He's an Iron Chef, a culinary superstar both on and off TV, and he owns 10 restaurants around the world. But his very first was in Philadelphia and we dished about what's new at his oldest eatery.
"Philadelphia is my first original one,."
Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto opened his very first restaurant on Chestnut Street in 2001. He says he specifically chose Philadelphia because it's a city built on independence.
"This is my first original restaurant Morimoto."
Twelve years later, he's still serving up sophisticated, authentic Japanese cuisine. Together we tested out some of his new spring offerings. Famous for his fresh fish, Morimoto ships it in from his homeland, with UPS deliveries coming every other day from Tokyo, like painting the bones of a Japanese fish with squid ink. He'll use the masterpiece as part of the plating.
He creatively shapes various cuts of sushi grade fish and drapes the dish with seasonal veggies.
"I like that garden sashimi with an original work of art from iron chef Morimoto."
Next, where the East meets Europe, we move onto the pasta course! His Japanese take on an Italian classic is serious!
Udon noodles are cuddled in a creamy concoction of eggs, cream, and white soy sauce. Add a little pepper, some pancetta and of course the parmigiano reggiano! Top it with a quail egg and some seaweed and you have Uni Carbonora Sea Urchin!
