lioness in japan

“Baby, we are in same age bracket now!” I teased the kangaroo when I woke up on my birthday. He’s six years older than me and wonders why I have no idea what the original Battlestar Galactica in the ‘70s was like. That’s our new TV obsession in the evenings, along with David Duchovny’s Californication.

I moped around in a faux dramatic manner every time he mentioned my 30th birthday, so he wanted it to be special to cheer me up. Perhaps he remembered his own angst-ridden experience, so he understands how this rite of passage could throw oneself into a state of mental paralysis and self-loathing.

The kangaroo asked a friend for fine dining suggestions and searched for some options on Yahoo Japan. Most of his choices were in restaurants on the top floor of five-star hotels, but one Italian restaurant in an old European-style house, called Stellato, caught my eye.

And they had this beautiful roof-top area…

We were supposed to be seated up there but it was pouring outside so they chose a cosy corner for us in this section:

I picked this restaurant, because I had such amazing memories of our Italian road trip in 2005, and yearned for some excellent pasta. Unfortunately, I don’t have pictures of the sensational sea urchin linguine I had and the hearty duck ragu fettucine the kangaroo ordered. I kind of dismissed taking photos in such a dark environment, but the kangaroo insisted on fiddling with my camera to find the right settings.

In “candle mode” on my trusty, hardy Olympus digicam, here are photos of our second course:

The best way to eat lamb chops is to lightly sear them with a rare middle, but the look of pink flesh always freaks me out a little so I was thankful for the low lights. It was absolutely tender and juicy — a real treat in Tokyo as it’s not so easy to find good lamb.

I decided on the grilled chicken with gorgonzola sauce because it was highly recommended by the Maître d’. We eat chicken a lot at home so I was half-enthused but I learned in Tokyo that the chef’s recommendations are indeed good. Who would’ve thought chicken could be so heavenly? The skin was slightly charred and the meat extraordinarily moist, plus a dab of salty blue cheese sauce made it a savoury delight.

Accompanying our meal was a full-bodied Pinot Gris that also came highly recommended. We requested a Pinot Grigio but the Italian Maître d’ exclaimed, “I am so sorry but we are the ONLY Italian restaurant in the world that doesn’t have a Pinot Grigio!” So we went with the slightly floral white wine whose flavour deepened with each sip. Rather complex for a white, I must say.

Over morsels of our delicious meal, the kangaroo and I had a heart-to-heart talk about the future — I felt a sense of comfort when he stressed we would figure out a way to stay together despite pending administrative issues. We have come a long way and I think some people may just throw in the towel if they went through what we did.

I thought we were going to order dessert but they brought out a lovely birthday cake….Awww….

Look at that….

After I blew out the candles, they took it away and came back with this. Strawberry shortcake is unusually good in Japan. I think it’s because they have delicious strawberries to start with — the type that is so fresh they exude their berry sillage a few metres away — and the sponge cake bit is always so soft and fluffy.

Stellato is definitely a romantic spot that doesn’t try too hard. The staff was attentive but not always in your face so we had long pockets of time to chat and laugh.

It was the perfect way to spend the evening — my two loves: the kangaroo and great food.

Related posts:

1. Birthday pressie
2. My 30th birthday: Lunch
3. Dinner at Singapore Seafood Republic in Tokyo

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