Ask me what I remember of my meal at Ode and my first answer would be… The good looking staff! Like seriously, there was so much handsome-ness in the space. So much that I couldn’t resist locating the instagram account of the cutest staff sous chef. And yes, I followed him. Sheepish grin. Don’t judge me, please. :)

Opened in September 2017, Ode was a 10 minutes walk from Hiro-o metro station. And spring is always a beautiful time to be in Japan. If one walked further along the street, one could enjoy the sight of many cherry blossom trees lining both sides of the highway.

It was not hard to notice everything was in shades of grey. From the grey skim-coated external wall and door, to the dark grey painted interior walls, and even to the (grey) stainless steel island counter within the U-shaped counter. Although the (harsh) all-grey interior was softened with bits of wood; Timber feature ceiling and wooden chairs. I wondered if chef-owner Yusuke Namai has an obsession with grey. Even his signature dish was named ‘Grey’. Hmm…

Although we were seated at the U-shaped counter, most of the actions including plating were behind the kitchen walls.

After I was led to my seat, the staff confirmed with me the menu that I had booked when I made my reservation before continuing to take out an iPad. There were many words on it. But the word ‘degustation’ jumped out at me. And that got me momentarily confused because I thought they reconfirmed my choice of menu just seconds earlier. It was only as she scrolled through the document that I figured it was the drinks menu. And yet again, another word jumped out at me. And it was the word ‘tea’. So I said “tea” to the staff. But what happened next was a blur. My intention of wanting to order a cup of tea suddenly became an order for their non-alcohol (tea) pairing.

And just when I thought lunch would be commencing after settling my drinks order, I noticed head chef Namai san was making his round to greet the different groups of customers. A very nice personal touch! Shortly after which, I commenced my lunch omakase (carte blanche menu, ¥7000) with:-

1) Dish #1 (above) – Hot milk with Taiwanese spices.

2) Dish #2 (above) – The staff came up with a big bowl of dry ice. On it was a brass coloured ball. The staff proceeded to transfer the ball to my plate and asked me to open it up. And within it was the famous ‘power ball’ which many had taken photograph and posted on instagram. Inspired by head chef Namai san favourite Japanese anime Dragon Ball, I was told the ball contained shrimp flavoured mousse within.

3) Dish #3 (above) – Foie gras and sweet potato tart. And as I chewed through, there were also chunky pieces of nuts which tasted like pistachio.

4) Dish #4 (above) – Cherry blossom leaf and clam (hamaguri) in clam broth. I was told to eat the leaf first for the flavour before proceeding to the broth. And the leaf which got me really curious was crisp like a chip. Pretty neat!

5) Dish #5 (above) – “Grey, our signature dish”, said the staff. And he went on to emphasise by pointing to the grey painted wall (just beside us), to his grey apron and to the dominant grey interior. We laughed. And hidden out of sight beneath the meringue (made with fish innards) was sardine, beetroot, fennel, pickled onion, lemon purée and cherry vinegar. I heard beef tartare when the staff introduced the dish to my neighbour, so I guess the kitchen must had removed that to cater to my dietary requirement (of no beef).

6) Dish #6 (above) – Freshly baked focaccia, brought out by none other than the cutest staff! It seemed he’s in charge of the baking and sweets department. And when he came round to ask if I wanted seconds, I nodded with a big grin. Haha. But no, really… I couldn’t resist good bread.

  

7) Dish #7 (above) – Risotto with white mushroom, Japanese spinach and kelp powder. I was told the mushrooms were cooked 2 ways for varying textures. Although I wasn’t sure why the risotto was so orange. Didn’t hear any particular ingredient in the dish introduction which could explained so. Strong cheese?

8) Dish #8 (above) – Snapper with mountain herbs, bamboo shoot (including the foam) and firefly squids.

  

9) Dish #9 (above) – Chicken wellington with chicken sauce, cauliflower mousse and foam, and vegetables (cabbage and beans) on mashed potato.

10) Dish #10 (above) – Chrysanthemum (which texture was similar to marshmallow), strawberry and pistachio bits, served alongside chrysanthemum ice cream. And this was seriously good. I was literally scraping my plate clean in an attempt to get everything.

  

11) Dish #11 (above) – Sakura biscuit and wafer biscuit (monaka) with filling of yuzu, green tea and rice cake.

As with most Japanese meals that come to an end, it’s (almost) customary to offer tea. But because I was doing the non-alcohol pairing which was basically different types of tea, I had the “What. More tea?” moment. Haha. But between the 2 options of roasted black tea and local bean tea, I went for the latter. Right choice if I may add. It was really fragrant.

With my non-alcohol pairing, my bill came up to ¥13,068 (including tax and service charge). Would I recommend 1 Michelin star Ode? Yes! I certainly enjoyed myself. And for ¥7000? The meal was very value-for-money. Skip the pairing though. One could tell I wasn’t really into it with the lack of pictures. My personal preference if I may add. Hee. It’s a plus too that reservation could be done easily on Ode’s website. But hey, don’t go dressed in grey. You, may, just, blend, in. Okie, lousy attempt at trying to be funny. Ha!

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