旬香亭The Shunkoutei Grill，乍聽時腦海中浮現的是不急不徐、身著優雅和服的熟女，其實完全不是那種小碎步式的日本料亭，而是前衛無比的實驗性餐廳。挑逗味蕾如豔遇情人，火辣至極！
講究於美食富豪名流，必曾聽過以「分子廚藝」聞名世界的西班牙「El Bulli」餐廳，及其主廚Ferran Adria。「旬香亭Grill」的主廚山田力，就是師承Ferran Adria，在東京發揚光大其理念的天才型廚師。（El Bulli餐廳，請參見本誌第7期20-28頁。）
這位擁有Johnny’s（傑尼斯偶像）外型的主廚，很性格地更正了外人對「旬香亭Grill」是義大利或法國料理的誤認！16年來，他不分國界到處拜師學藝；在「El Bulli」主廚Ferran Adrie手下學習時，還曾以語言天份，但任過大師的貼身翻譯，獲益良多。
旬香亭Grill座落在東京赤?「Ark Hills」1樓，這個區域諸多大使館及名流聚集。餐廳有著幾合圖形拼接的俐落門面、平滑鑑人的石砌大拱門，彷彿讓人一進門就能清澈掉味覺的既有成見。
推門入內，東西交雜的衝突不由得讓人先停滯數秒。吧台上西班牙風的瓷磚貼圖，後方卻是奇詭怪異、濃濃「實驗室」氛圍的開放式廚房。再搭配左方的傳統法式沙發，有種冷調、溫馨但不統一的凌亂和諧，亦是表明食材的混搭。肯定是呈現低調衝突的一流個性名店氣氛。
裝潢固然會影響美食心情，但來到此，就該先將自己對食物的印象歸零！也就是要屏除「Gazpacho必是紅色蕃茄濃湯」、「香蕉巧克力 = 巧克力內包香蕉」的既定印象！把自己的味蕾調整到初生嬰兒般乾淨、無雜念，如此才能全心體會粉末鵝肝、膠囊橄欖的新奇美味！
攤開菜單，各樣的Course有著出乎意料的合理價格！今天主廚呈現的套餐約180美元，算算共有28道琳瑯滿目的菜色。
揭開序幕的是粉紅色玫瑰風味調酒「Sant Jordi」，入口醇厚溫和又純淨；濃郁的玫瑰味挑動味蕾，為迎接後續20道美食預作準備。
緊接而來的則是一碟碟多彩多姿的開胃前菜。別小看這些奇形怪樣的頭碟，越是看來花樣百出，越是必須經驗老道、下足功夫，才能做到出人意表。
有用小酒杯裝著Parmesan Cheese（帕馬森乳酪）做的「異化」薄餅；也有一般人從不敢用來入菜的苦調藥酒Campari（金巴利酒），調皮地隱藏在對切草莓肚中，把味蕾刺激出高高低低的節奏感，嗆的很。相反的，也有用氣質型仿黑石器碟子盛放的「白魚土司薄派」。最有趣的，就是插在試管架裡的「冰淇淋鮭魚泥」和布丁口感「穴子蛋派」，兩者用的都不是什麼難得的食材，卻入口很有感覺，有種叛逆的痛快感，硬是要人邊吃邊發出「狂」聲！ |
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主廚山田力，曾在「分子廚藝」大師Ferran Adria 門下學習。 |
Chef Ahikara Yamada, trained under famous chef Ferran Adria. |
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由於每一道菜都只有一、兩口的份量，光從外觀無法「猜」出味道或食材；入口後其口感的層次與型態也都顛覆了以往的經驗，讓我慢慢見識到這廚藝界裡的傑尼斯傳說。
接下來，也是道道讓人拍案驚奇！素來不喜冷湯的我，卻一口氣把「透明色」蕃茄海鮮湯送下肚，舔舔唇緣，甘醇甜美！還有「西班牙海鮮飯vs.玉黍蜀穀片」，送上來的是整支試管小米粒和一碗龍蝦干貝湯，乍看不知如何是好，原來是要將穀類灑入湯汁中，要你手也不得閒地親自攪拌成海鮮飯。
幾回合下來，菜色大部分都是「非實體」的泡沫、慕斯、濃縮汁、氣體、湯汁、薄片，固體食物很少。其後的主菜裡則出現了較實體的食材，但是其玩耍味覺的本質依然不變。
我挑了西班牙「Iberico香妃豬」，果然如香妃般的豐腴膏香，如霜降牛的醇厚綿密肉質，入口細膩帶勁。鋪上以Cheese粉打成的綿密奶泡，不渙散的口感，實在有料，更是嘗到實力的嚴選標準。
甜點有8道，全部好吃又好玩，第1道就已經嘆為觀止！看起來像是巧克力碎片的食材，鋪在零下196度的液態乾冰裏，送入口中瞬間溶化成軟軟綿密的冰淇淋。還有「西班牙風味甜甜圈球&巧克力軟式管」，將巧克力醬汁注入實驗室才有的軟管，送入口的方式則必須又擠又吸的，很有娛樂效果。廚師玩得愈起勁，食客則愈能屏除世故之心、體會每道菜的深層樂趣。
另一方面，菜色的表現雖然極為精彩，卻不影響這兒精準的控菜節奏，及從容、嚴謹又不僵硬的親切服務。完全發揮了日式服務的貼心精神，值得稱讚！這麼多道菜，這麼多種味道、素材，在這麼短的時間內呈現，而且大多都被要求立刻入口（否則影響口感），卻一點也不覺得這一餐花了將近5個小時！能欣賞到山田力主廚的傳奇料理，真是十分值得。
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起身離席，大家都開開心心地、有說有笑，懷抱著童年的心情！其實，享受美食如同戀愛，不一定總是要浪漫惆悵、詩情畫意！人們總對調皮搗蛋、鬼點子超多的戀人，總是念念不忘！原來，味覺的感受也需要些許另類的伺候，需要談一段Part-time的刺激情節。旬香亭Grill，拍案叫絕的味蕾艷遇，無人能及！ |
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這絕對不是蛋黃，是如假包換的「生火腿哈密瓜」。
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Egg yolk？Surely you are wrong. This is melon with ham. |
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印度風味餃，由中式春捲皮、蔬菜、辛香料製成 |
Indian style Spring Roll. |
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薄片吐司 |
Toast-like Slices. |
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咖哩風味「開心果天婦羅」，展現日式廚藝 |
Kiwi Tempura in Curry style. |
www.shunkoutei.com |
Let Your Taste Buds Run Wild at The Shunkoutei Grill!
