[Back Post] Food Diary - Pastry for Dinner at Ami Patisserie by Arami Makoto

Yesterday evening was a little "dessert for dinner" night out with my friend AE at Ami Patisserie by Chef Makoto Arami. The place opened some time at the start of 2024, but Chef Arami-san was already serving up pastries in mid-2021 with online orders for his signature choux pastries and seasonal tarts, such as his Shizuoka crown melon tarte, Japanese peach tarte and so on. I'd been looking forward to check out the Chef's Table with his pastry-led omakase menu, curious about what a pastry-led dinner menu would be like, I went with no expectations or assumptions. I guess that's a way to say I went with a blank head, haha.

Dinner began with a sweet, classic French pastry! Financiers with Piedmont hazelnut praline covered with shaved hazelnuts. Small but delicious bites, a true amuse-bouche to tease our senses.

Piedmont hazelnut financier, roasted hazelnut, brown butter

Next was his signature choux, which Arami-san explained was inspired by Japanese tamago sandwich. The classic French choux au craquelin filled with Japanese organic egg custard, topped with crème fraîche, caviar (I forgot what type) and garnished with hanaho (shiso flowers) and gold leaf. The generous topping of caviar gave the savoury hint to the creamy, luxurious pastry. And oddly enough, there was a Japanese egg sandwich in there somewhere in the flavours.

Chef Makoto Arami's signature choux, Japanese organic egg, caviar

The next pastry, Shizuoka tomato tartelette, was in my Top 5 favourites for the night. Very refreshing fragrant, with Italian flair. Juicy and tender Amela tomatoes from Shizuoka, an intense burst of sweet, tangy and umami-ness punctuated with the savoury aged Parmesan cheese, softened with creamy fromage blanc. The crisp pastry base was reminiscent of crackers, and I kept thinking it would be a wonderful companion to a cheese platter.

Really delicious on its own, as a course, but it was also an excellent bridge to the next course. The sweet sourness kind of blew away the lingering flavours of the previous dishes, and making me look forward to what would come next.

Shizuoka tomato tartelette (Amela tomato, fromage blanc, 24-month aged Parmigiano)

The uni brioche was delicious and really luxurious. Crisp brioche soaked in the aromatic flavours of brown butter, matched with the creamy bafun uni from Hokkaido. Buttery and creamy, but nicely held back from being too much with a hint of shoyu, lime cream, beads of finger lime pulp and wasabi.

Japanese uni brioche - brown butter brioche, lime cream, sea urchin

The next course was the Awajishima onion soup. The Awajishima onion was definitely shining in this dish, with the creamy onion soup, drizzled with onion oil and olive oil, topped with a nest of fried onions which really brought out the sweetness of Awajishima onions. The soup was delicious as-is but the onsen egg added another dimension of flavour.

This dish reminded me of our November 2017 trip in which Hubby and I spent a few idyllic days on Awajishima, an island located between Honshū and Shikoku, in the eastern part of the Seto Inland Sea. We stayed at a lovely onsen hotel by the sea, enjoyed relaxing drives through green countryside, visited the Izanagi Shrine. We also ate a lot of Awajishima onions and beef, which the island is known for. The onions are ubiquitous. Everywhere on the island.

Awajishima onion soup, shiitake, onsen egg, white truffle

The onion soup was my 2nd favourite dish of the night. Maybe even my favourite... It was a close one with the marble dark chocolate (below). It.was.just.so.dang.good. AE and I cleaned out our bowls and wistfully sighed for more. Throughout the next dishes, even as we enjoyed them all, we found ourselves mentally returning to this soup and couldn't help thinking nothing else had the same effect for us, delicious as they were.

Awajishima onion soup, shiitake, onsen egg, white truffle - the beautifully cooked onsen egg nestled among the fried onions

The next item was the nasu brûlée, which Arami-san explained was inspired by a classic Japanese dish: nasu dengaku, miso-grilled eggplants. Nasu dengaku is one of my favourite Japanese dishes, with the aromatic sweet miso glaze over tender and juicy Japanese eggplant. It's a cooking style that also goes well with daikon, konnyaku and fish (especially cod).

