Back in the summer of 2005, I visited Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto’s restaurant on Chestnut St. in downtown Philadelphia. (Other links of interest are a Wikipedia article on Iron Chef, and another on Moriomoto; here’s a link to his restaurant, proper.)
The establishment opened several years ago, and when it did, I was excited. As a Food Network junkie, and a fan of the Iron Chef show, to taste some of this guy’s food was an attractive opportunity. Having occasion to visit Philadelphia recently, I stopped by in a party of four on a Wednesday evening.
First, word must be said about the interior and aesthetic of this place. You walk along Chestnut St. and this is not a “high-end” neighborhood where boutique restaurants are found. The fascia of Moriomoto is an understated modern statement, that blends away. One in our party walked right past; I had recalled the look of the place from the FoodTV special “Moriomoto RAW!” where they detailed the opening and design of the restaurant.
The two green doors leading inside filter out light to the interior. The first thing you notice inside is the smell of sea water. I think they mist this stuff at the entrance; I also noticed sea sounds as we walked in. All this was subtle—not everyone noticed this aesthetic touch—but it was a nice play on our senses.
We were seated in the front of the restaurant. My view, down the long establishment’s dining room was awesome, but unfortunately the opposite view was less intriguing. Throughout the meal, the air conditioner was dripping condensation on one of our diners; his complaints didn’t warrant much resolution, save for a “swabbing” of the air conditioning vent above. We later moved one booth back, switched “directions”, and enjoyed a larger space that sat six for dessert (the two of us who had the better “view” positioned our new seats in the opposite direction towards the door/entrance).
The decor and design is wholly unique and special. Yes, the light colors coming through the glass booths do change color as you dine. This is a big cheesy gimmick, but that’s fun sometimes. Here it works well. The little “candles” on each table, a light fixture that is attached to the table, looked like some sort of sexual play toy. Two diners noted “they had to go.” I don’t think this look was lost on the designers, it certainly sparked conversation and made the environment all the more provocative, depending upon your sensibilities.
The restroom, located front, in a basement, was an interesting area. You go down a hall, and the women’s and men’s are “together,” but split; women go to the left, men to the right. There’s a trough sink, with extremely hot water. It’s not dangerous, but I wonder if the water is maintained this hot to appeal to a Japanese aesthetic of clean? The stalls are made of bamboo, and while the look and floor are interesting, nothing here is too lavish. It’s a bathroom, after all.
Service was a mixed bag. Service was not “attentive.” When you think of good service, you think of course of friendliness, but also promptness. You don’t want to sit there for 10-15 minutes with an finished plate of food, without it being cleared. Also, dishes arrived one at a time, per diner; dishes were not presented in concert with the group. This didn’t bother me, per se, but it made the time when a diner should begin eating frustrating when trying to be polite to others. The one nice touch to service was a thorough explanation of what each dish was, how to eat it, what not to touch, etc. Unfortunately, some of these explanations were lost on the loud acoustic noise in the restaurant.
The menus are presented on small white card stock; they open up, of course, but their feel make me think that the menu might change more often than not. Morimoto’s website is not very usable (as it is based on Flash), but you can download the menu (PDF). This will certainly help me identify the dishes, as I did not take notes during dinner.
H20 Cocktail
Biberfan isn’t a big drinker; I know some about wine, but I don’t drink it very often. I am a fan, however, of novelty cocktails, and I really do like Bacardi O, an orange-flavored rum. The H20 cocktail came blue in a martini glass with a wedge of orange. It was very refreshing, not too “alcoholic,” and it gave me the impression of cold water. Cold water, you say? Yes, the citrus flavors were there, but it tasted of really good cold, clean water. Expensive, I think, but I recommend this one.
Oyster Foie Gras
Your plate comes, hot; they’ve heated up rock salt, embedded (or encrusted, if you like) with different aromatics: cinnamon, cardamom, star anise, peppercorns, etc., to keep the oysters hot. Each of three large oysters are joined by small pieces of foie gras, uni (sea urchin), and a teriyaki sauce. This was one unusual dish, but one I’m very glad I ordered. In my notes on the plane ride home, I noted “sublime.” This was a special treat, a mixture of flavors that were certainly unique, and luxurious. It was difficult to eat everything “as one,” but I think if I got it again, I would pick these up, and slide everything in at once. They had a very fresh sea taste; a smokey note, and all these diverse flavors were rich and wonderful. “A party for the mouth.” I could have eaten three more.
Chef’s Combination Sushi-Rolls
For dinner I chose the mid-level chef’s combination of two rolls and sushi. It came on a long platter, and featured one piece each of a variety of fish. The rolls that included spring onion had a gritty feel (at least two), and I’m not sure why. Two pieces of the fish were difficult to chew (one, I know, was squid).
Aside from these notes, the fish tasted of the “sea” in a way I had only previously heard described. Each piece offered a different, yet subtle commentary on clean, discreet flavors. The presentation was nice, and as an entrée this was good. If I ever visit again, I’d order something more “out there” as my companions’ dishes looked far more elaborate. Still, while no sushi expert, I think what was presented was very good quality, and I enjoyed the variety. On special that night was a wild salmon, that was probably the darkest, fattiest salmon I’d ever seen; it was very delicious, with texture and mouth feel, this was a winner when presented raw.
Mango-Shiso Mille Feuille
A dessert masterpiece. White chocolate mousse. Mango. Coconut tapioca. Shards of shaved philo dough. This dessert looks like a fuzzy, furry hat. While not big on color, it was huge on flavor, and a winning essay on texture. This was awesome. True “Iron Chef.”
Wasabi Tiramisú
I love tira mi sú, and here Moriomoto does it with the addition of wasabi to the marscapone. We ordered this, and shared it, to see well, what it would taste like. Our curiosity brought mixed reactions. “I don’t taste the wasabi,” to “I wouldn’t order this again!” to “It’s awful!” I am the one who kind of liked it; the quality of the cheese was good, I thought, and the flavor submitted to our mouths by way of the wasabi paste was certainly interesting, and thought provoking. I might wager that a green-tea flavor was there, or might have been more successful, but the spice was subtle and present. It was certainly unusual, and this whole place goes by that label. Probably not the strongest dessert on their menu, but who knows… I kind of liked it. Your mileage may vary.
Other dishes ordered by us included:
- Calamari Tempura Salad
- Shrimp Tempura Roll
- California Roll
- Ishi Yaki Buri Bop (tuna on rice served at the table in a hot bowl)
- Seafood Toban Yaki (served with yuzu butter)
- Moriomoto Surf and Turf (Kobe short rib and half-lobster tail with assorted sauces)
The tuna-rice dish was an interesting presentation at table; the tuna is placed raw on top of your mound of rice; it’s brought to table in a super-hot stone bowl; the tuna is then “stuck” on the side of the bowl, to cook, and while this goes on, the server mixes egg with the rice, and sauce. Then the tuna is mixed in. This dish didn’t look very exciting (with regards to color), but the show was interesting. We liked it.
The salad was good; good flavors, and the calamari wasn’t chewy.
The toban yaki was a fest for the eyes, and those eyes ought to belong to a seafood lover. A hot broth engulfed several large pieces of seafood, it was joined by baby bok choy.
In total, Moriomoto was a very interesting place to dine. The menu is diverse, and I know each of us enjoyed what we ordered. Improvements might be made on how customers are served and addressed, but having only visited once, I can’t say this is a trend. To lovers of fusion cuisine, and of course to those whom are fans of Morimoto, the chef, I fully endorse a visit. Mr. Moriomoto was not there the evening we dined, but his spirit was certainly there in some unique offerings.
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