It's not hard to make me happy, I see good things in everything. I'd like to think I'm a half-cup-full type of person. It helps me enjoy life... no matter what.

However, very few impresses me to the point where I will say, it's an experience that I will speak highly of.

Dining way above ground is something I have always enjoyed, regardless of how awful the food in the airplane is, it's that altitude that gives me that kick. But dining on honest-to-goodness delicious food, be it on a high altitude or right here smack on the ground... it is going to be a memorable one for a pretty long time.

I think when you have no expectation about a restaurant and they just blew your socks off for being amazing, that's the kind of culinary experience one will say a pure treat.

Japanese food is not really something I crave for.. and I crave for a lot of different cuisines. When I had the chance to dine at ICHO's, I didn't know much about it but the mix reviews I read online (when it was still JAL Towers).

Not a pretty good start I say. I was preparing myself to be disappointed, I was hesitant, I was prejudicial to say the least. That is why I never read anyone's review when I go to a restaurant, whether I'll be dining as a paying guest or as a hosted guest. One way or another it will affect my outlook. In this case however, I was proven wrong.

Upon Arrival
Arriving at the familiar hotel of Radisson Royal Hotel brought me back to the time it was still JAL towers where we stayed for the night and had lunch at IndoThai. I remember almost everything from that day but mostly remember the feast we had, the special touches they have in the décor, the service, the beautiful orchid on the table we took a picture of.

I can still taste the dishes we shared, the Thai appetisers wrapped in banana leaves, the fall-off-the-bone beef, up to the sweet ending of tapioca pearls dessert and ice cream. See? It really isn't hard to remember delicious food, to think that I'm typing this post on my iPhone while waiting for a movie to start. Yup, I can't wait to write about ICHO that is all.

The staff might not think I had a blast because I'm normally extra composed when I'm super happy, just like how I'd be at an interview for a job I really really want. That's exactly how my demeanor was... my bad, because they have to read this to know I left on a high note that night. I must remember to let them know about this post. They deserve a huge thanks.

Up there
ICHO takes the 49th to the 51st floor of the hotel. The door opened to a décor that says we're at the right place. Minimalist beauty. Definitely less is more.

Exciting and overwhelming. Meeting Head Chef Song is just the icing on the cake. What a gracious and soft spoken host he was.

As we were seated to our part of the table, we couldn't help but admire the panoramic view Radisson Royal Hotel offers. Simply breathtaking. 

While some of the chefs were already hard at work entertaining guests with flinging, banging, flying and tossing their turner spatulas. Eggs were also tossed around, some ending up on the Chef's hats, some getting purposely cracked on the teppanyaki table as part of a dish, like our yummy Japanese egg fried rice, we sat there patiently, drinking every drop of the show while our own dedicated Teppanyaki Chef awaits for what dish we want to feast on.

Teppanyaki floor has three stations, each can accommodate 20 guests. I can imagine a party being held at this place and how fabulous will that be? Alive and kicking, flames bursting, smoke rising, wondrous aroma wafting through the air, it would be a blast for sure!

We looked at the menu and we knew that the way to go about it is to share a set menu. There were so many dishes that I would have loved to try but I know I can only eat so much without flooding my senses. The ones that I will definitely come back for will be tofu, scallops and prawns. Oh and I won't mind having the meal we had as well. Yes, yes, yes, I'm a sucker for good food. I don't care if people look at me and think I'm insane (they usually do), I love my food. Period.

My guest and I settled for ICHO set and asked for extra appetisers. A wise decision it seems. 

Our appetisers consisted of tempura, beef tataki, crab salad and chicken nuggets. 

Tempura was coated with a super light batter, crispy, fresh and uber-tasty. I cook a lot and experiment a lot in the kitchen and this kind of batter is something I just, just, just can't nail! At least I can trust ICHO to frustrate me even more now.

Next in line was something I have never eaten in my life. Beef tataki, any tataki for that matter. I didn't know whether I will like it or not. I didn't hate it, that's for sure, however, it will not be the first thing that will come to my head when order time comes. Beef tataki is no beef carpaccio (which I love so much). It was more ceviche-tasting.

Beef tataki is very lightly seared, almost super rare. It's sliced thinly like a sashimi and marinated with citrus-soy sauce. The one we ate was rolled and plated with a little bit of salad, a perfect mini version of the regular tataki versions.

Chicken nuggets, which I was kinda of dreading thinking it's going to be uneventful, boring and so junkfoodish turned out to be not so bad at all. It's thinner and smaller than the usual nuggets from a certain food chain starting with an M plus the usual ketchup was replaced with something bolder and with a good kick. It took us by surprise that my guest had to dive into her crab salad to take the spice off. As for me, I loved it. 

