This restaurant has been awarded Michelin 1-star status in 2021, offering ‘kappo’ cuisine with diverse cooking techniques featuring ingredients selected by Japanese head chef Fumio Suzuki. Located in The Mercer, Sheung Wan, the same site where Sushi Shikon used to be, it had two seating time as the restaurant was so popular, one starting at 6pm and the other at 8:30pm. Booked for the first session, the staff was already waiting at the entrance when we arrived, taking us in when the chefs were ready.
The setting and décor were what I remembered, with a beautiful wooden counter able to accommodate 8 customers. Directly facing us the chefs were in busy preparation, and we also noticed the same charcoal grill at the back to provide the best roasting experience. While it was a tiny space and could feel cramped especially when the staff came to serve sake or collect the plates, it brought fond memories of similar dining experience back in Japan.
There was only one Omakase Menu ($2,500 each), with an option for sake pairing. I decided to ask the staff to arrange my own series of carafe instead, with the first being 翠玉 純米吟醸 ($230) coming from 両関酒造 in Akita Prefecture. It had delicate aromas, easy to drink with a sweet palate, a clean sake to start the meal.
The dinner began with the appetizer Tomato and Shrimp Somen. Seeing the meticulous preparation of the chef putting each of the ingredients, the different sauces and decorations together was a feast of its own already, and the taste was amazing as well. The acidity from the tomato is enhanced by a bit of yuzu jelly, with the flavourful shrimp chopped to small pieces to mix with very thin cold noodle (somen) of nice bite, contrasting with the bouncy texture of mozuku. The addition of caviar not only provided a premium uplift but also umami to the dish. Even the shiso flowers were thoughtfully added to increase fragrance and a spicy note to complement the overall experience. Really nice starter.
Coming next were two fried dishes, the first being Fried Satsuma Beef Fillet. The prized Satsuma beef came from Kagoshima, with the tenderloin lightly seasoned and then coated with a thin crumb before deep-frying to a crisp crust. Cutting it up the meat was a beautiful pinkish red, very juicy, and flavourful. The chef had prepared on the side some wasabi and salt with chives as well. I preferred the salt which brought forward the taste of the beef in a stronger manner. Even not a big fan of wagyu like myself would surely love this one a lot.
The second fried dish was Fried Sweet Corn Dumpling. Before checking the menu, I mistook it as egg omelette. It was in fact a paste made from sweet corn, crab, and fish meat (I believe), and often found in soup dish. This was the first time I ever saw it prepared deep-fried. It got a crisp outside while being very soft on the interior, at the same time keeping the shape perfect, a true testimony to the chef’s culinary skills. Served on the bowl underneath was a thick sauce, with plenty of tiny fish (shirasu) and some crab meat, complementing the sweetness and umami of the dumpling to perfection. It was equally impressive on both fried dishes.
Finishing the first carafe, the staff brought me the second sake, 伯楽星 特別純米 ($180), from the famous brewery 新澤醸造店 from Miyagi Prefecture. With a more pronounced banana note, drinking on its own it might not be particularly noteworthy, but I found this sake a good pairing with the food that came up. No wonder it was recognized as a nice food-pairing sake by many Japanese.
Next were served Soup with Dried Sweet Fish, Yuba and Tofu. While we were eating the fried dishes, the chef was busy skewering the dried sweet fish (ayu) and then grilling it over charcoal. They were then trimmed and cut in sections. The other chef brought out a pot of clear broth and reheat in front of us, then serving it into the bowl, before assembling the yuba and tofu, a piece of okra and sweet red bell pepper in tempura style, and the piece of dried sweet fish. Adding a bit of plum sauce on top, all the ingredients were great in taste, together they created an even more amazing harmonious chorus. The broth was steaming hot, and super delicious. The soup dish was always my ‘comfort food’ in enjoying a kaiseki, and this one certainly delivered.
The Seasonal Sashimi comprised of three different types of fresh seafood. The abalone was very large in size and prompted me to think how much it would cost to order one just for myself. Cutting out a thick slice, the chef put a rich and creamy sauce made from abalone liver, which really was a match from heaven. The other two sashimi included flounder and sawara, with the former having a nice chewy bite with delicate taste, while the latter had been fumed with hay smoke, soft with great umami flavours and the additional smoky note. A wonderful and tasty way to showcase the freshest ingredients and the original taste to the fullest.
