A wine emergency

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Mama Bear is in town for a short stay, and I managed to catch up with her for coffee a couple of days ago. She was apparently at her wine cellar today checking up on her collection when she sent me some pictures. A couple of bottles from her birth vintage were showing ullage that were on the low side, and she wondered whether the wines were still drinkable. I assured her that the wines were probably still fine, but it would be a good idea to drink them up sooner rather than later.

That was when she suggested that I help her open them up, and she wanted to do that TODAY. Well, I could open them up at home, but with this pair of wines... they should be given the proper respect by being drunk over a nice meal. So I asked for a last-minute table at Ta Vie 旅, along with a couple of menu changes, all the while apologizing profusely to Takano-san for the imposition.

It's been far too long since we were last here, and I was glad to come and taste Sato-san's new creations. Of course, I also love me some old favorites.

One always starts the meal here with the signature nukazuke (糠漬け) bread, which I have loved ever since my first visit back in 2015.

Homemade butter and ricotta - I wish I had the capacity to inhale the entirety of this serving of butter that is made fresh daily, and also that ricotta.

Aori squid and tomato tartare with squid ink rice cracker topped with oscietra caviar - it's the first time I'm seeing this dish, although I vaguely recall seeing posts on social media. We would start the meal with one of the luxury ingredients that ticks the box for many people...

This immediately reminded me of Kaviari's old En-K de Caviar packaging, with the elogated shape and the caviar resting in a groove right on top of the case.

Taking another look, I see yet another beautiful creation from Sato-san. We've got diced bigfin reef squid (泥障烏賊) sandwiched between the two layers of crispy squid ink rice cracker.

I loved this combination, with flavors from tomatoes, cucumbers, celery, and avocado working nicely with the diced squid, where the sweetness meshed well with the salt from the caviar.

Pain de rustique – then came my favorite bread here. I am still amazed at how amazingly thin the crust is... and how light the whole thing is.

House-made fresh pasta with "aonori" butter sauce topped with fresh Hokkaido sea uni - one of my perennial favorites, and it still tastes so good after all these years. The umami from the aonori (青海苔) together with the natural sweetness of the sea urchin - tonight they were purple sea urchin (紫雲丹) from Otaru (小樽) - always manage to deliver something really magical for my palate. I know it's just one course out of a multi-course tasting menu, but I have never felt that the portion size was right. I always wanted to lick the bowl clean every single time, and more than once I have thought about asking for a bigger portion... because how could one possibly be satisfied after a few mouthfuls?! This should be a ramen bowl-sized portion!

French white asparagus and deep-fried sakura shrimp salad with romesco sauce, green pepper mayonnaise - we are in the season for asparagus, and these spears of white asparagus from the Loire Valley came with some of my favorite sakura shrimp (桜海老), deep-fried to turn them into umami bombs. Accented with romesco sauce, green pepper mayo, crispy croûton, and salad along with half a hard boiled egg. I love how the cool, clean, and sweet flavors of the asparagus contrasted with the punch from the shrimp and the sauces.

Pan-fried "hokki" clam with morel mushroom stuffed with scallop dumpling, escargot butter, cheese foam - surf clams feature regularly on the menu here, and tonight these sweet babies came with potato confit in escargot butter, croûtons, and morels.

The morels came stuffed with scallop mousse inside, so it had a nice and springy texture but also had diced cubes of crunchy water chestnuts.

Pain de campagne – the last of the three breads, and I couldn't resist finishing it.

Roasted Aveyron baby lamb with various peas salad and chickpea purée on Mimolette-sesame tarte - we had a small, round tart of Mimolette and white sesame came with haricots verts and herbs. Besides the lamb jus with lemon and thyme, we had a pea and lemon purée as well as chickpea and mustard purée.

The lamb was simply stunning. And I would expect nothing less here. Just look at that luscious chunk of fat!

The big tart came with chickpea purée and a salad of peas including their pods, topped with a crispy dentelle.

Signature flower tea – it's been far too long since I last sipped on this beautiful orange and roselle drink. So refreshing when it's served chilled.

Pink guava and Hyunanatsu terrine, sorbet yogurt meringue, cristal chip and fizzy sauce - this was an updated version of a dessert I tasted 2 years ago, and it now looks completely different. Along with a terrine featuring both hyuganatsu (日向夏) and the local varietal of pink guava named 胭脂紅, we had a sorbet made with the same fruits. Topped with a meringue triangle made of yogurt, as well as a hyuganatsu chip. I loved the acidity from the fresh citrus, as well as a hit of very intense fragrance. The popping candy inside was a surprise, though...

A slice of Miyazaki mango - this has become of the the restaurant's signature desserts, featuring a slice of perfectly ripe with a strip of génoise in the middle. For this mango lover, the passion fruit sauce on the side wasn't really necessary. Always so, so happy to see this. Today, though, it looked a little bit shinier than usual...

Chocolate pudding - this has always been, and always will be, the perfect ending to a meal at Ta Vie. The most amazing chocolate pudding in the world, as far as I'm concerned. The allure of that kaffir lime leaf fragrance, seamlessly infused into the chocolate pudding. Just WOW!

Of course, it's even better with a layer of gold flakes on top! Oh I do love this place!

Simple Kaffa Ta Vie original blend coffee - the coffee is now a blend instead of single origin, but Sato-san continues to work with Simple Kaffa from Taiwan for his coffee.

Well, this was a very tasty meal as always, but the original motivation was WINE! We happily opened and shared the two bottles of wine with Sato-san and Takano-san.

1979 Ramonet Montrachet - took the first sip a few minutes after opening, and some 15 minutes in the wine was showing beautifully. The nose was savory like salty lemon, marmalade, or vin jaune, with mineral, flinty, toasty, and nutty notes. This was so sweet, so floral, and so alluring some 45 minutes after opening. There was bitterness on the finish, but that wasn't a surprise. Honestly, the nose was just so fucking beautiful.

1979 Rayas Rouge - first tasted some 45 minutes after opening, which was probably a little later than we should have. Lots of savory soy sauce on the nose, with minerals and some sweet fruit underneath. Some smokiness, too. Surprisingly sweet on the palate. Pretty nice, but I had hoped for a little better.

I was very grateful to Mama Bear for sharing these treasures, as they're not wines that one just pops open casually. Despite the ullage, I'm glad both bottles drank well - especially the Montrachet! Very happy to see Sato-san and Takano-san, of course... and looking forward to seeing them again soon.