Kumiko's New Tasting Menu 🍽️

As mentioned before, Kumiko’s downstairs used to house a speakeasy-style bar called Kikko, which served a tasting menu before closing after the pandemic. Recently, Kumiko relaunched their tasting menu, and I went last week to compare. 🍹 Scallop Dice with Crispy Rice / Yellowtail Sushi with Sea Grapes / Oyster with Yuzu Dressing 🍹 One Prawn, Three Ways: Soy-marinated tail, wasabi-seasoned body, and pork-stuffed head. 🍹 Crab Rice Bowl – Loaded with Dungeness crab meat and enoki mushrooms, tossed with mayo and scattered shiso leaves. A bit too salty, though. 🍹 The Highlight: Wagyu Beef Tongue Ravioli with creamy sauce and crab mushrooms—every bite was rich and savory! 🥟🧈 🍹 Grilled Squab – Prepared yakitori-style aiming for a tsukune texture, but the accompanying mayo was overly salty. Better eaten plain. 🍹 Dessert 1: Buckwheat Tea Panna Cotta with pear frozen yogurt and black sesame brittle. Sweet but balanced by the tangy yogurt. 🍹 Dessert 2: Hojicha & Blood Orange Hard Candy – more interesting than the previous sweet. 🍹 Non-Alcoholic Pairing: I loved the NA pairing at Oriole before, so I chose Kumiko’s version too—truly impressive! Julia really has a talent for this. 👏 Overall, it didn’t beat the old Kikko experience and leaned more Americanized in flavor, but still good value. You can book via OpenTable—select "Experience" instead of a regular reservation. 📍 Kumiko: 630 W Lake St, Chicago, IL 60661 #SummerFoodieCat 🐱 #ChicagoLife #ExploreChicago #FoodDiary #ChicagoEats #ChicagoTravel