I recently got to experience a special dinner at Nikkei Rockwell featuring hamachi (yellow tail) paired with Cloudy Bay wines. This was my first time at the Rockwell branch and the vibe felt different with a two level restaurant and the exciting sushi area/open kitchen dominating the first level.
We started off the dinner with an amuse bouche of Hamachi Causa. Causa is a Peruvian appetizer made from mashed potatoes then topped with guacamole, hamachi mixed with rocoto mayo and topped with chalaquita (salsa). It’s a flavor and texture bomb all in one bite or two for other people.
Hamachi sashimi, a slightly firm fish with buttery and silky texture. I’ve recently grown a fondness for this fish and prefer it to tuna most of the time.
Our first two dishes were paired with Cloudy Bay Chardonnay, an easy to drink, fruity wine.
Hamachi Tiradito. Thin slices of hamachi in Nikkei sauce with chilies, cilantro and veggie slaw.
Hamachi Aburi Sushi. Hamachi nigiri that’s topped with chalaquita. The torching adds a smokiness and releases the oil and more flavor from the hamachi. The shari had a light vinegar taste and was well formed. This was paired with the Cloudy Bay Chauvignon Blanc, I liked this even more than the chardonnay because of the sweeter flavor and more fruity notes.
Hamachi Kama. Grilled hamachi collar with teriyaki glaze sauce. I thought eating this would one super complicated like a fish head but it’s quite easy to dissect and enjoy the fattiest part of the hamachi. The teriyaki glaze adds a sticky and slightly sweet flavor that complements the kama well, a plain shio grilling would be excellent also. This was paired with the Cloudy Bay Pinot Noir.
Nikkei Rockwell serves these Hamachi dishes on weekends only and also has a Hamachi set that has a little of all the dishes, good for 2 and 4 people.
We finished the dinner off with Tiramisu Caviar. A dollop of indulgent caviar is crowned on top of Nikkei’s version of tiramisu. The caviar adds a popping burst of saltiness and umami that gives the tiramisu a different flavor contrast. The tiramisu is excellent and is good on it’s own.
Nikkei Rockwell
G/F One Rockwell West Tower71 Rockwell Drive, Makati City Contact No: (632) 8541-6689
Operating Hours: 11:30am to 11pm daily
Facebook Page: Nikkei PH
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