Oh man, I’ve been wanting to try Nanzan GiroGiro for the longest time! Since they opened! Thankful for an invitation for dinner here one rainy night – what a wonderful treat! Parking in this area can be a nightmare and it was storming (the great 2024 storm session, iykyk) but luckily we both got parking right in front of the building! Service was immaculate, dinner was superb! They change their menus monthly, we had the May 2024, 9 course meal ($168). Check it out!
Starter
blue fin tuna, shiso, fried tofu, asparagus, green, sesame soy sauce, wasabi
Perfect starting bite(s) – super fresh fish and wonderful flavors. I love me some shiso! Great dish!
Soup
black cod, sesame tofu, white miso, yuzu kosyo pepper soup, spinach
Can you ever go wrong with black cod? Perfect cooked piece of fish, lovely flavored soup. It was the perfect dish for a rainy night. And a nice portion of fish too!
Oshinogi
hamo eel, foie gras sauce rice, sugar pea, kinome sansyo pepper leaf, bellpepper
I know it’s a faux pas but I love fois gras. Lovely dish, perfectly fried hamo eel. Light and crispy. Loved this dish!
Vinegar
duck, lotus, root, tomato vinegar soup, kale egg tofu, pea sprout
This was a good dish, not the most memorable of the night but good! I enjoy duck so of course I will enjoy this. Good dish, just not memorable.
Main
beef, ayu and corn crocket, ankake soup, wasabi, sprout
Yikes, this was the main dish and I did not like it. Specifically, I did not like the ayu. I just looked it up and it’s also called sweetfish, what a name. This piece of was SO bitter. I couldn’t eat it. I ate around it like a good girl but the fish, no can!
1st of 9
otoro, uni sea urchin, eggplant, wasabi, dashi jelly, bok choi
Was this good? Yes. Yes it was. (end of story)
2nd of 9
lobster, bisque sauce noodle, caviar, mizuna
What do you want me to say folks? That this was junk? That would be a lie! Of course it was good! Was I getting full? Yes. Did I still eat this up? YES.
Rice
tai snapper, tai broth, heart of palm rice, mitsuba
Okay, I was like pretty full at this point. I gave my fish to Chan and had at it with the nice clean broth and rice. It was nice!
Pickles
hakusai cabbage, cucumber nukaduke, ume puree, wasabi
The pickles were served with the rice dish. Was good! I was too full to really appreciate it and enjoy you know? If this is too much food, you can always order the 6 course menu and then ala carte the additional items on the 9 course menu if you wish!
Sweets
baked vanilla cheesecake, mango sauce, lime jelly, blue berry sorbet and graham cracker crust crumble
There is always room for dessert. I ate this whole thing. Yup. It was soo good! They told us to eat the cheesecake all together. Like grab the cheesecake, lime jelly, crust and dip it in the mango sauce and then eat! It was yum!
Kyoto Matcha Green Tea
The matcha was nice and smooth. Perfect way to end the evening. They also have special wine pairings for the courses if you are interested! I had a cup of orange juice because they don’t serve soda here. LOL. It was a wonderful dining experience with great company and great food! I don’t know how often I would be able to make it out to this restaurant but I really enjoyed this experience.
i went years and years ago and the joke back then was make sure you pass by McDonalds after cuz you going be hungry.
Actually, I remember liking everything except one dish. It was so strong and fishy horrible. I think that scarred be because even though I thought of going back after hearing from others, just kept thinking about that fish. I wonder if it was ayu.
I know people who try to go as much as they can since the menu changes. I will make an effort to go again! Everything looks really yummy (except the ayu)! LOL
Yeah I remember those comments! So I had the same expectations! Chan even said we could get fries or something but I was so full, couldn’t even think of more food!! Yeah! Give it a try again! I do wonder if ayu is what got us both, don’t get why that fish is popular? It was SO bitter!
I love the plating!
Oh yes! From what I understand, the owner does his own ceramics?? All the dishes were beautiful!
looks like a nice meal!
It was! Made me feel like I was in Japan!
Ho da expensive! $168 EACH right? So $336?
Sorry, I just got into weaving and I can buy a loom and a lot of yarn with $336. But then, that’s me. And I am not a foodie. I will experience fine food through your posts and be cheap.
LOL yes aunty! You got the math right!! I totally get your thinking, pricey! I usually eat on the cheap myself or try to cook as much as I can!