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View Full Version : Eating at Morimoto in Philly


ellencho
Sep 15th, 2005, 05:10 PM
So while this is still technically food porn, I thought it deserved its own thread because jeez, who doesn't think that Morimoto deserves his own thread? Sorry about the lighting in the photos. I used the flash once and felt bad about it. I didn't want to disturb other diners so I just used regular lighting for the rest of the pictures.

The brother and I visited his restaurant this afternoon for lunch. We had the Omakase menu (tasting menu) and we got six courses. I'm totally kicking myself that we hadn't visited here yet because this place was really nice. The servers were nice and explained the dishes thoroughly. I asked for sushi bar seating and the sushi chef, Terry was fucking cool too. He was born in Korea, grew up in Seattle, and then ended up in Philly at Morimoto. I think two other Korean guys work there in addition to the rest of the staff.

The first course we had was some sort of tartare. I think it was toro, I'm not 100% sure, but there were nice crispy shallots minced into it. Very fresh and light tasting.
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a120/foxandpoo/morimoto/IMG_1961.jpg

The next course was a salad of micro greens atop a couple slices of some sashimi. I have no idea what it was, but it was a very mild tasting fish. Perhaps snapper? I'm not sure. And the pink things on top were shaved bonito. Sort of like a dry fish ham. The dressing had a sort of shalloty base.
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a120/foxandpoo/morimoto/IMG_1962.jpg

Third course was a rock shrimp tempura that was coated in some sort of ggochujang type sauce, but interestingly enough it was also sort of cheddary cheesy tasting. Very interesting and the texture was great. The shrimp were perfectly cooked.
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a120/foxandpoo/morimoto/IMG_1964.jpg

Fourth course was a seared cod served with a pepper type salad on the side. The pepper salad was really light tasting, I was worried it would be overpowering, but they added a bit of ginger to it, and it really made a difference. The fish itself was good, but I wish the skin could have been a bit more crisp. It was sort of rubbery, but luckily it was a thin enough skin that it wasn't an issue.
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a120/foxandpoo/morimoto/IMG_1965.jpg

The fifth course was a sushi sampler. The fish was really fresh, especially the toro and the fluke (my two personal favorites).
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a120/foxandpoo/morimoto/IMG_1966.jpg

The final course was a chocolate financier with a coconut ice cream on the side. The green smear is some sort of sake apple sauce or something like that. It went surprisingly well with the cake. My brother wasn't too keen on the financier, but I think he's used to the types of molten lava cakes that I make with sort of a melty chocolatey inside. The three brown things on the side are little candied almonds.
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a120/foxandpoo/morimoto/IMG_1967.jpg

Dialectic
Sep 16th, 2005, 11:20 AM
You should email Morimoto's and like to this! They'll love ya for it!

Also, financiers are desserts? I thought they were bankers.

minbo
Sep 16th, 2005, 11:57 AM
I went to Morimoto's shortly after they opened. In comparison to Nobu NYC which I've been to a few times including when Morimoto physically supervising the kitchen shortly before he left, the menus and more specificly the omakase are very similar. Unfair to Morimoto, I could only make it on a Sunday when the second string chefs usually run the kitchen. It was an impulse decision to drive down from NYC to eat there and I couldn't score same-day reservations for the Saturday. I thought that Nobu for the same money was better. On a regular day where Morimoto is actually in the kitchen of his restraunt I think that I might have a different opinion.

vsoy
Sep 16th, 2005, 12:36 PM
You should email Morimoto's and like to this! They'll love ya for it!

I smell food blog in the future! Ooh and endorsements by restaurants!

DijabutiA
Sep 16th, 2005, 08:55 PM
Chocolate? weak!

I'll take my green tea icecream thank you very much!

ellencho
Dec 7th, 2006, 09:51 PM
Can you bitches believe it? I have reservations for next Saturday with my other brother!!!

