An off-menu dish that includes some haute-gastronomy, and toast…

Ah toast. One of the finest culinary innovations since (and made out of) sliced bread. There are few more wholesome pleasures than biting into a light, crispy, crunch tartine, just oozing with rich salty butter. And we don’t care what anybody says, the crusts stay on.

Toast provides an excellent delivery mechanism for other food types too. You can put pretty much any other edible item on top of toast and the ensemble is instantly elevated above the sum of its parts.

At one end of the spectrum, you have the humble, signature student dish — baked-beans-on-toast, possibly paired with a shower of shredded cheddar if you’re feeling fancy. At the other end of the continuum, you have this Dhs1,200 Otoro Crystal Toast, now available at 99 Sushi Restaurant & Bar.

But you’ll have to have a quiet word with the waiter because this particular slice of toast extravagance is a firmly off-the-menu hook up.

Toast with the most

So what does Dhs1,200 buy you in the extra-vagant toast world?

Four slices of rustic Spanish crystal baguette (and for those of you saying ‘it better contain crystals for that price’ — it does not, the name comes from the relative translucence of the crust), lubed up with special smoked virgin olive oil (also no) and layered with some Kanye-level toppings.

The four toast portion is stacked with 100g of 99’s signature fatty tuna tartare; 75g of Hokkaido’s most famous sea urchin, uni; and a generous 30g spoonfull of Kaluga caviar.

Raising a toast

The genesis of this dish actually began last month when Pedro and Fernando De Leon, the founders of the 99 Sushi brand, came to visit the UAE operation from their home in Spain. They wanted something off-menu, something new, exciting and suitably outrageous.

Together with local boss Jaime Castaneda, and star chef Ruben Guerrer, the idea for Otoro Crystal Toast was born. And you can’t say you don’t want it. Look at it, It’s a thing of rare and refined beauty.

There are two 99 Sushi locations in the UAE: Four Seasons Hotel, The Galleria Al Maryah Island, Abu Dhabi, tel: (02) 672 3333. And The Address Downtown – Downtown Dubai, tel: (04) 547 2241. Dhs1,200. @99sushibaruae

Images: Provided