HELL has officially frozen over

(this is related to the other post)
We got a free meal in Japan. Not a cheap meal, a REAL meal. That is unheard of. It is like the hooker with the heart of gold or Michael Jackson admitting that he subjected himself to numerous plastic surgery operations. Amazing. I'll say that again, "AMAZINGGGG."

This meal was not at all what I had imagined. When I made the reservation for a consultation, she was quick to tell me that we should not have dinner, that we'd be invited to try some of their foods. I figured a simple plate of pasta or hor douvres...argh, don't know the spelling of that. In any case, when I saw the menu card and my name printed on a card, I knew we were in for more than just a 'bite to eat.'

The place was dim and romantic. The kitchen was exposed by a large pane of glass on the side of the wall. I invited myself in for a look and watched (more like stared intensely) at the three chefs...until one shocked me by playfully flinging parsley at the window toward me. I obliged and pretended to munch on it. They were amused by me, the bold and entranced customer. Most of the staff seemed to find me a curious one, taking pictures left and right...eating each bite with deliberate joy. Maybe that is why we were not charged for the meal, hee hee. I was the entertainment of the night for them?

5-COURSE
DRINK pink guava juice (a tall glass of this thick stuff)
BREAD fresh baguette from the oven served with gourmet French Normandy (I think) butter
APPETIZER big shrimp and au gratin oysters with a tower of caviar sandwiched in thin slices of raw scallops on the side (sorry, I was SOOO excited that I completely forgot to take a picture)
SOUP cream of carrot accented with frothy foam and fresh parsley (see pic)
FISH, salt-encrusted grilled tai (sea bream) with dots of basil sauce on one side; tomato dots of sauce on the other (see pic)
PRE-MAIN, tai (sea bream) and ikura (salmon eggs) watery butter risotto
MAIN Spanish pork (this pig is fed a strict soley mushroom diet) with 'maitake' oyster mushroom cream sauce. (see pic)
DESSERT mango pudding with a thin layer of coconut cream to top it off, a small scoop of vanilla rum ice cream (better than Haagen Daaz!), creme brulee with candied angel wings for decoration, and fresh fruits (see pic)
DRINKS tea and coffee with dessert in darling heart-shaped saucers! (see pix)

By the time we were finished, we felt stuffed and sleepy. ^_^ Boy what a wonderful end to a seemingly endless day. A final note: despite the day's grueling schedule and exhausting bridal house tours, the boy was fed and fed good grub and was happy as a clam. Me too! Even though we'll not have our wedding here, I'll keep it in mind if I am ever craving great French.