The last piece of the puzzling yet pleasantly surprising start was the crab salad. Let's just say, I cannot stop thinking about its creamy and generous flavour. It doesn't hit you at first, it's simple and innocent looking then you'll realize you have enjoyed it more than you thought you will. Looking at the bowl that you're still scraping hoping you can still juice it a bit more. Deceitful looking salad, that's what it is.

The appetisers were well thought. Everything was in harmony, it's a happy tray. The spicy nuggets complemented by the cool crab salad while the neutral tempura was oomph-ed by the gorgeous beef tataki. The best part? it's just the first course!

Next in line was the mixed salad with apple sauce. Delicious but failed in comparison to the first course. Maybe mismanaged expectation? In my head it's supposed to be how movies work... succession of accumulating goodness until finale when the explosion of flavours happen. In this case, I would have presented the salad first before the four appetisers.

But thinking about the way the appetisers were presented and how well executed each component was, the salad might be the intermission of each scene. A palate cleanser if you may. If that was the intention then hats off! It did give us a fresh tasting start.

Then came the fresh seafood of the day, prawn and lobster meats garnished with asparagus and accompanied by tomato sauce. If you ask me which I prefer more, I will choose prawn. I felt that the lobster was over seasoned with salt thus overpowering the tartness of the sauce. The prawn however worked really well with the sauce.

For soup, of course we got Miso Soup. I normally don't like miso soup but what I had a ICHO is different from any Miso Soup I tasted anywhere. I wouldn't mind finishing the whole bowl. Maybe for some, they'd think it's weak or water washed but it's perfect for me. I'm not a big fun of strong sea or fishy essence and this miso is the first that is not too strong for me.

Came our grilled vegetables, like appetisers, it had different components making up to a vibrant dish. We got two types of mushrooms, carrots and eggplant, potatoes topped with fried garlic.

I enjoyed the mushroom more than anything. The combination of butter and a little bit of soya sauce gave it that unadulterated meaty taste. Carrots gave us a little crunch, while the eggplant submits beautifully. 

I get why potatoes were there, to give it a little starch but I felt that the fried garlic topping was unnecessary. Garlic has a very strong flavour that overpowers your palate once taken and so if the idea of the neutral starch is to keep the tastes in perspective, you'll lose it if you end up munching on those crunchy garlic bits.

Mains
Our mains consisted of Wagyu Beef Strips and Foie Gras with Garlic and Egg Fried Rice on the side. Sumptuous! Sumptuous! Sumptuous!

As some of you know by now, I love foie gras and I love steaks especially if it's Wagyu, combine them together? Hallelujah! Angels singing, rainbows shimmering, there's hope for this world kind of epiphany. Rich in texture, rich in flavour, rich in everything! 

I couldn't ask for a better combination than those two. Hands down, they make it to my fave list.

Last but not the least was the finale of the grand orchestra, fresh berries and kiwi combo with ice cream on the side, if I'm not mistaken, green tea flavoured ice-cream. 

It was a perfect ending to a glorious evening. 

I cannot wait to treat my husband and kids as soon as I get my first paycheck. Yup, the corporate world is beckoning and as the tradition goes, splurge the damn first paycheck to pieces I must. What better way to do that than to have a wonderful dinner, way up there, on the 50th floor of Radisson Royal Hotel? 

I will be filming alright, mostly my boys' delirious faces as they get sucked into the entertainment trance of Teppanyaki Chef's sorcery and witchcraft.

Above is just a few of the video clips I stitched together. A little peak at what ICHO's teppanyaki is about. You will not just arrive, sit and eat but you will be entertained, you will see and smell every single dish that you will indulge in. You are not just watching the experience, you are part of the experience. 

Thank you ICHO for the memorable time.

A few months ago I had an amazing tour of Barakat Fruit Factory. Of course they don't produce fruits but they might as well do (if only there is already existing technology for it). They are amazing! 

At first I didn't think much of it, I thought "how hard could their job be with all the machines available nowadays"? Did you hear that loud beep they use when your answer is wrong? Yup, mine was loud and clear.  

I was pleasantly surprised to discover the amazing effort the whole organization put in into every pack or bottle they produce. Yup this blog will sound like some school's Science essay but it's a challenge to impart what I discovered without going through the nitty gritty of it all.  

It's such a shame we couldn't take pictures for proprietary knowledge reasons... but they do have all the right reasons to keep it a secret. The best I can do is describe it as close as I can to the experience... and of course research the net for some real shots of their teams hard at work.

Photo and Caption Credits: ArabianIndustry (click to open original link)

Video Credit: MyDubaiMyCity.com

Although I thought they're business was mostly relying on retail, in actual fact, retail only takes 20% of their business, the rest are B2B like hotels and other big companies which are F&B related.

The concept was thanks to Chef Michael who used to be an executive chef in five-star hotel in the 1990's. He recognised a big gap for high quality fresh juices in the market. Cafeteria type shops do not necessarily ensure high quality produce and standard processes.

