This sushi restaurant has been awarded Michelin 3-star status consecutively since 2014, now already the four years in a row, and is one of the limited few world class edomae sushi outside Japan. Located on the ground floor of The Mercer Hotel in Jervois Street, Sheung Wan, from the outside it is rather non-descript in appearance, with a small door leading to the hotel lift lobby, and then you would see the small sign of the restaurant. The restaurant has two servings in dinner, one at 6pm and the other at 8:30pm. We decided to go for the earlier session and arriving right on time, with the staff already waiting to show us in.
Apart from a private room which can accommodate 6 person, there are only 8 seats in the restaurant, facing the sushi counter so we can witness Chef Yoshiharu Kakinuma and his apprentices busy preparing each dish. The setting reminds me of many sushi restaurants I visited in Japan, giving a cozy atmosphere and close interactions with the chef and team. With a menu printed showcasing what we would have for the omakase dinner, I ordered the Junmai Daiginjo from Isojiman for the evening.
The first appetizer is Steamed Egg Custard with Cod Milt and Black Caviar. The egg custard is silky smooth and soft, with the cod milt creamy in texture. The flavors are then enhanced by the black caviar on top which provided a slight hint of brine. A great and premium starter for the dinner, and setting our expectation to a high level which Chef Yoshiharu demonstrated later on that he masterfully manage to exceed above and beyond our wildest dreams.
The second appetizer is the first of the Seasonal White Fish, with this one being the Sea Bream, which has been marinated with kelp overnight, then paired with the intestine sauce. With a bit of wasabi added we were told to wrap the sashimi with the sauce. The flavors exploded in our mouth upon biting, with the treatment of the fish strengthening the umami taste. The intestine sauce is not fishy at all as one might worry, rather giving a delicate yuzu note which balanced the overall taste. Oishi!
The third appetizer is the other Seasonal White Fish, Kinki from Hokkaido. Seeing how the fish is grilled made me exclaimed how serious the chef took the quality of his dishes. Not only the grilling is done over real charcoal fire, to avoid the burning of the fish directly by the fire, it was skewered with the outer piece not serving and was discarded! The fish was also marinated in kelp for 5 days, and even the soy sauce is prepared using the fish bones. I could not avoid gaping after hearing all the care it paid to prepare this.
Then it was Japanese Clam, which was poached in clam soup in front of us, then served with a tiny piece of herbal leaves. The clam is cooked to its perfection, very tender with all the raw flavors still intact. The herbs giving a refreshing note to supplement and the soup itself was also phenomenal, extremely intense. I finished all the soup in no time and could not stop myself thinking whether I could ask the chef to give me more of the soup...
Next is one of the signature dish of the restaurant, The Japanese Tender Octopus. Seeing the chef taking out the whole tentacle and slicing a piece out, he went out to tell us that he had taken effort to massage the tentacle for many hours in order to make it so tender. The marinated sauce was also great in taste, seeping fully to the octopus. The overall experience is really unbelievable, with nothing chewy throughout.
Then it is the Japanese Squid with Squid Roe. The squid is certainly seasonal, full of roe inside and marinated equally amazing. The texture is again very tender, and this give an interesting comparison to the earlier octopus, with both offering testimony of how the great skills of a chef can turn something that one would think chewy and tasteless to such another level of enjoyment. Amazing indeed.
Afterwards come the additional dish not on the menu, but was something special on the night which we ordered extra. It is Hokkaido Monkfish Liver, and on first bite reminded me of the texture of foie gras, with a similar soft texture and rich in flavors. But frankly in my opinion this is far better than any foie gras I have ever tasted. Melting in the mouth it basically engulfed the whole palate with a creamy coating full of flavors that I have no word but to describe as 'gratifying'.
Next is another signature dish, the Steamed Abalone with Abalone's Liver Sauce. By now we know Chef Yoshiharu has the magical hands to make chewy seafood soft and tender, and it was no surprise that the abalone was exactly that on texture. The true wonder however came from the liver sauce, which was buttery and enhanced tremendously the flavors. It was so good!
To avoid wasting the precious and delicious liver sauce, the chef then added some shari sushi rice so we can savor every last drop of it. This is a thoughtful arrangement and I could not stop to applaud the creativity or otherwise I might have to do the unimaginable and lick the plate clean... haha...
