January | 2020 | cathyttg

Fish Taco at La Condesa, Wellington, Ontario

2019 was a delicious year with some great meals in Japan, St. John’s Newfoundland, Kelowna BC, Portugal and Wellington, Ontario.

The giant tempura clams at Tsunahachi in the Keio Department store, Shinjuku, Tokyo was unforgettable. We didn’t have a bad meal in Japan. The Kuromon Ichiba Market in Osaka was a highlight.

In St. John’s, Newfoundland, we had the absolute best tasting menu paired with wine at Raymond’s. The food was glorious but the wine matches knocked it out of the park. At The Merchant Tavern we had the best scallops ever and The Mallard Cottage‘s cornmeal crusted cod cheeks are unforgettable.

We went to Kelowna for our annual wine buying trip and tried the new Home Block at Cedar Creek Winery and had the best calamari we’ve ever had. Can’t wait to go back. This one is bound to get even better.

We spent a week in Portugal. Our best meal was at Volta & Meia in Figueira da Foz http://voltaemeia.com/. Ameijoas a Bulhao Pato combines clams, olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, white wine and cilantro. Without doubt, the best clams I’ve ever eaten and we loved the restaurant. And we discovered Serra cheese. I sure wish I’d brought some home because I can’t get it here. Another reason to go back to Portugal.

Lastly we had the best fish taco ever at La Condesa in Wellington, Ontario. Fresh made to order tortillas mean you wait a little longer and then have to order more. Just try to eat only one.

Another great meal at Kissa Tanto proved that Italian and Japanese food is a great fusion.

Bread and butter — **Sourdough, olive oil & miso butter**

We started with house made sourdough bread with olive oil and miso butter. If it wasn’t so delicious I’d say we were sorry later when we could barely finish our dessert but we managed somehow.

Research tells me that Namban-zuke is usually a home made dish rarely available in restaurants. Deep fried cod marinated in vinegar, surprisingly refreshing.

Tonno Mantecato was fun to eat and like nothing we’d ever had before. More sourdough bread topped with tobiko, served with smoked potato blended with confit albacore tuna and topped with furikake.

Thornyhead Rockfish — **Deep-fired Thornheaded rockfish with daikon dipping sauce.**

Two dishes I could never do without are the Tajarin, a crave worthy pasta with butter, roasted mushrooms and miso cured egg yolk and the deep fried whole fish with daikon dipping sauce. We’ve had the fish several times and never had the same species twice. This time it was a thorny headed rockfish, small fish so there were 2 in an order. Crazy good and the dipping sauce is even better than last time.

We ordered two side dishes; eggplant with miso besciamella, almonds and parmesan, and squash with miso apples, bagna cauda and walnuts. Not a crumb left.