I was skeptical when I realized Kitchin was a Japanese fusion restaurant--I am a classic sushi nut…read moreand think most fusion restaurants over drive their vision onto pristine ingredients that need only humble, discreet presentation to showcase their food.
But then, there is Kitchin.
The decor was dim, hipster cool. I am told the weekends require formal attire, and the wait becomes 2 hours as the social elite overrun this place.
I asked if they had, then quickly ordered the Sayuri peach blossom unfiltered sake--I adore this pink unfiltered sake. But it is challenging to find outside Japan and it spoils quickly once opened. So to find this in Brazil, in pristine condition and at this price point (given favorable exchange rate). It was a exquisite find. Ended up buying the entire bottle.
Here is a list of food we consumed:
Salmon belly temaki with sea salt and black truffle flakes--it takes a few moments of chewing for the salty assertive truffle to meld with the emulsion of salmon belly. When it does, alchemy happens.
Salmon tartare with scallops and black truffle infused oil--the delicate sweetness of scallop pairs exceptionally well with the richness of salmon.
Uni with garlic and truffle infused oil on rice cracker. The crisp cracker adds textural interest while the oil rounds off any mineral edges from the sea urchin while adding velvety mouthfeel to the bite.
Tuna tartare with Shoyu pearls (like boba)--mild clean tuna gets a pop of umami from the Shoyu pearl.
Tuna aburi with panseared foie gras--not normally a fan of torched tuna, however the foie gras adds a decadent emulsion of delicious nutty umami to an otherwise insipid nigiri bite.
Tuna and salmon tartare with panko crumbs--not typical maki. These cubes got Brazilian flair as the panko echoed farofa.
More tuna aburi with foie gras emulsion--because we had to.
Brazilian king mackerel marinated like Saba--Kitchin's tropical take on my favorite chirashi staple.
Diver scallops with shoyu pearls and Brazilian snapper. The lean, mild snapper was overshadowed by the previous flavor bombs of the evening. In hind sight, we should have opened the procession of food with this fish.
Thinly sliced tako (octopus) carpaccio with sea salt, truffle flakes and oil. This was a delectable dish.
Cooked prawn nigiri was par. No more, no less.
The headliner of the evening oddly enough, was the mind-expanding, flavor fireworks show that was unagi. Cascading, symphonic notes of sweet, savory caramelized fattiness, earthy fish funkiness that cycled repeatedly even after you've swallowed the bite. We ordered a second pair and it was almost as good as the first go around!
Nutella and Matcha Mochi--once again, par.
Stuffed to the gills, soused after consuming the entire bottle of sake. I was schooled on the potential of Japanese fusion.
Kitchin is now of my list of must visit places whenever I am in Sao Paulo. Sincere thanks to Joao, my favorite Sao Paulo socialite for sharing this very special place with me.
Itadakimasu! Respect and profound gratitude.
