Restaurant review: Minato at the Radisson Blu Deira

When I spotted the special menu on at the Radisson Blu Deira's Minato to celebrate the cherry blossom season, my first thought was "yum". Always on the look-out, as I am, for something new, current and yet authentic, it was the perfect chance to indulge in a bit of Japanese culture and eat dinner prepared by one of the UAE's resident Japanese chefs, Nagoya-born Takeyuki Nakagawa.

My second thought was, "is this appropriate?". As the day of the dinner approached, I became more and more concerned that it wasn't right to celebrate something pertaining to a country that had, at last count, last month lost over 11,000 people to the earthquake and tsunami, with at least another 16,000 missing.

But I went, and I am glad I did — the food was satisfying, the company good and I don't think my absence — or presence — would have changed a single thing for those suffering.

Hanami, or the viewing of cherry trees which are laden with pretty pink and white flowers at this time of year, is a major event all over Japan, with families and friends gathering in parks under the trees, to recite poetry, share food and, apparently drink quite a bit, according to Nakagawa. But this year, apparently, the first time since the Second World War, the Tokyo mayor is discouraging Tokyoites from celebrating, with signs in the city's parks asking residents not to partake.

Nakagawa was pragmatic when I asked him whether it was appropriate to celebrate: "We're in Dubai, far away," he said, watching carefully as I skewered a piece of salmon sushi that was shaped into a ball and spread a little wasabi on top (as the Japanese do, he said, rather than mixing the green paste into soy sauce).

Pleasing

Salmon had two good reasons for being on the menu that night: not only is it a pleasing pink, reflecting the colour of the cherry blossom; it's also at it's best right now, said the chef, testament to the very Japanese focus on seasonality of produce. (All the produce served at Minato, is now sourced from locations outside Japan, with the salmon coming from Norway and the tuna from the Philippines.) The sushi balls are called hanami dango, and imitate the round sweet dumplings usually eaten during the festival.

Following the sushi, we were served a salad of more salmon, this time thinly sliced smoked salmon wrapped around finely shredded, crisp vegetables with an apple dressing on the side — salty, fresh and sweet-sour.

Then followed the only non-pink dish of the night, wakame to takenoko no o-suimono, a light but intensely-flavoured clear seaweed broth with fresh bamboo shoot — again, at its seasonal peak. Even the tempura course was a nod to sakura, or cherry blossom: the pink shrimp's crisp batter cladding was flecked with pink — coloured, naturally, with sweet red pepper puree.

A pile of tempura-fried shredded vegetables under the shrimp featured sakura ebi (cherry blossom shrimp), tiny pink and white shrimp, although we couldn't really discern them from the mass, which was a little stuck together.

The fifth course (hang in there!) was a chance to see the teppanyaki chef in action, cooking the meal on the large hotplate in front of you with enough dexterity to put Tom Cruise in Cocktail to shame.

He served us each a large griddled prawn and two scallops, perfectly cooked, doused with a little butter, lemon and soy sauce ("Japanese Coca-Cola" as he called it). The prawn sat on a bed of tangy mayonnaise flecked with pink-orange flying fish roe, while the scallops were a favourite, dripping with pink sesame-bell pepper sauce.

The star of the meal was a small wagyu beef patty, seasoned, griddled and topped with Bulldog sauce, a tangy, chutney-like brown sauce.

Dessert was a simple dish of ice cream wrapped in chewy rice flour dough (moochi), a gentle finish to the light but filling meal.

Minato

Don't miss it

Minato's Cherry Blossom Festival runs until April 30.