Close to the end of the appetizers, we saw the apprentice preparing the Mullet Roe with Grilled Mochi. The mullet roe is like that we also see in Taiwan, and after cutting them into small pieces, they were put between two pieces of mochi and then grilled over low charcoal heat. Constantly turning to avoid burning, when it was done it was poured with tiger prawn sauce. The mochi was chewy, but was not sticky to the teeth. A really nice complement of flavors.
The final of the appetizers is Sea Cucumber with Tomato Water Jelly. Served in a hollowed lemon, the sea cucumber got a nice bite, with the tomato water jelly giving a refreshing, cleansing sensation. Maybe it would be better served with a spoon to allow ease of eating the jelly, it created the same effect as a sorbet on a French cuisine. An interesting and innovative way to prepare the dish in order to pave the way for the coming sushi.
There are a total of 10 sushi pieces, and throughout we can see the great skills of the chef in creating the sushi. The chef also reminded us on the way to eat the sushi, having to eat them right after serving, to ensure the right temperature of the rice for the greatest enjoyment, and preferably using hand so the rice can be served at a softer consistency. The first piece is Cuttlefish, super fresh and tender, without 'residue' after chewing. Really nice!
The second sushi is Halfbeak, a type of fish unique in shape, having a needle-like mouth. Seeing the sheen of the skin of the fish you would already know the freshness, and the chef made some cuts on the fish so the sauce can seep inside to make it even more flavorful. Another great sushi!
The third sushi is Lean Tuna, or Akami, with a clean taste, followed by the fourth sushi which is the Fatty Tuna, or O-Toro.
I am sure there are fans on both, but personally I like the fatty one better because of the fish oil giving that flavors which was so intense and delicious.
The fifth sushi is Aji, or Horse Mackerel. Served with some finely chopped chives on top, this is another great one as most of such I tried in other sushi restaurants did have some fishy notes, but this serving was so fresh that I could not find any. In my mind this type of fish is a true litmus test to the quality they pay to the ingredients and I can believe they only get the freshest ones from the local market and directly shipped everyday.
The sixth sushi is Ark Shell, with a crunchy texture, sweet and big in size. Even though I am not familiar with this type of shellfish I can imagine it is rather rare for this size. Really great in taste too.
The seventh sushi is a mix of two types of Sea Urchin. Both from Hokkaido, with a layer of Bafun Uni and then the layer of Murasaki Uni. Both are again extremely fresh, sweet and without any strange taste. Having sampled some of the best uni when I visited Hokkaido and other parts of Japan in these few years, I can say these are nothing inferior to the best I had.
The eighth sushi is the Japanese Tiger Prawn. Seeing them just poached and then cut open, the apprentices meticulously remove the intestine before handing over to the chef to prepare the sushi. The taste of the prawn is very rich too.
The ninth sushi is the Sea Eel, just grilled before serving. The sauce is delicate, not overly salty or overpowering to affect the more delicate flavors of the eel, and the texture of the eel is also amazing, simply melting and integrated to the shari sushi rice.
The final piece is a Tamago, which is Castella Egg, sweet and soft.
Wrapping up there is also a Miso Soup which is good, and a fulfilling conclusion before dessert. The chef then asked us whether we are not full and would like to have another piece of sushi. Taking the opportunity I asked for another piece of Aji. How rewarding it was for me!
The dessert is Strawberry and Red Bean Paste Wrap. With the right sweetness of the red bean paste, the strawberry was also good so there is no tartness one would feel if the two components are not balanced. I wonder how the chef managed to do that?
Overall the experience is really wonderful, with the quality of the food easily being one of the best Japanese restaurants I visited. It did not have the fancy look of kaiseki, but talking about the highlight of the real and origin flavors of the ingredients, there is no better way to demonstrate through the sushi, and Sushi Shikon certainly deliver with flying colors. It is also the most expensive dinner for me, at $9,482 for two with two servings of sake. But if you can afford it, I really recommend you to try this out, and experience why this restaurant can get Michelin 3-star consecutively for so many years.
Ingredients (for 4):
