Kaki-Hoya cuisine. It literary means, Dishes of Oyster and Sea Pinapple.
You may say, “Yes, of course, I know the oyster. It’s delicious. I like it very much. But what is sea pinapple? A kind of a sea plant? “
Of course, sea pineapple is delicious. That is because its flesh has a deep, rich flavor akin to a thick, meaty clam.
However, sea pineapple can sometimes be bitter. And not just bitter—it can leave a sting on your tongue, a harsh sensation almost like some kind of chemical. Naturally, you might wonder, “What on earth is this?” At this very moment, over ninety percent of people decide they hate sea pineapple, while the remaining ten percent become completely spellbound by its unique flavor.
You can feel the entire ocean in your mouth. I can say it “extracted, condensed, enriched, and purified aroma of sea essence.” —and that’s no exaggeration. As you bite into its flesh, fresh scent of the sea washes over you. You may feel as if you were diving into the deep sea.
Are you a visitor from far across the globe—from Europe, the Americas, or Australia—who has traveled thousands of kilometers all the way to Japan? If so, you simply cannot leave this Far Eastern island nation without trying sea pineapple, an ingredient you can taste almost nowhere else. You must experience it in every imaginable way: served raw, dipped in soy sauce or ponzu, grilled, or deep-fried.
Scientifically speaking, sea pineapples are marine animals belonging to the subphylum Tunicata (class Ascidiacea). You can think of tunicates as the most primitive form of vertebrates—in fact, direct ancestors of human beings and other animals. As larvae, they swim through the ocean by wriggling their rudimentary notochords, eventually settling on rocks to mature into stationary adults, much like sea anemones, gooseneck barnacles, or acorn barnacles. You might well ask yourself, “Why on earth should I eat such a bizarre creature when there is plenty of other food in the world?” But since you have come all the way to Japan, you cannot possibly depart without trying it. To do so would be to throw away a truly rare experience that can only be had right here in Japan.
Truly fresh sea pineapples do not have that characteristic chemical taste at all. And right here at this restaurant, you can savor fresh, raw sea pineapple harvested directly from the waters of Sendai. There is no other place like this anywhere else in the world. What incredible good fortune!