I admit, as a nasu dengaku lover, I was delightfully surprised. The flavours are reminiscent of nasu dengaku, but was a definite, clear nod to sweet notes. A dish of contrasts. A balance of sweetness and savouriness, reinforced by the miso, the flavour and lingering smokiness of the binchotan-grilled Japanese eggplant. Oddly harmonious with the velvet brûlée custard, shoyu and miso ice cream, both in flavours and the contrast of warm and cold.

Nasu brûlée, miso ice cream

Next was the palate cleanser, "Printanière aux Agrumes" which is French for "spring salad", a French dish that features various citrus fruits that are in season during spring. For this dish, Arami-san created a gin-flavoured granita with a combination of Japanese dekopon orange, Kyūshū hyuganatsu, hassaku, lightly candied kumquat. Quite a refreshing palate cleanser that felt like a citrusy spring breeze passing through.

Printanière aux Agrumes, dekopon, hyuganatsu, hassaku, gin

And then the desserts began with the marble dark chocolate, a dish that featured 3 kinds of ganache, 72% Valrhona chocolate, bitter coffee cream and mascarpone, sandwiched between delightfully light and crisp plain and chocolate tuile. The Amaretto ice cream adding a creamy contrast to the chocolate and coffee.

The marble dark chocolate was probably my favourite dish for the night. As I said, it was a close one with the Awajishima onion soup. But I think it was the combination of complexity of flavours and textural contrasts of this dish that won me over. The sweetness and bitterness of the chocolate with the sharply bitter coffee, tempered by the mascarpone and Amaretto ice cream. It was also a close one for AE but for her, the one that left the deepest impression was the onion soup. She felt that the onion soup was something that was unexpectedly different and creative in its use and combination of ingredients, and that as a fellow chef, it was what made a big impression on her. A matter of different perspectives. But I do agree with her that the onion soup is something different and creative.

Marble dark chocolate, crispy tuiles, 72% dark chocolate ganache, coffee cream, Cognac Amaretto ice cream

I was also quite taken by the plate that the marble dark chocolate was served on. Reminded me of a tree stump but at the same time a marbled chocolate cake. It was a bold statement with a bold presence without being loud, quite like the dessert that sat on it. Apparently all the dishes are hand made by Arami-san's friend.

Next was the 2nd dessert, Ichigo Milk, inspired by strawberries and cream but also quite different. Fukuoka Amaou strawberries with Hokkaido milk fromage mousse, mint gelée, strawberry granita, and garnished with micro mint and edible flowers. Light and fresh, the 2nd dessert complemented the previous heavier, bolder flavoured chocolate and coffee dessert. But also a well-balanced dessert of sweet and sour flavours.

Ichigo milk - strawberry, Hokkaido milk

The experience came to a delicious conclusion with a seasonal oyatsu. Oyatsu (おやつ) means to a snack or light meal typically eaten in the mid-afternoon. Arami-san served us warabi mochi, dusted with kinako soybean powder and kokutou, Okinawan brown sugar.

AE and I groaned in unison when we realised there was this one more course left, we were just that stuffed. But the oyatsu went down easily and so smoothly! Warabi mochi is one of my favourite Japanese confections, and Arami-san's is by far one of the best I've eaten. So wobbly and tender, yet still with bouncy bite, and smooth texture.

Oyatsu - warabi mochi with kinako and kokutou

Everything spoke of Arami-san's skills and the wonderful marriage he created between French pastry techniques with Japanese and European ingredients, imbued with both French and Japanese sensibilities. But the oyatsu also brought home the fact that Arami-san is still strongly connected to his traditional wagashi roots.

This pastry omakase meal surprised me at every turn. It is possible to have pastry for dinner and not feel guilty, weirded out or high from sugar. It was not heavy at all but a well-considered and curated course. The entire meal was a harmonious balance and delightful interplay of sweet, savoury, sour, umami and bitter, contrasting textures and temperatures. I would happily return. Over and over, if my budget permits.

Ami Patisserie Chef's Table Experience