Tea Time by the Tea Field
Ch.18: Prawn and green tea sprout tempura,
green tea flavoured inari, matcha pavlova...
Oh everything is so yummy!
Guests gathering in OCHA one after the other on the evening of the 21st of January was anticipating what the 10-course green tea dinner had in store for them.
The event, fully booked, accounted for 70 guests in the restaurant. Guests of honour of the night included, Consul-General Mr Sobajima and his wife, Mrs Sobajima and AusTrade's Catherine Taylor. Guests patiently waited to see what their first dish would be like.
In the kitchen, Chef Yoshida and his staff worked earnestly preparing for the special event.
Middle photo L-R: Consul-General Mr Sobajima,
ITO EN Australia's Executive Director Mr Tanoura, OCHA's Chef Yoshida and Mrs Sobajima
Right photo R: AusTrade's Catherine Taylor
With an opening speech presented by Chef Yoshida and ITO EN Australia's Executive Director Mr Tanoura, the dinner started off with a bang!
Dinner started off with a houji-cha (brown tea) and kelp soup with roasted glutinous rice cake. Guests were then given an individual mixed entrée plate which included: green tea breadcrumbed oysters, warm green tea egg omelette, green tea flavoured fermented soybeans and calamari, green tea salted kouji grilled quail, green tea flavoured inari, tuna canape with sweetened green tea flakes and green tea sprouts and grilled salmon marinated in dashi.
The kelp in the soup provided umami which was pleasing on the palate for the appetiser, as was the faint bitterness of the green tea on the breadcrumbed oysters. Fresh tea sprouts harvested on the day from Alexandra graced the plates as garnishes.
The meal continued on with an octopus carpaccio simmered in houji-cha served with a mustard miso vinegar dressing and pork neck simmered in English breakfast tea was served with a soy vinegar sauce. The octopus presented sashimi style was refreshing and mellow whereas the soy sauce pork neck had a faint aroma of black tea. Simmered to tenderness, the pork neck had accents of ginger, chilli and wasabi. It was truly spectacular!
As for the anticipated mains, Chef Yoshida proudly presented his prawn and green tea sprout tempura served with matcha salt, green tea noodles and a snapper fillet served in a dashi broth and green tea smoked teriyaki lamb cutlet served with yuzu pepper sauce.
Oh! I never knew you could use green tea in preparing meals in so many different ways! I was dazzled with excitement and touched from the bottom of my heart!
All the guests were in a buzz in praise for Chef Yoshida, whose devotion and skill did not just satisfy their stomachs, but their hearts as well.
And then, it was time for the "Green Tea Quiz"! Guests had to answer 10 questions about green tea and the winner would be awarded with one year's worth (that's 365 bottles!) of Oi-Ocha. Everyone made sure to participate in the quiz whole heartedly!
After that, guests were instructed to brew their own green tea and were swiftly presented with three different types of dessert. The dessert comprised of a matcha (green tea) ohagi-style mascarpone cheese, matcha pavlova and doughnuts served with a matcha and white chocolate sauce. Yummy!
Each of the marvellous desserts was delicious in their own unique way. It was definitely a great way to conclude to the special dinner course event.
To Chef Yoshida, Michelle and staff at OCHA, thank you for the AMAZING meal and service!