Coming next was the grilled dish, featuring Charcoal Grilled Blackthroat Seaperch. The chef showed us the fish to understand why it is called ‘blackthroat’. The fillet was then put to the charcoal grill, getting the surface to a mouth-watering golden-brown colour while the flesh was moist and tender. The fish got a good fat content and the fish oil, after revitalized from the heat on grilling, blossomed with great aromas that we could smell at a distance. Served together with Japanese ginger and mashed radish, plus a bit of lime juice, this was a heavenly dish and no surprise that many Japanese recognized this fish as one of the best.
Then it was sushi time, with the chef prepared Tuna and Sea Urchin Seaweed Roll. The tuna had been finely chopped to mince, and then the chef meticulously toasted the seaweed on the stove to get it to crisp, before putting the sushi rice, tuna, and some bright orange sea urchin in, wrapping together in a handroll format for us. Everything was perfect in flavours, complementing each other and very tasty. The sea urchin was particularly impressive, sweet and creamy, and one of the very best in quality even comparing with the high-end sushi restaurants in town.
Finishing the second carafe, the third sake recommended was 仙禽 一聲 ($390) from 株式会社せんきん in Tochigi Prefecture. Being an unfiltered, undiluted sake, the intensity and flavours were much more intense and I found it good match with the upcoming wagyu beef and other main dishes.
Coming to another highlight of the meal, the meat dish was Satsuma Beef in Youganyaki Style with Abalone Mushroom. The chef again showed us the ingredients, with a thin slice of the prized wagyu beef having the fat in beautiful snowflake. After heating a lava stone grill plate, the chef put the beef to sear on both sides briefly, cooking the beef to perfection. Serving the beef together with an egg yolk that had been slow-cooked and marinated, with the umami sauce plus the abalone mushroom, one would not feel greasy from the fat, but only pure intensity from the flavours, smooth and round texture in the mouth. The chef also provided a bit of sushi rice mixed with truffle to allow us to scoop up the remaining of the sauce in the end. A thoughtful measure.
Next was ippin, with the chef offering us Steamed Tilefish. The fish was great in taste, steamed to perfect timing, with the flaky meat, together with the deep-fried scales scattered on top, providing an interesting contrast in texture. Adding plenty of Japanese ginger on top, the sauce was a great complement to the flavours, with the shaved lime zest giving a refreshing note to the palate.
The chef then took out a large clay pot of rice. Opening we saw Grilled Eel Rice, in which the chef had earlier skewered the fat and thick eel fillets on charcoal and brushing with the secret sauce throughout to infuse it with flavours. Served together with pickles, the chef recommended us to have the rice two ways, first tasting the original style, with the finely shredded egg mixed with rice, with a bit of Japanese peppers. The other way was to pour dashi to the rice to make chazuke. Both were very good, but when the chef asked whether I would like to have another serving, I ended up choosing the original style to encore.
Coming to an end with dessert, there were two servings. The first was Peach Compote. The peach was in the best season now, juicy and sweet, with the chef cooked the peach and then adding some fresh pieces, and together with the jelly made from the juice created a refreshing and palate-cleansing dessert.
Wrapping up was Soybean Powder Ice-cream. Seeing the chef cooking a paste in the pot and stirring vigorously, we had no clue until he took that out and we recognized it as mochi. Inserting some ice-cream and then putting it in a wafer, the fulfilling dessert got an appropriate sweetness, creating an enjoying finale for a great meal on the night.
The service was good, with the staff attentive but because the space was tight it was inevitable they could not come over to serve sake easily. The chef was friendly, and can speak good English, with the supporting chefs explaining the dish to us in Cantonese. I wish they could do an even deeper explanation as I am sure there are a lot of special ingredients or cooking techniques used which we could better appreciate.
The bill was $6,419. While it was not cheap, it was worth the price in my opinion. Would be good to come over in winter to experience different ingredients and let the chef continue to wow and pamper us with his amazing culinary skills.
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