Page 2 - Dining Out - Dec 12, 2021

Restaurant Insider with Anne Lee
Ichifuji owner Takuya Tsutsumi and general manager Aya Furuta show Anne Lee the Otoshi Nabe Premium Course Meal ($98.50).
1
ANNE LEE
speaks with Ichifuji
owner TAKUYA TSUTSUMI, general manager AYA FURUTA and chef MITCHEL TOMAS
Photos by
LAWRENCE TABUDLO
Ichifuji, located upstairs from way to eat each bite, as well as Fuji in your first dream of the year, truffle aioli and cream cheese with
how to enhance the flavors with Ichifuji’s signature homemade salt. Each course is exceptional in both quality and taste, and the sim- ple delicious oxtail broth has zero calories and is worth every bit of the $98.50. In honor of their anni- versary, they would like to share a complimentary glass of Rombauer Sauvignon Blanc or Hess Pinot Noir or Nihon Sakari sake with each premium course ordered through the end of this month.
AL: What does Ichifuji mean?
TT: Ichifuji means if you see Mount
sister restaurant Tori Ton, cele-
brates its one-year anniversary this month, and I was invited to try the Otoshi Nabe Premium Course Meal. I was excited to try the oxtail dashi that is simmered for over 10 hours. The meal has 13 courses that the chef prepares by hand.
This style of eating is very healthy, and the popular beef tongue and kurobuta pork offer essential vitamins and minerals. Owner Takuya Tsutsumi, gener- al manager Aya Furuta and chef Mitchel Tomas walked me through the courses, showed me the best
the rest of the year will be amazing.
AL: Can you take me through each course?
TT: We start with adding the bowl of green onions into the oxtail broth and letting it simmer — trying the three appetizers while it heats up. Our popular beef tongue sashimi is always one of the three. It’s cooked for six hours sous vide style. We suggest adding the konbu salt, as it enhances the flavor. The other two appetizers are seasonal and change monthly. For December, we have botan shrimp with white
homemade sauce, a touch of honey and sliced almond slices. Next is a bowl of creamy chawanmushi, a steamed egg custard pudding, topped with fishcake, mochi, mushroom and wakame. Third is a seared lobster (4-5 ounces) with miso butter, and then fourth is a seared wagyu sushi, to which we suggest adding our homemade konbu salt.
Before we start on our nabe courses, we recommend you try the oxtail broth while it is still clear, as the flavor will change adding the meats. This oxtail broth is
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2 / Dining Out / Dec. 12-18, 2021