“The Shunkoutei Grill.” Hearing the name in your mind perhaps gives you the impression of an elegant lady in a kimono strolling slowly along a lane but, on the contrary, this restaurant is very different from any of those other common types. It’s cutting edge, full of dangerously daring cuisine experimentation. Their food piques your taste buds like kisses from a lover.
If you care about gourmet cuisine, then you must have heard about the famous avant-garde Spanish chef at El Bulli named Ferran Adria. Chef Yamada Tikara trained under Ferran Andria and then came back to Tokyo to set the town on fire with his greater brand of “Molecular Gastronomy.” What a genius chef! (To explore the El Bulli restaurant further, please see Issue 7, p. 20-28 of our magazine.) Chef Yamada’s outfit makes him appear like Johnny, the nice idol, yet Johnny doesn’t look like a local. Let’s clear up the confusion and tell the real story about The Shunkoutei Grill. Firstly, it isn’t a European restaurant. For 16 years, Chef Yamada worked in the kitchens of chefs all over the world. While he worked with Ferran Adria, he even became Ferran Andria’s personal translator due to his talent at languages.
The Shunkoutei Grill is located in Tokyo’s Akasaka on the 1st floor of Ark Hills. Akasaka is a residential and commercial area populated by quite a few embassies. The first thing you’ll notice is that the door to the restaurant is geometric and is very smooth to the eye. Upon opening it, you will see a stone gate, giving you a feeling of release. Now you are entering a brave new world, leaving all your worries behind.
Through the door, East and West are commingled and it makes you pause to reflect upon that fact. At the bar, you can observe the Spanish-style tile. Suddenly, you get a whiff of something odd as if you’d stepped into a laboratory. The Shunkoutei Grill has an open style kitchen. On the left side of the Grill, there’s a traditional French sofa which exudes a subtly unified harmony, like the ingredient of the dishes which are blended superbly. This restaurant has a very personal character, a contrast of relaxation and curiosity.
This type of decor might influence the way you enjoy their cuisine but since you are here, just let go of all your impressions and prejudices and start from zero with a clean slate. This means when you order “Gazpacho,” it won’t be the same old red tomato soup you might expect. Similarly, at The Shunkoutei Grill, a “Chocolate Banana” will not just be some boring chocolate coated banana. This kind of food art is going to reinvigorate your taste buds so they become clean and pure again like a newborn child. Imagine-- Powdered Goose Liver, as well as Esferificacion Olives (olives in plastic capsules).