DijabutiA
Dec 8th, 2006, 12:41 AM
How much does it cost to eat at a place like that?

ellencho
Dec 8th, 2006, 01:06 AM
Depending on what you order, if you get something like an omakase for lunch expect to pay between 40 and 60 per person without drinks. If you get an omakase for dinner expect 100 and up per person. Now the a la carte menu I think is more reasonable, but you get less courses. So maybe your main courses will be in the upper 20s to 30s range.

fatmaneatschild
Dec 8th, 2006, 01:40 AM
Can you bitches believe it? I have reservations for next Saturday with my other brother!!!

pfft, I just got reservations at Dorsia this Friday night. Try to top that 8-)

ellencho
Dec 8th, 2006, 09:36 AM
Can you bitches believe it? I have reservations for next Saturday with my other brother!!!

pfft, I just got reservations at Dorsia this Friday night. Try to top that 8-)
feh, Dorsia has no sushi bar.

cattygurl
Dec 8th, 2006, 06:39 PM
American Psycho! :D

ellencho
Jan 2nd, 2007, 05:17 PM
So I've had these pics for a while, I've just been too lazy to post them until now.

We had fun. Since Jamie had never had the omakase before, they gave him a different set of food than what I had, which was pretty cool because we ended up getting different meals. Nine courses, fifteen different courses. It was really good. If he can take time off of work this month, I'm sure we'll go again.

First course
They made me a lobster dish, Jamie got a tuna tartare.
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a120/foxandpoo/morimoto/IMG_2679.jpg
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a120/foxandpoo/morimoto/IMG_2678.jpg

Second course
We both had Kumamoto oysters. I had a fried oyster dish, Jamie got raw ones.
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a120/foxandpoo/morimoto/IMG_2681.jpg
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a120/foxandpoo/morimoto/IMG_2680.jpg

Third course
I had a chu toro salad, Jamie had a scallop carpaccio.
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a120/foxandpoo/morimoto/IMG_2684.jpg
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a120/foxandpoo/morimoto/IMG_2683.jpg

Fourth course
They made me a korean-y seafood soup with langoustines and monkfish. Jamei had a salad with some sort of delicious fish and shaved bonito.
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a120/foxandpoo/morimoto/IMG_2687.jpg
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a120/foxandpoo/morimoto/IMG_2685.jpg

Fifth course
We both had a yuzu sorbet with some sort of pepper type heat to it. Very nice.
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a120/foxandpoo/morimoto/IMG_2689.jpg

Sixth course
I had a turbot roulade type deal filled with lobster. Jamie had half of a spiced lobster with creme fraiche on the side.
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a120/foxandpoo/morimoto/IMG_2692.jpg
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a120/foxandpoo/morimoto/IMG_2690.jpg

Seventh course
I got some venison with some sort of tasty grain-y type risotto. Jamie got kobe beef with foie gras on top.
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a120/foxandpoo/morimoto/IMG_2694.jpg
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a120/foxandpoo/morimoto/IMG_2695.jpg
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a120/foxandpoo/morimoto/IMG_2696.jpg
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a120/foxandpoo/morimoto/IMG_2693.jpg

Eighth course
We both got sushi
Tuna, snapper, salmon, mackerel, sea bass and shrimp.
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a120/foxandpoo/morimoto/IMG_2697.jpg

Ninth course
We both got a green tea roulade with chesnut filling and chesnut ice cream with raspberry sauce. This was sort of disappointing, but Morimoto is not known for it's desserts, so no big whoop.
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a120/foxandpoo/morimoto/IMG_2698.jpg

Bonus tenth course from Naked Chocolate cafe.
Chocolate nudo (sort of like a brownie, but better) and their pudding like hot chocolate.
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a120/foxandpoo/december06everyday/IMG_2699.jpg

minbo
Jan 2nd, 2007, 07:10 PM
Something sweet about ordering the Omakase vs a la carte - if you finish the meal and are still hungry and you tell them, they usually offer to bring out more. If you liked something specifically you can ask for it. Even though the portions are small, they have so many courses and pace it so that you have time to get full. While I've never felt the need personally, I do know others who have had an extra dish on occasion.

blockthebox
Jan 2nd, 2007, 11:15 PM
I hate you, ellen. How am I supposed to enjoy my leftover dduk guk now???

ellencho
Jan 3rd, 2007, 12:19 AM
I hate you, ellen. How am I supposed to enjoy my leftover dduk guk now???
With caviar and shaved bonito on top of course.