New York City Review: Per Se

Per Se

10 Columbus Circle

4th Floor

New York, NY 10019

(+1) 212-823-9335

I returned to Per Se for my second dining experience- this time, with a friend who works there. I ate there back in 2009 but this time, I must say that I was more impressed and had the full Per Se experience. We arrived for our 7:30pm reservation and sat there indulging until 1:30pm. A six hour meal! Ridiculous.

Our meal started off with a special cocktail made for my friend. They told us we should come up with a name for it but we couldn't think of anything worthy of it. First time I ever saw synchronized service for cocktails...

 

 Per Se's signature salmon tartare cornettes

It was a hot day so this Ajo Blanco was a perfect start to our six hour meal. The coriander blossoms added a nice touch. The garlic was not overpowering and the sweetness of the grapes was actually refreshing in this savory soup.

No meal at Per Se would be complete without Oysters and Pearls of course. A "sabayon" of pearl tapioca with Island Creek oysters and Sterling white sturgeon caviar. The perfect portion because it leaves you wanting just a little more.

Smoke- tartare of Australian Kampachi with the smoothest hass avocado puree you will ever come across. Served with granny smith apples and dashi pearls.

Soft Shell Crab Cocktail- one bite of San Marzano tomato marmalade, celery branch and preserved horseradish.

Pickled 100 Day Dry Aged American Wagyu- one of the most interesting dishes of the night for me. Very simple, served with cornichons and whole grain mustard. This pickled beef was smokey and tender.

Coddled Jidori Hen Egg- with caponata and roquette

Terrine of Hudson Valley Moulard Duck Foie Gras- with compressed strawberries and pickled ramps. Each one of us actually got a different foie gras dish.

Seven different salts and two different butters

Bili Bi- mussles in the half shell

Pave of Spanish Turbot- with English peas, pickled ramps, mizuna and applewood smoked bacon emulsion

Homard en Cocotte- Basmati rice, Vandouvan curry and kaffir lime. Didn't think I'd be eating basmati rice or any sort of curry at Per Se!

Hand Cut Tagliatelle- black winter truffles and parmigiano reggiano. Simple and delicious.

Four Story Hill Farm's Poussin en Croute de sel- with slow baked beets, celery ribbons, sauternes gelee and smoked foie gras

I had only slept three hours the night before and was actually starting to fall asleep with all the wine! So they thoughtfully made me a nice cold espresso drink :)

Elysian Fields Farm's Lamb Saddle en Crepinette- with arrowlead spinach "panade", Oregon morel mushrooms, braised fava beans and sauce Bordelaise

Maplebrook Farm's Burrata- with sungold tomatoes

Chocolate covered ice cream lolly

Strawberries and Cream- what a pretty dessert! Perfect balance of sweet and tart

Brownie and Malted Milk- double chocolate brownie, malted mousse, candied peanuts, maple bourbon ice cream and whipped crown maple syrup

Believe it or not we ate ALL these chocolates

Signature dessert of cappuccino semi freddo and doughnut (SO good)

Wine Accompaniment

Bollinger, "La Grande Annee" Ay 2002

Pichler-Krutzler, Riesling, "Loilennerg" Loibnerm Wachau 2010

Chateau Guirard, Sauternes 2001

Domaine Michel Niellon, Chassagne-Montrachet 2009

David Duband, Vosgne-Romanee 2009

Chateau d'Armailhac, Pauillac 2005

Domaine Morengo, "#655", Muscat du Cap Corse 2008 

Koji magic

I decided to look into koji after eating koji marinated pork at Ootoya, which opened a few months ago near Union Square. My mum was raving about it while I was back home and there has been a koji boom in Japan since last year. Until I did a bit of research I didn't know about the health benefits.

Koji is not a new thing in Japan. It's the essential ingredient for making all the iconic Japanese products including soy sauce, miso and sake. Apparently it was popularized in a food based manga, and I've also heard that the interest peaked shortly after the earthquake and tsunami of March 2011 because people became even more health conscious.

Koji is Aspergillus oryzae in English and is a fungus that derives from fermenting steamed rice, wheat or soybeans. You can buy dry koji rice to make either shio-koji (salted koji) or ama-koji (sweet koji).

Soy sauce and sake are typically pasteurized so the benefits of koji are lost. But by using koji rice as a condiment or marinade, you can get all the benefits from the live enzymes and live culture (lactobacillus). Koji can break down proteins into amino acids (including glutamic acid, responsible for umami) and starch into sugars. 

In fact, Nanbu Bijin has patented their no sugar added umeshu (ume plum sake), which is sweetened only with koji. This means their umeshu has a lot less calories and added sugars, hence is healthier. Other umeshu typically includes as much sugar as ume plums in weight. I don't think I can go back to drinking other umeshu after having tasted this stuff! Ama-koji can be used in place of sugar as a healthier alternative. It is made by cooking rice, folding in koji rice, and letting it slowly ferment in the rice cooker.

I was interested in shio-koji because of the ability of it to enhance umami in proteins. Apparently it's especially true when combined with chicken, which is high in protease, which is responsible for making glutamic acid. After marinating meats in shio-koji overnight, glutamic acid can increase by as much as 30%. It also has a tenderizing effect. The great thing about shio-koji is that you can greatly reduce the amount of salt you use because the umami is enhanced. Also, the result is a nice balance of saltiness with a hint of sweetness from the koji. 


The basic ratio for making salt koji is 3 to 1 (koji to salt). 

 

1.       Combine the salt and koji and place in a plastic container (avoid stainless steel or metal containers).

2.       Pour just enough water to cover the mixture. Keep covered and store in room temperature (during winter, store in a warm area for a week – 10 days and during summer store for about 5 days).

3.       The next day, it will have absorbed most of the water so add just enough water to cover the mixture and stir well.

4.       After the second day stir the mixture well once every day (but do NOT add more water).

5.       After 5 days (summer)- 10 days (winter), the fermented koji marinade will be ready to use.

6.       Use approximately 7-10% of the food weight in koji. For example, if you are marinating 1 lb of pork, marinate in 1.12- 1.6 oz of the koji mixture. 

7.       For vegetables (turnip, cucumber, cabbage etc), marinate for up to half a day. There is no need to wipe off the koji mixture.

8.       For meat and fish, marinate anywhere from 1 hour to half a day (varies depending on the protein and cut/size). Chicken wings only need to be marinated for 1-3 hours.

9.       The koji marinade burns quite easily so wipe off any excess marinade before cooking.

As you can see in the photo the pork that was marinated in koji looks like it nearly burned. I love the smell of cooked meat marinated in koji. It's like miso-marinated meats without the pungency. It's not as salty either, with a pleasant sweet finish. I only marinated this pork for three hours but I think the koji did wonders. It was more tender and obviously more flavorful than the pork I seasoned with just salt and black pepper.

I also marinated chicken wings for just a couple of hours and baked them in the oven. This was by far my favorite use of shio-koji. Hard to believe that just koji and salt with a bit of cracked black pepper can make something this flavorful!