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揭開序曲的玫瑰風味調酒，鋪以鹽製的零下196度顆粒乾冰 |
A pink rose wine, Sant Jordi. |
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帕馬森乳酪「異化」薄餅，香脆誘人 |
A thin crepe pancake of Parmesan cheese. |
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（Left）紐約海鮮濃湯；濃湯、蛤蠣、線條式番茄濃湯。 |
| New York Seafood Soup. The middle line is tomato soup. |
（Middle）師風海鮮；試管中的濃縮液體，串聯著蝦頭和蝦身。 |
| Japaness style seafood. A sauce links the shrimp head and body. |
| （Right）在白色小盤中，拼配出五顏六色的「海鮮高第」。 |
| Seafood Gaudi. |
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試管架上的「冰淇淋鮭魚泥」和布丁口感「穴子蛋派」。 |
| Test tubes filled with mashed salmon ice cream, and a pudding style cavia |
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Taking a look at the menu, all their cuisine is reasonably priced, which? causes you to smile with surprise. Today, Chef Yamada has prepared a set menu for US$ 180, which is composed of 28 various dishes.Your adventure starts with a pink rose wine, Sant Jordi. As this wine flows through your mouth, its warm, pure and powerful rose flavor bathes your tongue and helps you in welcoming the next 20 or so dishes.
After that, many wonderful appetizers arrive. Don’t judge them on their unusual appearances alone. Although they seem fancy and colorful, bear in mind that the
fancier they are, the harder it was to create them.
First to arrive is a thin crepe pancake of Parmesan cheese inside a glass with a strawberry injected with Campari wine, one not normally used in cooking. You savor the sweet and sour strawberry flesh with the slightly bitter wine. Next comes an elegant white fish toast as a thin pie. I found the most interesting one was a test tube filled with mashed salmon ice cream. There was also a pudding style caviar pie. Although their ingredients weren’t special, their contrasting flavors were bold and startling.
As each dish was only a bite or two, from just looking at the morsel or judging from its ingredients, there truly isn’t any way possible to guess how it will taste. You must simply try it. Then you recognize what’s in it and it’s a taste revolution in your mouth..
After that, many more surprising kinds of little meals appeared before me. Usually I dislike cold soup but this time I finished all of the clear tomato seafood soup. I even could taste the gourmet flavor that embraced my mouth. Then there was paella (Spanish rice with seafood) with flakes of? corn. When it arrived, the rice came inside a test tube, along with a bowl of lobster scallop soup. You didn’t have a clue about how to eat it. The thing to do is to put the contents of the test tube, corn flakes and paella all into the soup.
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After a few dishes, I discovered most of them were made of bubbles, mousse, soup, or thin slices, nothing solid. Then as the main course arrive, the dishes became more solid but were still unconventional in taste.
I tried Spanish “Iberico princess pork.” The pork was true to its name, just like a princess, fatty and gelatinous, like Shimfuri beef. ?On the top of the pork, there was bubbly whipped cheese. When you ate it, you felt like you were eating an awesome meal.
For dessert, 8 delightful dishes took the stage. Each of them was fun and delicious in their own unique way. The first one was an eye-opener. It seemed to be a chocolate flake sitting on top of a liquid pool of --196 C dry ice. Once you dig in to it, it turns to ice cream. Another fun thing was the Spanish favored donut ball and a chocolate straw. Chocolate is stuffed into the straw and to get it all out, you must squeeze the straw and suck it. Chef Yamada works extra hard so his customers can relax, being rid of their old food prejudices and enjoy the deep meaning of each kind of food he serves up. |
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仿黑石器盤中搭配「白魚土司薄派」。 |
An elegant white fish toast as a thin pie. |
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On the other hand, even though dishes on the menu look quite fancy, that doesn’t influence the order in which you receive your food. It’s organized, friendly service in the Japanese style that moves the heart.
So many dishes, so many flavors and so many ingredients in a short time are presented before you and you must put them into your mouth immediately or it will have an influence the taste. At the end of the meal, you can’t believe it but it actually took you 5 hours to eat it all. You must take the time to enjoy Chef Chikara Yamada’s legendary cuisine and you’ll see that it’s all worth it.
When we left the restaurant, everyone was so joyful and talkative just like little children. Enjoying beautiful cuisine is like being in a love affair. It’s not necessary to be melancholy, romantic and beautiful as a lover. Sometimes people can’t forget their old naughty and tricky lovers that they had. So it is with our taste buds that may have gone through rough experiences and sometimes require something quite different, a little temporary excitement. The Shunkoutei Grill is such a surprise and nobody can compete with it. |
