This sushi restaurant is located in Central, in the Grand Millennium Plaza. Awarded Michelin 1-star since 2015, it was formerly known as Sushi Ginza Iwa, associated with the famous sushi restaurant in Tokyo. But after cutting ties with it, now establishing itself under the current name. Inside it was quite small with a sushi counter of 10 seats, brightly lit with a comfortable ambiance, and seeing the large and thick single piece of wooden cutting table I immediately know that the chef had special requirements on the details.
We ordered the omakase menu ($2000) as well as a half-bottle of junmai daiginjou of Eikun Brewery from Kyoto ($580). With five appetizers, the first was Yellowjack Sashimi. The fish was very fresh and tasty, with the signature crunchy texture of the flesh of this fish permeating and is a good start of the meal.
The second appetizer was a fresh Oyster from Hokkaido. Seasoned with some vinegar, chives and radish, the chef had cut it in half so allowing us to eat it easily. The oyster had a nice firm texture which I like, and with a nice long brine aftertaste it was a wonderful continuation.
The third appetizer was Marinated Octopus. Seeing how the chef took out the tentacles and cut into pieces, it reminded me of a similar dish I tasted at Sushi Shikon. While this one was very tender to the point of dissolving in the mouth, I prefer a firmer bite like what Sushi Shikon had mastered. But overall the taste was still very good with the small amount of ginger adding an extra dimension to the flavors.
The fourth appetizer was Abalone, which had been cooked with broth to impart a delicate flavors, perfectly balancing with the original abalone taste and not overpowering it, but at the same time supplementing. The texture was tender, offering a nice bite too. This would be the ideal texture for the octopus in the earlier appetizer. But maybe the chef would like to contrast the two so making the octopus softer? I should ask the chef but that would need to be the next time now.
The fifth appetizer was Grilled Rosy Sea Bass Very rich in fragrance, the flesh was moist and juicy, while the skin was crisp. Paired with the mashed turnip it neutralized the fish oil to reduce the heavy mouthfeel. I also like the chef adding some vinegar sauce to the turnip so you would not need to dip in any sauce and making it messy.
Then we were served the sushi, with a total of 10 pieces. First was the Needle Fish. Seeing the chef skillfully peeling the shiny skin of the fish we immediately could tell how fresh the fish was. There was a tiny bit of yuzu peel added on top to bring in further fragrance and freshness, and I found it was highly complementary to the delicate flavors of the fish. Really a nice sushi.
The second one was Cuttlefish. The chef had demonstrated again the great skills in cutting the cuttlefish in strips to break the fibres making it very easy to bite and swallow. The cuts also allowed the soy sauce to seep in, an important element as the soy sauce could just drip away on the smooth cuttlefish. I don't know why but felt a sense of satisfaction when swallowing this sushi. Another good one.
The third one was Buri or Amberjack. But for my wife as she requested not to have the fatty fish she was served the white shrimps instead. My buri was very rich in taste, with the fish oil bursting in the mouth when biting. Among all the sushi I had for the evening, this one really offered the most intense flavors.
The fourth piece was Toro. And again the chef had prepared another piece using Aji or Horse Mackerel for my wife. The toro had the right balance of fat and in fact was not as heavy as the buri I just ate. Another fantastic piece of sushi.
The fifth one was a Marinated and Aged Tuna. One of the techniques to bring out the taste of the fish was in fact to age them, as not every fish would taste best being fresh. While certainly the tuna was nice and without the 'bloody' note I often found in inferior sushi restaurants, the flavors were not particularly impressive. It was the least I like among the sushi on the night.
The sixth piece was Ark Shell, one of my favorite shellfish. The pieces were large in size, with a nice crunchy texture. The chef had carefully cut loose the muscle so that we could chew apart the ark shell, and while it might not be as crunchy as some other shellfish, in terms of the taste it was another wonderful sushi.
The seventh one was Sea Urchin. Unlike many sushi restaurant which would be prepared using the gunkan sushi style, the chef did not but instead carefully place the sea urchin on top of a rice ball. With a tiny bite of wasabi added, the red sea urchin was creamy and good in taste. Some people might want the higher-grade sea urchin but for me this one was still quite good.
The eighth sushi was one I had never experienced before. First when the chef took it out I mistakenly think it was a marinated turnip. But seeing how he cut it and then made a sushi with one I noticed that it was in fact a Marinated and Aged Scallop. The texture was still soft but there was an additional firmness on the flesh like when the scallops were cooked. I found the taste of the scallop was not as intense as a fresh one though.
The ninth one was a Prawn. Seeing the live prawns skewered and taken out for us to see, it was then returned to the kitchen and shortly brought back fully cooked. The chef quickly removed the shell and made a sushi from the flesh. And as the chef explained, the cooked prawn really was much more flavorful than the live sashimi. It was another of my favorites in this evening.
The last piece was the Egg. I could not stop admiring the chef as this was one of the best I had ever tasted. The egg was mixed with a very nice broth to cook, soft in texture, and had a wonderfully concentrated flavors of the broth still readily identifiable. This piece could easily be overlooked in most sushi restaurants but they did not. A truly nice one.
Then we were served a hand-roll, and mine was a Chopped Tuna. The piece of seaweed was crunchy and nice, and the chef had seasoned the tuna well. The method to roll this was also quite unique, with the shape of a square column. Remembering that my wife would not want too fatty fish, the chef had prepared a sea urchin hand-roll instead.
The chef then asked whether I was full. I told him to add a piece of Aji (or Horse Mackerel) for me. The fish was really great in taste, and I also liked how the chef added the small amount of chives which made it even nicer. It was a nice finale to the sushi for the evening.
The Miso Soup was very good too, without being too salty, having a lot of chives to bring forward the taste. It was a comforting conclusion for the meal before we moved on to dessert.
For dessert it was Melon, very sweet and juicy.
The bill overall for the night was $5170, with the additional sushi costing $120. It was quite expensive considering the overall food quality, ambiance and service. With seven people sitting in the sushi counter, sometimes I also found the chef too busy preparing which resulted in less conversations he could make with customers. A bit of a shortfall in the overall experience but still a sushi place worth its Michelin status.
We had the signature Barbecue Pluma Iberico Pork with Yellow Mountain Honey ($325). The BBQ pork was certainly roasted well, with some chars which I would say is a good sign of a great one. The meat had a tender texture, much softer than you would experience in the traditional ones probably because of the choice of using Iberico Pork. The honey was not overly sweet and provided a nice glaze and taste to the meat. A dish worthy of its signature status.
The other main dish was a seasonal one, Wok Fried Shredded Venison with Bamboo Shoot and Chrysanthemum ($450). This one was my favorite in the evening, with the dish served still showing the steaming wok fried effect. The venison was seasoned nicely and tender, with the bamboo shoot, carrot and shiitake mushroom shredded well and giving different bite while highly complementary in taste without any one stealing the limelight of the other. The chrysanthemum and lemon leaves reminded me of the snake soup and serving to remove any unpleasant wild animal note. Even though it might not look fancy, it was a wonderful dish in my opinion.
