This Japanese izakaya restaurant is located on 6/F California Tower in Lan Kwai Fong, offering a wide range of Japanese cuisine. As I had pre-ordered the omakase menu ($1,580 each) which is only served at the sushi counter, we were seated in front of Chef Chau, who took care of us on the night.
The décor of the restaurant was nice, with a modern tone featuring dim lighting. There are plenty of fabric decorations on the walls and windows to create a subtle and comfortable ambience, while the wooden furniture and partitions reinforced the Japanese setting and atmosphere.
After ordering some drinks, the staff quickly brought us some Edamame. Using the simplest way to prepare, the beans had been poached and then salted, retaining the delicate original flavors and texture. There was quite a generous portion for each of us as well.
While we were thinking about what the appetizer would be, the staff brought us another snack, the Grilled Dried Cod. My wife’s favorite snack always, the cod was tasty and would pair wonderfully with icy cold beer, just that for this one it was not crispy enough.
The appetizer included Crab Meat with Beancurd Sheet, Slow-cooked Duck Breast, and Sea Urchin with Eggplant. Among the three, the crab meat was a bit disappointing. With very mild taste, it was over-powered by the vinegar and the salmon roes. Fortunately, the duck breast helped to rescue the marks, tender, juicy and full of flavors. The eggplant was also nice, soft and had absorbed the broth with rich umami taste. Quality of the sea urchin was good too, sweet and fresh.
Proceeding to the sashimi part of the course. There are in total 6 different servings. First was Flounder, with the seasonal flatfish thinly sliced, so thin we were able to see through. The meat had a sweet, delicate taste which together with chives, spicy grated daikon (momiji oroshi) and ponzu sauce, was nice.
The second sashimi was Scallops, and the chef had prepared in two ways. Cutting the large scallop into two halves, one was served with charcoal salt to highlight the original taste with just simple seasoning, the other piece was torched after brushing with some soy sauce, to give a bit of smoky note, supplemented with drops of yuzu juice. Both were good in taste, but I have a slight preference over the latter.
The third sashimi was Kinmedai, and the chef also torched the skin to liven the fish oil to give richer flavor and aromas. The flesh was pink in color, and I guessed it had been aged to intensify the taste. With one piece adding a bit of wasabi to be eaten with soy sauce, while the other with home-made plum paste by itself, both had its unique quality and wonderful.
The fourth sashimi was Raw Oyster from Iwate Prefecture, of a nice size. Paired with chives, grated spicy daikon and ponzu, the chef had cut the oyster in halves to facilitate eating it. Without any hint of fishiness, the oyster was creamy in texture and sweet in taste.
The fifth sashimi was Shima Aji. Again, the chef had torched the skin to heat up the fish oil, enhancing the flavors. The thick cut provided great sensory enjoyment, with a bit of wasabi and soy sauce it was already wonderful. Another nice one.
The final piece of sashimi was Purple Sea Urchin. The chef used the whole sea urchin and cutting it open, before putting some minced tuna in the middle, supplemented with salmon roes. The sea urchin was very good, clean and without any weird note, silky on texture. While it was not very strong in flavor, it was complemented with the tasty tuna and savory umami from salmon roes.
Before transitioning to the sushi, the chef had arranged Grilled Miyazaki Beef Sirloin for us. Perfectly grilled, with a charred, slight crispy outside, and a pink, soft and juicy interior, the beef was amazing, with rich flavors and exactly our preferred lean/fat ratio. With charcoal salt and wasabi as condiment, there were also some grilled vegetables on the side, including leek, green chili and tomato. A recommendation.
Coming to the sushi section. The first one was Madai. One of my favorite white flesh fish, it got a great texture and delicate flavors, especially after the right ageing. While the fish was good, to me the sushi rice was a bit harder than general. While not like it was under-cooked, it probably warranted more attention to calibrate.
The second piece was Hokkigai, with the clam meaty and having a wonderful crunchy texture, apparently very fresh being just removed from the shell. Brushing with some soy sauce to increase the umami, this piece was one of the favorites on the night for me.
The third sushi was Akagai, and the presentation was appealing, with the chef cutting the edges so it looked like tentacles. Another great piece in the set, it had also wonderful texture, bouncy on the bite and sweet in taste.
Coming to the fourth piece, the Botan Ebi was nicely presented, Large in size, the chef had used the fat in the head to prepare a paste and then putting back on the sushi as condiment, adding further richness in flavors to the signature sweetness of the prawn.
Then it was Lean Tuna, or Akami Zuke, which had been marinated in soy sauce for a while. The balance of the savory from the soy sauce was spot on and not masking the tuna, which was very tender. Fairly good in taste.
Continuing with tuna, and with my wife requesting not having anything too fatty, the chef used Chutoro to prepare a hand roll. It was also my favorite cut of tuna, the amount of fat provided a wonderful and intense taste of the great fish but not having the melting fatty texture of Otoro, which sometimes I felt a bit overwhelming.
Next was the Salmon Roes in Gunkan-maki. While the salmon roes had a wonderful poppy texture, they were a bit too salty in my opinion and probably could see less time in soy sauce.
As the eighth piece and coming to the end of the sushi part, the chef had arranged a glass jar to infuse the Akamutsu with apple wood smoke. A nice fragrance came to our nostrils upon opening the jar, and the sushi was also good, with the prized fish having a lovely, sweet taste.
Checking with us whether we still felt hungry, I decided to ask the chef for another piece, and he duly prepared an Engawa, the chewy part of flounder near the fin, and again demonstrating his skills in cutting before torching it. Great in appearance, the chef put a bit of truffle paste on top to create a intense feast of flavors, with the fish oil mixing with the strong truffle note to sing a chorus in the finale.
Then the Fish Soup was served, steaming hot and tasty, with a large piece of fish, beancurd, daikon, leek, and maitake. I guess for some people it might be a bit fishy, but it was well-received by both of us.
Concluding with the dessert, the Fruit Platter contained strawberries, pitaya, and melon. The strawberry might not be in season and was a bit sour, but the other fruit were sweet and juicy.
The chef then asked whether we had room for Ice-cream, and of course, we would not miss that. I opted for milk tea flavor while my wife had the green tea one, to draw to the end of a complete and rewarding meal.
While Chef Chau might not be exactly very talkative, he was friendly and looked after us very well throughout. The bill on the night was $3,531 which was reasonable too in my opinion. While perhaps not directly comparable with a sushi restaurant considering this is more an izakaya, the quality of this omakase was a pleasant surprise, and with the attention to a few things they could be even better.
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