Shoya - Food for Thought

So I've realised that this blog has so far been a lot of munching, and not enough musing. And since I'm in a fairly reflective mood tonight, I figured I'd 'whip up' a post that's more muse than munch.

Walking back from the gym today I decided, on a whim, to have a slightly indulgent dinner at Shoya. It was probably the third or fourth time after going to the gym that I've felt like having some nice fresh, good quality sashimi to complete my evening of healthy living. However, my rational mind (and my bank balance) have always stopped me from stepping into the restaurant for a post-gym dinner.

Well, this time I decided that I could afford it and in I walked, hoping they hadn't closed their kitchen yet.

Ordered myself a Sashimi Moriawase (an assortment of kingfish, tuna, salmon and scallop sashimi), some spicy tuna sushi rolls, and the Kani Ravioli. LOVED the sashimi (omigod the wasabi was spicy!), was quite happy with the spicy tuna rolls (but kinda wish they hadn't put salad leaves in there..), and was quite disappointed with the 'ravioli' - basically a crab meat dumpling with some bonus crab shell bits thrown in...

Won't get into the specifics of the tuna rolls and ravioli. But the sashimi - each bite of sashimi I savoured to the milligram. Chewing slowly, taking small bites, pausing in-between to fully process each amazing moment. Haha, yes sounds quite OTT, but that really was pretty much what I was doing! Also, I've always thought that it's pretty cool that they serve the sashimi in an ice bowl, on a bed of ice - very dream-like.

Apart from the sashimi, the next thing I really enjoyed was the green tea with it's subtle smokey flavour. I would have been happy just sitting in a quiet corner, sipping this tea and reading a book. But alas, I did not have the luxury (and time) to do that. Another day maybe...

So back to my musing. Sitting there, eating as slowly as I wanted to with no one to rush me or make me feel like I was wasting time, I had a chance to really ponder upon each mouthful, let my thoughts wander, and forget about everything else. It could almost be called meditation... It felt nice :) I was doing what I wanted to do for myself, and not anyone else. I didn't have to worry about holding people up, or avoiding awkward silences, or how silly I may look with food stuffed in my mouth. Yes, sounds like I'm a bit of a loner - don't get me wrong, I love the company of my friends and family, but it is nice to occasionally have some alone time with good food.

So the bill came to $49.30. Bit steep for one person with no special occasion to celebrate, but I figured that life's too short to spend saving up 'for the future'. Some things should be done just when you feel like it - no other excuses required. Having said that, I'm not going to be silly enough to spend my life savings in 1 hour, just because I feel like it.

So yes, here I am in my bed, typing this post, sashimi craving satisfied, feeling pretty content with life :) (And craving for more of that green tea...)