This sushi restaurant is located in Causeway Bay Jardine's Bazaar, on the top floor of Jardine Center. Having heard that it offers exceptional value for money, we came early in the evening and had the privilege to sit in front of Chef George Chau, who is serving us in the evening.
The restaurant has a sushi counter with 12 seats, and behind us there are also booth seating, as well as a couple of VIP rooms. The decor is decent and no-frill. In no time Chef Chau, who asked us to call him 'Master Wan' or 'Feng Wan', made us feel at home and as if we were frequent customers.
I ordered a bottle of Oujiman Junmai Daiginjo 50 奥羽自慢 50 ($530). The Yamagata brewery has started in 1724, and this sake is made from locally grown rice, with the polishing rate of 50%. Having a sweet after taste with fine aromas, it is a good match with the food on the night.
We ordered the Omakase Set ($1,380 each) and Master Wan promised us that we would enjoy all the food on the night, and he certainly delivered that. The starter was Wakasagi Tempura, Chinese Yam Marinated with Miso and Yuzu, and Octopus Tentacles in Vinegar. All of them tasted great, and I in particular liked the small wakasagi which got a sweet taste and allowed us to swallow it whole.
Seeing the chef took out a box of jelly and then chopped into small cubes, he then used it to put on the slices of Tai, then adding the chrysanthemum petals and some bamboo charcoal salt. Delicate on the taste, the vinaigrette from the jelly added a refreshing note and a bit of the salt made this a great combination of flavors. The texture of the fish is really wonderful too.
Then it was another frequently served premium fish - Shima Aji. But this restaurant is certainly generous, with two thick slices, one from the belly side and the other the back. Very fresh, the fish got a nice bite and are intense on taste. Very good indeed.
Next we saw the chef cutting a large Hotategai in halves, before putting a bit of black stuff on top on one, and some sea urchin on the other. The scallop is very sweet, with a soft texture. The chef asked me to guess the condiment, and I correctly pointed out the black garlic note, which was indeed garlic that had been aged.
The next course was one of my favorites in the evening. The Tsubugai is very crunchy on texture, with a sweet brine note on the thinly sliced shellfish. The chef also cut a special side of the conch, which got a different texture, slightly softer and more 'juicy' though less intense on the taste. Really good.
The next dish was another of my favorites. The chef cut out a thick slide of Chutoro and then torched to vitalize the fish oil, and then adding a piece of shiso leaf which has been deep-fried in tempura style, and wrapped in a piece of very crunchy seaweed. It was a true feast of texture and flavors, with the best elements of each of the ingredient reinforced by the others. No wonder I saw another customer asking for another piece at the end of her meal.
The Buri that came next was another seasonal ingredient, with a good fat content. The chef had added different condiments to add to the intense flavors of the fish, one being the Japanese onion, and the other the traditional soy sauce. I found the onion adding a good fragrance while the soy sauce enhanced the umami of the fish. Both were very good.
Moving to the sushi, the first one was Hokkigai. The surf clam was very fresh, when the chef hit it the muscles retracted, and then he torched it slightly to give a slight char on the surface. Full of the sweetness of the clam, I found the portion of clam to rice was perfect too.
The second sushi was Hirame, and the chef used the torch gun to burn the flatfish to vitalize the fish oil, making the sushi not only fragrant but also having a rich and intense taste. Adding a bit of chives on top to bring some freshness to balance a bit on the fat, it is very good indeed.
The third sushi was Akami, the lean part of the tuna. The chef had earlier soaked the fish in special sauce to infuse it with flavors and also to reduce the coppery note of the meat. And because it is lean for my wife it was the best cut as she always avoid the fatty tuna. Another good one.
The fourth sushi was another special on the night. The Kamasu is a type of barracuda, and the chef again torched the skin to give a nice char and I found the presentation rather unique and not sure it was the cut by the chef or naturally. The mild flavors are very appealing to us.
Switching from sushi, the chef served us a steamed dish, which was prepared from the meat of Amadai, steamed together with pieces of prawn meat and then adding a nice broth. The overall taste was delicate but very flavorful.
Then it was Magaki, and the raw oyster was fat, right in the best season, with the chef adding some seaweed that had been marinated in vinegar on the bottom, using it to provide a bit of acidity to freshen the oyster and at the same time giving a contrast in texture.
Next it was Masaba, the seasonal mackerel that is now grown fat and so is prized, in particular this one the size of the fish is very big. By looking at the flesh of the sashimi we could tell the chef had aged the fish so that the flavors were more intense. Very nice.
And then it was another thing we had eaten many times, but the first for us in such style of serving. The geoduck, or Mirugai in Japanese, is cut into long strips and not only the sweetness of the clam was pronounced, with this cut the chewing of the flesh means all the great flavors were savored. A new way of enjoying the geoduck for me, and a great example of the creativity and knowledge of the chef to the ingredients.
The chef had asked us whether we had any revulsion towards Shirako. But instead of the cod milt, this one came from bora, or flathead mullet. Using the tempura technique to deep-fried, the chef then put some finely chopped tuna on top, with chives and Japanese onion on top, and then wrapped in a crispy seaweed. The creamy shirako basically melted in the mouth, and contrasting with the seaweed it was a true wonder. Very good indeed.
Then it was my all-time favorite types of fish - Sanma. This silvery fish was regarded by many as low-end and too fishy, but when they were fresh and in season it was a true delicacy. This one was very good, without any hint of bad fishy taste, and the plenty of shallot further repelled any hint of fishiness. The chef also added a bit of edible silver to decorate. Looks great, but honestly I don't think it is necessary.
Already very full, my wife opted out but the chef insisted her to try this out. The Golden Saba is a large version of the mackerel, and from the cut I could imagine how large it was. A prized and rare catch, the chef torched the skin to give a slight burnt to allow the fragrance and flavors to overwhelm us. The taste was great and happy that I could try it out.
The last dish was another wonder I had missed, Kobako-gani. The crab is the female snow crab with its roes and was only allowed to be caught in specific period in the year. Apart from the delicate and tasty crab meat, the most notable was the plenty of roes, which the chef separately put on a bowl for us to enjoy. And because we could not eat more sushi, he also added a large portion of Uni, or sea urchin, as well, bringing the whole dinner to its pinnacle.
To warm our stomach the chef provided us a bowl of Miso Soup, prepared using plenty of fish. Full of the essence of the fish, the soup was a feast of flavors and coupled with the bean curd and kombu. A highly satisfying finale of the meal.
For dessert, it was a slice of sweet Melon, juicy and delicious. Overall we enjoyed the meal very much, from the friendly and funny chef, the quality of the food, the abundance of the variety and portion, and also the high value for money, as the bill was only $3,619 which was very very reasonable. If you want to enjoy a nice value for money omakase course, this restaurant is one of my recommendations.
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