Oooh yeah!

We celebrated our *double gulp* fourth year anniversary yesterday in what I would call "understated panache", if that makes sense. Neither of us had relationships that lasted longer than 3 years so I must say its quite a milestone. And what better way to mark this occasion than with a celebratory dinner at one of Boston's, if not, America's (so says New York Times) finest dining establishments. O Ya ! http://www.oyarestaurantboston.com O Ya, whose name is a Japanese expression of curiosity, is really very simply amazing food, wonderful presentation and ingenious use of Japanese ingredients. I was hoping I could snap some pics but um because O Ya is rather chi-chi (and very dim!), we didn't want our camera flash to go off and look like ignorant foolish tourists who dunno better. Ha. We are, after all, locals! So you'll just have to make do with these descriptions. We decided to go OTT and had the chef's omakase tasting menu. Oh la la. It could not go wrong. Making up 18-courses, it consists of 8 types of nigiri , 5 types of sashimi and various other courses from the wagyu beef, poulet rouge chicken and truffles section - allow me to list the more outstanding ones: Nigiri Soy Marinated Salmon truffle oil, green onion Hamachi spicy banana pepper mouuse Foie Gras balsamic chocolate kabayaki, rasin cocoa pulp, sip of aged sake Homemade La Ratte Potato Chip perigord black truffle Sashimi Scottish Salmon Belly cilantro ginger, hot sesame oil drizzle (the smell of sesame oil permeated the restaurant and cooked the raw salmon ever so slightly *delish*) Suzuki Sea Bass cucumber vinaigrette, avocado, cilantro Hamachi viet mignonette, thai basil, shallot Seared Petit Strip Sirloin tiny smoked potato, grilled onion, fresh wasabi (this was stellar! the sirloin was perfectly cooked and goes so well with the smokiness of the mini potato! YUM) Onsen Egg dashi sauce, truffle salt, homemade pickled garlic (we've never tasted half boiled eggs this good!!!! so long ya kun eggs!!!! ha) Chilled Homemade Soba Noodles santa barbara sea urchin, soba dashi broth, nori, fresh wasabi, scallions (decided to be adventurous and tried uni for the first time and we liked it!! so soft so gooey so yummy!) It was so interesting sitting by the bar watching the chefs prepare their individual courses. Each piece so lovingly and exquisitely put together. Each step in the process so methodical yet different. The opening and closing of fridge doors, the picking of every herb, spice and dressing, the cleaning of the knife after slicing cuts of sashimi.. I could just sit there all day marveling at their unyielding dedication to their profession. Now of course there's a price to pay for all of that. The BF isn't one who believes in paying astronomical amounts when it comes to food, but he knew how far ahead I'd planned for this dinner so he decided to go along *heh* with my choice, and what an expensive one! The tip alone is more than what we pay for most dinners! EEEPS. Thanks BUBS! It's one helluva gastronomical adventure we'd never forget in a long time! www.oyarestaurantboston.com