Dining Out on Christmas Day 2014

For the FIRST time in our long married life in Japan,  hubby and I celebrated Christmas Day by dining out at the Chinese restaurant at the former Sheraton Hotel nearby.  We eagerly looked forward to this Christmas Dinner Special as the menu was to include 'soup with truffles'.  Hubby was most eager to taste truffles since there was a TV special on it recently... but I truly think that he must have had truffles in the so many luxurious dinners and banquets he had been to - without him knowing what it was! @(^!*)@

Here's what the full course dinner included:

Hors D'oeuvres
特性クリスマスオードブル

Above were the six kinds of hors d'oeuvres served on individual trays. From top left clockwise: 
chicken meat ball, jelly fish, fish cake, gizzard strips, roast beef slices topped with greens and white asparagus, sashimi.

Below was the creamy pumpkin soup with the tiny raisin-like "dots" of truffles! We were a little disappointed at the scanty serving of truffles but the soup tasted great.  At this point of the dinner,  both of us started looking forward to tasting the Brie Cheese with Truffles that we had especially ordered online!

Creamy pumpkin soup with bits of truffles
トリュフの香り　パンプキンスープ

Prawns with Chili Sauce( made from fresh tomatoes) with 
deep-fried buckwheat noodle "net" and  melon breadstick
オマール海老のフレッシュトマトのチリソース、
スチックメロンパン添え

To get rid of the aftertaste of the oily shrimp dish, we were served a small serving of sherbet. 

Basil and Lemon Sherbet （バジルとレモンのシャーベット) & 
 "ShouKouSHu"(Chinese Shaoxing wine) with dried hibiscus leaves

North Furano local beef with onion slices and red and green pimentos
上富良野産和牛もも肉　ニュースタイルチンジャオロース

Abalone and Shark fins  in creamy sauce served with 
hot fried rice ball topped with scallions
フカヒレ姿煮と鮑の煮込み；熱々の揚げご飯とともに

For dessert, we were served an array of sweets: Almond custard or 杏仁豆腐, deep-fried o-manju, gelatin cubes in syrup, sherbet with strawberry syrup,  sweet Japanese mochi roll. 

Served with hot Jazmine Tea.

Santa's presents
サンタの贈り物
楽しいクリスマスデザート