful food models on the window, especially they offered more than one kind of Kaiseki sets.

• I did not walk around the restaurant, so I'm not sure how many seatings they have exactly. Bonus point: Each room is divided--high privacy.

Pork Curry Noodle Set

• Came along with an appetizer (marinated veggies), miso soup, and steamed egg.

Fried Fish Set

Fried Fish-4.5/6

• My mom digged in immediately once the waitress put the tray down, so I could not take an original photo of the fish.
• I tried some...It was actually quite good: tender meat with a hint of soy sauce, not too salty though.

Tuna and Tai Sashimi-5.5/6

• My mom only ate one piece of Tai, and I was the one who ended up finishing all the sashimi for her.

Tempura

• Including shrimp, long bean, and pumpkin.

Kaiseki Set Layer #1

Fresh Shell, Mini Prawns, and Marinated Mushroom-3.5/6

• I was not a big fan of fresh sea-shell but this did not have much flavour, so it was okay for me.
• The marinated mushroom was put on a small aluminum case to separate from the seafood. I found it a bit too salty for my liking...
• Like I have mentioned before, shrimps/prawns are no-no for me.

Tuna and Tai Sashimi-5.5/6

• Let's talk about the tai sashimi first! It wasn't that impressive, maybe because I don't really like its texture compare to tuna's and saba's...and salmon's...
• On the other hand, the tuna sashimi was really good! I actually wanted more after finishing my 3pcs! So, thanks mom for giving me hers hehe :D

Seaweed in Marinated Sauce-5.5/6

• Similar to other seaweed (I mean the thicker ones), this was also slimy in texture.
• The first time I had this kind of thin seaweed was at Takifugu, which they called it "seamoss".
• Afterall, I still prefer the thicker ones because they are chewier than these.

Marinated Vegetables

• With cucumber, seaweed, and chopped carrot.

Fish Meat, Tamago, and Sweet Bun-6/6

• As you know, the fish meal and tamago did not taste and look special; they were average.
• I did not know the red bun on the right hand side was sweet until I had my first bite! It was not as sweet as dessert, but just the right amount of sweetness to clear your throat after trying so many dishes.
• The texture of the bun was very chewy (and also a bit sticky). Like dumplings!

Kaiseki Set Layer #2

Fried Tofu, Lotus Root, Long Beans and Tofu in Clear Broth-6/6

• There were two kinds of tofu here: fresh and fried. The white one on the bottom is the fresh tofu, and the brownish yellow one next to the long beans is the fried tofu.
• The green-and-yellow thing on top was actually a piece fish meat. They just made it into something like this for better presentation.

Fish-3.5/6

• I'm not sure, but I believe it's cod fish.
• Decorated with a thin slice of lotus root.
• The fish does not look as big as the photo shows; it was only a small piece of meat.

Fried Chicken-3.5/6

• Decorated with asparagus and eggplant.
• The chicken did not overcook. It was still juicy inside with a thin and crispy crust.

Salmon Mousse-2/6

• This might be the mot controversial dish of the night! My sister and I were discussing what this was and, I believe...it was a salmon mousse!
• The texture was similar to mousse but this was denser than the regular ones.
• I did not like it...I'm just not a fan of the mousse-y texture :S

Marinated Vegetable and Gourd

Steamed Rice with Marinated Vegetables and Mushroom-6/6

• Steamed rice might seem simple, but the mixture of rice+marinated veggie+mushroom tasted soo good!
• The rice was very tasty.......tasty in a healthier way without adding too much additives/MSG.

Miso Soup

Everyone of us was very satisfied when we left. My dad got his cooked meat; my mom got her (fry) fish; I have tried some interesting/rare Japanese dish here.

A conclusion to this Japan trip---Japan is a wonderful place for vacation really. Shopping, eating, shopping, sleeping, eating......what more can you ask for for vacation? ;)