The first time I heard about Mecha Uma, curiosity immediately hit and so many questions, like who, what, where, and how, kept circling through my mind that I couldn’t help but do my research. It appears that Chef Bruce Ricketts, owner of Sensei Sushi, manages the restaurant and his new baby is currently located in The Fort. Seems to me that the stars had aligned and I can finally taste his food since it is geographically reachable anytime compared to that of Sensei Sushi. Apparently, it is not at all similar to his first restaurant; he takes Mecha Uma on a whole new level by serving exquisite dishes on his ala carte menu while having a 10-course tasting menu.
If I am not mistaken, it opened sometime in October so it was very timely since both of my brothers’ birthday were in November. I suggested the place to my mom in which she agreed to celebrate it there but then some things came up that I had to give up my reservation.
Few months after, I decided to ask my friends to eat with me since we have been talking about it. I swear, calling for reservations in Mecha Uma is hell. It came to a point that I already knew when and when not to call, as I will be directed only to their voicemail. After countless trials, I was able to get a reservation; the given date was a month after the call. I couldn’t believe it! The first and second seating of every night was already fully booked! But the day has come when it was my friends and I’s turn to eat.
The place was surprisingly tiny and it is far from the brighter side of The Fort. People who reserved for the tasting menu sit on the bar while those who chose the ala carte menu sit on the regular tables and chairs. For the tasting menu, they only accommodate 10 persons per seating. I was surprise to see that we were complete since I reserved for 6 persons but then 2 of my friends couldn’t come all of a sudden that I had to give up those two seats. I made that cancellation a day before the actual reservation so I didn’t expect to see the bar full of people. This place must really be something!
First course: Oyster
As instructed by the chef, it is best eaten in one gulp. The fresh raw oyster was seasoned with tofu, a little bit of tapioca, custard and oyster juice on sweet sake, fresh apples, and frozen pineapples. It was indeed zesty and refreshing! What a way to start our dinner!
Second course: Blowfish Sperm (aka Fugu Shirako)
Hearing the name of the dish, my friends, R and P, immediately looked at each other. Doesn’t sound so appetizing, I suppose.
In Japan, this particular dish is served sashimi-style but since Chef Bruce is not a fan of sashimi, he created his own version wrapping the blowfish sperm and pickled mushroom in Shiso leaf and sweet potatoes frying it until crisp and light golden brown. Underneath it is a pool of sweet sake, which tastes like tempura sauce.
It doesn’t sound so appetizing at all but wait until you try it, it will blow your mind!
Third course: Sashimi
In a formal Japanese meal, sashimi is often served at the beginning of the course. But as always, Chef Bruce makes it a point that his customers have a one-of-a-kind experience, something out of the ordinary. Just when we were about to attack these fresh raw fish with our chopsticks, he asked us to listen to his instructions very carefully as he explains how each fish were prepared while we eat them one by one.
We started from the bottom right, which is the Japanese halibut, the fresh white-looking raw fish cured in seaweed roll. It was subtle, making you crave for more sashimi.
Rotating clockwise, the Sea Bream, or also known as Tai, was next. It was prepared by pouring hot water over the skin and then plunging it into the ice right after so the skin would not peel off. Comparing it to the first one, this was definitely tastier!
It was then followed by the Winter Hamachi (Buri), or most commonly known as yellowtail or amberjack, seared and crusted with sesame seed garnished with grated radish and mushroom juice. The fat content of this fish is higher during the winter months, which results to a rich and buttery flavor. Even so, it was milder compared to the previous one.
The last piece was a Blue Fin Tuna belly, or toro, with wasabi. It was a great finale to the course! It was so good that we wished all four pieces were just toro!
At the middle is the dipping sauce made with wasabi, fresh beet juice and fish liver. Yet another creative concept made by the chef and surprisingly, it complements well the sashimi.
Fourth course: Scallop
This dish is what I like to call, 50 shades of yellow lol the main star is, of course, the raw scallop sliced and layered. In between, there are egg yolk dots, which were blended, and on the side are the crumbs which were made with seaweeds and scallops making the taste a bit jammed and the sauce made with the liver of scallops, sake and butter. I don’t know how the chef was able to get the liver of the scallop and I didn’t even think the creature has a liver but he made this fine, delicate dish possible.
