Wines and Food at Tsunami: London, New York, Mosman Park

[DaveL]

Went to Tsunami ( http://www.tsunamisushi.com.au/ ) on Saturday for the birthday of one of my closest friends and housemates.

Started off with a 1996 Katnook Pinot Chardonay. This was a real turn up for the books with complex shortbread biscuit and stonefruit flavours. Not too much with the bubbles but a really lovely style with a good 5 years left to go, but totally at its peak now. Drank that while we were ordering, and for her birthday toast.

We kicked off with Tsu-tsumi Age (prawns wrapped in somen noodles and deepfried with rocket puree sauce), and Tataki Tuna with marinated seaweed and ponzu. Matched with a 1997 St Helga Riesling. I found the St Helga a bit disjointed at first, but as it warmed the spicy honey and kerosene aromas and flavours came through. A slightly off putting bitterness on the finish vanished as soon as it was drunk with food. It deffinintely worked better with the more robust flavours of the prawns.

Then a sushi and sashimi platter to share, just a simple combination of Tuna and Salmon sashimi with tuna maki rolls, and the exotic sushi platter: 2 pieces each of unagi, flying fish roe with quail egg, Tasmanian salmon roe and uni (sea urchin roe). I was greedy and had two pieces, one of the flying fish roe with quail egg and one of the uni, every time I have uni it makes me happy (but a little weirded out by the combination of funk and fresh sea flavours).

By now we'd finished the St Helga and moved onto the treat for the night, a 1984 Seppelt Drumborg Riesling. This wine was amazing. In most regards it seemed less advanced than the 97 we'd just finished, showing lemon and gentle floral aromas (allegedly daffodills!). It was in the mouth that it really shone, with a stunning combination of those same perfumed floral characters blending with gorgeous citrus fruit. What got me most was its integration. Most rieslings I've drunk have been interesting and complex but finishing with ACID!...I mean sure you want a dry finish but I'm talking about the kind of acid that leaves your mouth watering in an attempt to avoid enamel damage. The 84 Drumborg didn't have that at all, by far and beyond the smoothest riesling I've ever tasted.

We were all sharing dishes between ourselves, so for mains I went for nice communal food. Ika Sumi Ojiya (Small twice cooked baby squid with a jet black squid ink rice , like a risotto, topped with rocket and roasted squid jerky); Kaisen Hitori Sukiyaki (Prawns, scallop & dory fillets, fresh vegetables, fine noodles & tofu cooked in a cast iron pot with sukiyaki sauce) - looked like a crowd favourite at the other end of the table; and The Mother of all Tempuras: prawn and vegetables tempura, with a small bowl of green tea noodles in a hot dipping sauce & endash. I was in heaven as the only one at the table with a taste for prawn heads!

To finish we had a 1996 Barsac, that was full of rich tropical lychee and pineapple aromas and flavours. After a mouthful of creme brulee these flavours faded to the background to be replaced by green apple notese that cut right through the richness of the desert. We also tried the combination icecream, a scoop each of ginger, green tea, and wasabi infused icecream. If they sold it to take away I'd have a liter of that wasabi icecream in my freezer right now.

The owner Brett Carboni was a great host, and given how many larger tables there were that night still spent a surprising amount of time with us. Best of all he waived their no BYO policy for me so we could drink our wines : )

Then back home for Cuban Cohibas and Seppelt DP 37 Tokay (in the old school 375ml bottles, before the Rosemount takeover). I'm getting a real taste for the way a good cigar brings out the espresso and bitter chocolate flavours in a good tokay and this was no exception. The perfect end to a great night.

The dark horse that night was certainly the Katnook. I'd had no real expectations for the wine and it was a welcome surprise to find it so full of flavour. The Drumborg Riesling was stunning, now I understand what all the fuss is about with these aged Eden and Clare wines.

[Waiters Friend]

Hi Dave

Without having gone through the extensive wine selection you did, I can certainly vouch for the quality of the food, service and even the atmosphere at Tsunami in Mosman Park, Perth. I took a group there recently, and we were impressed.

Cheers

Waiters Friend