Home to Japan's most sacred Shinto shrine - Ise Grand Shrine
(also known for its deep historical links with the imperial family), Ise city (伊勢市) {
formerly called Ujiyamada (宇治山田)}, in the Mie prefecture of Japan, is also where one can find
Daiki - one of "
the most famous restaurant in Japan."
Established at the end of WWII, Daiki is renowned for its cuisine & fresh seafood. It enjoys the patronage of the Emperor, and in fact it has been serving the royal family since 1974. Its president and 2nd generation owner,
Mr. Takumi Sakata (
pictured above, gentleman on the far right), is the son of the founder. The healthy-looking (
no doubt partly a result of the best sashimi on-site) 60-year old is a law graduate from Keio University, and has been managing the restaurant since 1979. He's wife (
pictured above, far left), a graduate from Tate Manabu Imperial College, is the only other person we met in the restaurant that was conversant in English.
Set in a simple, unpretentious ambience, the restaurant was quite cosy. One of the most enlightening cuisine that I'd experienced here was the kanpachi (
カンパチ; also known as Japanese amberjack in Singapore) sashimi (
pictured in top half of above image, pale pink items in the middle of each picture). The texture was amazingly crunchy for a fish, with unparelled freshness, a lovely sweetness & oily fullness. It's unlike any kanpachi that I'd tasted before, and I knew there & then that the palate benchmark has just been raised a notch.
Ebi (
prawn) Tempura (
above image) was my other culinary epiphany at Daiki. The tempura batter was really light, pairing perfectly with the 'clean' sweetness of the prawn. The meat was juicy and "relaxed", an intriguing texture as if it was raw
(in contrast to the 'tightness' of cooked prawns).
While for 5pf the eye-opener was probably the Asari (
a type of Japanese clams; あさり) Miso soup (
above image). The broth was a deeper hue than other versions that we'd tasted previously, with a richness to match. And for the first time, the clam flavour played the leading role, and we understood how the miso flavour should balance the whole dish rather than dominate it.
Address: 2-1-48 Iwabuchi, Ise-city, Mie-pref, Japan 516-0037
Landmark: Uji-yamada station, Kintetsu Shima railway line.
Direction: upon exiting station, walk through open-air carpark on the front right.
Tel: +81 (0)596-28-0281
Hours: 11am to 9pm
So how does one choose among famous ramen restaurants (with considerable heritage) placed side-by-side? Well, since all of their interiors had similar seating capacity, we chose the one with the most seats placed outside for the queue, and with the fewest types of ramen offered on the menu.
The casual dining, bright interiors and youthful atmosphere creates an unlikely ambience for a gourmand's epiphany. Because that's what the soyu ramen meant to us. It totally threw out our past definitions of that dish, or any definitions that our imagination could ever conjure! The fragrance and deliciousness was addictive, complete with a tasty soft-centred egg done perfectly. The noodle itself had a distinctive character, evidently a reflection of the artisanal hands behind its creation. It was pure delight, pure umami!