Fifth course: Black cod
This dish may look like it was prepared simply but wait until you hear how Chef Bruce did it. The hidden black cod is cured in fish sauce with a little parsley and some herbs. The purple-colored cabbage, on top, was fermented and cooked slowly with beef broth until it becomes oily. When it does, the fish was wrapped in it with a bit of sour cabbage sauce. The cabbage sauce is said to be sour as the fermented cabbage juice and sea urchin become one. This is, then, garnished with a salad of roasted beets, Juniper berries and seasoned with dill. Personally, I loved the roasted beets as it added more thrilling sensation to my taste buds. After hours (maybe) of preparing the dish, we could finally taste the unassuming Black cod. True enough, the fish was incredibly soft!
Sixth course: Saba
Saba, or also known as mackerel, was cured and marinated in miso and fermented monggo and was grilled after. It was paired with salad of pork belly, pickled apples, cauliflower, and pickled carrots. Under it is a monggo puree, which, to me, was sort of an alternative to a mashed potato. Again, the mackerel was cooked at the right temperature, as it was extremely soft and not at all dry. There was a bit of sour taste coming from the salad while the monggo puree was very rich yet enticing.
Seventh course: Risotto
It is not always black truffles are available in Mecha Uma, depending on the season and supplier maybe. So when Chef Bruce offered us to put black truffle shavings on our dish, of course I said yes! Without the black truffle shavings, this dish looked boring but wait until you get a spoonful of it! It is legen… wait for it.. dary! – LEGENDARY! :) Concocted with lobster and uni, it was indubitably delectable. The Japanese rice was cooked really slowly making the entire dish rich and creamy and with a hint of citrus from yuzu, the entire dish had that aromatic zest. I was a bit disappointed with the truffle shavings as they weren’t as robust as I hoped them to be and I couldn’t quite taste the flavor of the lobster and sea urchin. Even so, this is one of the dishes that was truly unforgettable; if only I could ask for another serving lol
Eight course: Quail
The most photogenic dish belongs to this one. Not only was it very artistic but the story behind this dish was highly evocative telling about a quail’s flight. The French quail was aged for a few weeks, cooked in its own fat with steamed foie gras and was seared after. There are two purees accompanying the quail – the green one made with asparagus and pistachios and the black one composed of lemon, alone, charred and blended. The pork wine, thyme leaves and a bit of lavender were whipped up together to make the red splatter on the plate. The black puree symbolizes winter as the quail flies through this season while the red/brown splatter symbolizes blood as it gets shot in spring because of the hunting season. I love how Chef Bruce had the patience to prepare this dish because all of that paid off as he was able to serve us a tender and delicious quail that was greatly complemented by the purees he created.
Ninth course: Wagyu
This was truly mind-blowing! The Matsusaka wagyu beef was charred and seasoned with wasabi. Its sauce is made with onion juice, Cabrales cheese and sake. As I slowly eat this divine beef, I could really feel that it melted in my mouth! Foodgasmic indeed!
Tenth course: Kalabasa
With the quirky dishes we have eaten, Chef Bruce wanted to end the night with something that is familiar. With kalabasa or pumpkin, revolving around this dish, two textures are visible which is that of a cake and a mousse. The syrup is made from brown sugar and the soft, white-looking cream is made with tofu and soymilk. Although I was expecting something cold and sweet to cap the night off, it was still delightful!
And with that, our dinner was done!
It was such an honor to have Chef Bruce Ricketts stand before us, who prepared, cooked and explained our exquisite dinner. Since we were the last customers in the restaurant, we were able to get the chance to talk to the chef personally and I must say, he deserves everything that he has right now. Just by hearing his stories, I could already sense the passion and the love that he has for this art. For someone who has already achieved so much at such a young age, he still remained to be down-to-earth, respectful and understanding. I truly admire him for that. To be honest, all of the dishes we had eaten was nothing compared to the conversation that we had with Chef Bruce. Not that I’m saying that the food wasn’t great but having a conversation with him was the highlight of my night. I do not want to put into details what we talked about especially since it’s his story to tell but I’m really glad that he remains to be a humble person despite all of his accomplishments and for that, I admire him and I do hope he remains that way still no matter how successful he gets.
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