Morimoto

Located next to Chifa, Morimoto is giving Jose Garces a run for his money. Unlike most restaurants, Morimoto is not dimly lit, and you can actually see the person sitting across from you. Although, there is an awkwardly placed artificial candle/light at the center of the table that can't be moved. As a result, shared dishes have to be put near the edge of the table and diners can't look at each other without being blinded by the light. The food, on the other hand, is enough reason to return. We started off with the 10 hour pork 'kakuni' - a braised pork belly served with hot rice porridge. The pork belly was cooked perfectly, with the meat flaky and the fat pure decadence. Next up was the angry chicken - a nicely marinated organic half chicken with roasted finger peppers and spiced chicken jus. The chicken was cooked just right, moist and tender without being overwhelmed by the sauce. Then there was the kobe beef ishi yaki bop - a rice dish prepared tableside in a hot river stone bowl. The kobe beef cooked evenly to medium-rare, and the flavors blended in a perfect fusion. Finally, the deserts. First came the black sesame moussecake - a silky smooth cake with layers of goma mousse, sea salt mousse, flourless chocolate cake, and dark chocolate ganache. Each bite was a bite of heaven. Then there was the irish coffee jelly parfait made up of coffee jelly, coconut sorbet, suntory 12 year yamazaki, and a dash of cinnamon. There really aren't that many words to describe this - you'll just have to go and find out. http://www.chaseminhchau.com/subpages/restaurants/morimoto.html