Mino - Mosman, Sydney

When I first arrived outside Mino, I immediately thought 'How could I have not known about this place until recently!?!?' I had read about the authentic and traditional kaiseki style menu that this place offers but I was then pleasantly surprised by how many good food guide mentions it had recieved.

So much awesome I had to take a photo!

As soon as we entered we were greeted warmly and provided with the utmost service throughout the whole night. Mino carries a great atmosphere, the lighting is just right or couple dining or group outing, and I loved the wooden decor around especially the hanging grid.

Since we were here , we had to try the kaiseki menus and there is a choice between Mino and Goshu. For $55 and $59, respectively, the banquet menus are quite good for value considering the great dishes you get ^^! Kaiseki menus are traditionally served at tea ceremonies as they are supposed to enhance the flavour and taste of tea. I may not have had any tea with this banquet but the food was sure on the money so Here Comes the Food.

Appetizer - Steamed Japanese Kuruma-prawns with plum dressing
Light and fresh, the perfect way to start off this banquet. Beautifully crispy and crunchy wisps on top contrast the soft texture of prawn. I am not sure why this is called a 'car' prawn so if already knows please enlighten me thx :)

Appetizer - Sea Eel and crab meat tempura rolled in yuba with ponzu dressing
I did not get to try this but the smells and visuals of this dish were very appealing and a content face informed me this was another great starter.

Sashimi - Chef's Selection of today's Sashimi (two kinds of fish) with special blend soy sauce (Goshu menu also received a fresh oyster)
The sashimi was fresh and cool but was not as good as the sashimi I had a Sushi Studio. There were residue droplets of water on the plate which might indicate that this dish was prepared earlier and just fridged.

Assorted Grilled Entree - Kingfish and Shimeji mushroom with Ponzu-mayonnaise, Seafood and Vegetable Japanes style potage soup, Tempura of asparagus wrapped in thinly sliced duck and Tataki (seared) scallop salad topped with salmon roe and dill served with Japanese vinaigrette

Kingfish and Shimeji mushroom with Ponzu-mayonnaise
All of these small dishes were great hits. They had pretty well balanced and beautiful combination of flavours and textures. The potage soup was slightly thick and creamy with a fresh and distinct taste of vegetables. The tempura was good but the duck was very very thin indeed, maybe a bit too thin in my opinion hee hee. Lotus on top was crunchy and yum :) The scallop tataki was bites of sweetness but the salmon roe kind of lowered its' rating for me. The grilled kingfish was probably the best of them all even though it was very difficult to tell. The meat was soft and deliciously tender and the ponzu-mayonnaise matched it very well.

Assorted Grilled Entree - Grilled silver cod fillet marinated in saikyo miso paste, Seafood and Vegetable Japanes style potage soup, Fried ground prawn and vegetable spring rools (rolls), Tataki (seared) wa-gyu beef salad with ginger dressing and Deep fried soft shell crab with green tea salt
I only tried the silver cod which was magically soft and flakey and the spring rolls which was nothing special but still quite tasty, crunchy outside and yummy prawny inside.

For the main we had a choice between about 9 items on a list:

Mains - Japanese style beef steak, Rice, Miso soup, Japanese pickles
This picture does not give the steak justice at all. The meat was tender and beautifully marbled, not sure what grade it was, but the quality was definitely good and cooked to a medium rare so the flavour really stood out. The sauce was a sweet sesame and miso sauce which did not overpower the beef unless you really gave it a good drowning.

Mains - Fried sword fish with light teriyaki sauce and vegetables
The sword fish was also another highlight with its juicy meat. The sauce was indeed light and was only a subtle innuendo to the natural fish flavour.

Mains - Eel Kabayaki served on rice with teriyaki sauce, Miso soup and Japanese pickles

Dessert - Green tea ice cream, Chocolate with Kinako powder and Black sesame ice cream

Dessert - Green tea ice cream and Chocolate with Kinako powder
The ice cream had very well distribution of green tea powder throughout it and had a delicious creaminess. The dark chocolate was also brilliant and had me craving for more.

The wait in-between dishes were not very long but a way to entertain ourselves hee hee whheee make them fly

Chef Takaaki Nakoji walked us to the dinner after our meal, how very nice ^^!


Other delectable degustations:
Waqu - Crows Nest, Sydney
Rise - Darlinghurst, Sydney


Mino
521 Military Rd
Mosman 2088
Ph: (02) 9960 3351
Chef: Takaaki Nakoji

FFichiban