This part of Barakat started with 15 people which has now grown to 500 employees handling juices and salads. They also started venturing out to ice cream and microwavable soups. For sure, they'll have more in their portfolio in the years to come at the rate of progress they're going.

The Amazeballs Tour
Barakat, garnering the Environmentally-friendly Award, logically started the tour by showing us how they use technology to conserve and recycle water. Instead of using chemicals to de-wax fruits or sanitise their fresh produce before juice extraction or slicing them for salads, they use a process called Reverse Osmosis.  A process that makes desalination (removing of salt from seawater) possible. This process also provides water for them to re-use in their cooling plant (that needs 20,000 liters to cool), sewerage and irrigation of their landscapes. This process actually made their cooling plant maintenance from weekly to three months, smart!

Every conscious step makes a difference:
Each cardboard, crates are either recycled or reused. Each crate are washed and cleaned til kingdom for the next use. 

They also tried to discuss with local farmers the possibility of using their fruit and vegetable scraps as animal food but unfortunately, farmers didn't want to use them raw and will only accept their offer if they themselves convert it to pellets. A process which will be too out of the way, if you may, from their core daily business. And so Barakat is coming up with alternative methods to produce something very exciting for later use. I cannot divulge what it is yet as the Chef is still cooking and fine tuning the process but it definitely is about recycling, nature friendly and most especially, simply genius.

We visited the fruit storage area and a melody of scent hit are noses. It's so fresh like as if you have entered the fairyland of fruits. We all wish we can bottle them and take that happy scent with us on our way out. All 90 tonnes of them in that holding area.

Since fresh produce are still not abundant in the region, albeit they try their best to source some of them here, they make sure that they only get their supplies from the best parts of the world on their best season. Their logistics and planning people got their work cut out for them. They have to ensure continuous supplies of great quality fresh produce (65 tonnes of different vegetables and fruits daily), 365 days, from all over the world without taking on costs that will affect a very good relation they have with their clients and customers.

For example, the oranges they use at the moment comes from South Africa, Egypt and a little from Spain. They will also mix oranges from different sources to achieve the right acidity and sweetness in their bottled juice. Pineapples are sourced from Philippines, where it's abundantly grown while other fruits are sourced from India and numerous other parts of the world.

Each box or crate of produce are labeled in detail. Batch no., farmer and certification, this ensures Quality Assurance team will know where to trace a particular production should there be any inconsistency in the end product. Fresh produce gets affected by variables and their QA has to ensure that these variables are still acceptable within their high standards.

Next stop, they showed us how each fruit label is taken off, manually. There is just no way around it. It's tedious but has to be done to ensure no contaminants sticks to the machine that will end up affecting the quality of their production. 

The amount of manual work in the factory is more than 50%. Peeling, coring, slicing are all done by hand. Imagine the pineapple peeling and slicing process. By hand, it's twice faster than the machine, they're that good. There are also assigned staff who guards the orange conveyors leading to the presser to ensure that no substandard piece gets squeezed. The machine then do its easy work or squeezing fresh juice from high quality oranges. And there I thought machines does the hard work?!

It is set to squeeze just enough of the orange, not take on pulps or skin oils. It basically punches a hole in the middle and squeeze out juice as if it's doing it per segment. We checked the scraps of oranges and we can see how much more juice they can squeeze from those but Chef Michael explained that those remaining juice will indeed increase the volume they'll produce but it will include oils and pulps which makes some packaged orange juice bitter. 

Their orange production is five thousand liters per hour. It is then shocked for 40 seconds in 74 degrees Celsius to kill any bacteria. It takes 4 minutes to fill each small bottle with freshly squeeze orange juice.

They have  another machine solely for citrus fruit extraction that gives them a hundred thousand liters a day. It takes six hours to cool them down then they get stored in temperature controlled area before getting delivered to places like Cafe Nero and Spinneys.

They have 125 types of juices and machine can only do so much. Some of the bottles are filled manually. Juice and smoothies alike. Smoothies goes to a process the same way how it's done home made. 

So the next time you reach out for that Barakat juice, smoothies or salads... think of how much effort Barakat exert to give you the best quality. It is definitely a labor of love.

At the end of the tour... we were treated to freshly made ice creams and soups, talk about teeth breaking process but we cannot pass the opportunity. I fell in love with their soups!

It was heavenly. As far as I know, they are available at Spinneys but I checked one and unfortunately either it's a fast seller or not available in that branch, I just couldn't get a hold of them. But I am definitely going to hunt it. 

What an amazing place, amazing people, just a magnificent place of work. I can only imagine the progress they'll make in another year or so, they are driven and they definitely know what they're doing and I say, they are best in what they do. They offer the UAE and Oman market high quality fresh with no additive produce.

Trying to source out other photos that day from another blogger as somewhat a misfortune... couldn't find mine... :(