Okay, this was a 'date' that I was so not looking forward to. Well, I'd seen it as entertaining the Old Cow, and told Wifey that it'll be the first and LAST date with him. Eew.
He's not that bad actually, in fact he was quite a gentleman to come pick me up after my work. But his philandering ways fill me with disgust. Esp the way he preys on single and young girls at the C Show. What's it with old men and young girls anyway? Is it an attempt to make themselves feel younger?
K. Enough of the complaining. We had dinner at Akashi (Paragon). I'd seen good reviews about it and went in with great expectations. It wasn't that bad, it just didn't live up to my expectations.
Pidan Tofu
I relished Tetsu's rendition of this, and it excited me when I saw this on the menu. I just had to have it.
It was a disappoint, totally far from what I had at Tetsu. The century egg sauce drizzled over the tofu was not as fragrant as I would have liked it to be. And I guess the absence of ebiko made a huge difference, there wasn't any saltiness to balance it off. This made me miss Tetsu even more. I can't wait to go back there!
Sake Sashimi
This was rather pricey, at $16 for 5 thick slices. Old Cow said that at this price, it had better be good. Hmm. It didn't taste particularly fresh, just a normal-tasting salmon.I felt that it was something that I could get from any regular Jap restaurant. The good was that it was sliced thickly, skin intact (i lurrrve fish skin), and at least it didn't taste sinewy.
Normally, I wouldn't have ordered this ubiquitous Jap dish. But since Old Cow suggested it, I was agreeable as well. Well, it was light and crunchy, however it was oily and a tad too salty.
This was just passable. The cha soba was nicely chilled and did not have the bitter green tea taste (unlike the one at Hokkaido Jap Rest at Turf City), but I seriously did not know what the raw quail egg was for. It didn’t make that much of a difference when dipped into, so I just left it as it was after one dip.
Tempura came in the form of eggplant, pumpkin, green pepper, and yam. The eggplant, yam, and pumpkin were not mushy and had a pleasant crunch to it, but the pumpkin was sliced too thinly. Not enough to satisfy my love for the lovely veg! The prawn was crunchy too. I didn’t touch the green pepper one; I don’t like the taste of it. Overall, they were quite pleasant, although a little oily.
Pork/beef Yakiniku Set
He had the set with stir-fried pork/beef (forgot) with onions set. He let me have some of the meat; it was nicely fried, not too tough.
Verdict: I won't be back for more, unless there aren't decent Jap choices when I'm in Paragon, which is impossible. Shimbashi Sobi (which I very much want to try!) and Sushi Tei are in the vicinity.
