Many people know that I love omakase, and often visit different sushi restaurants. While I seldom return to the same one, the only exception was this restaurant, which in 2021 alone I had visited eight times. On every visit there was an anticipation for a great dinner. Coming right before Christmas, there was another group of 5, with one having worked for the famous food critic Chua Lam before, so we were able to overhear some great stories.
The first course was Mozuku with Hokkigai, together with some Pickled Cucumber. The sourness of the marinated seaweed was appetizing, the arctic surf clam meaty and sweet, with the crunchiness of the cucumber providing a nice contrast on texture.
The second course was the signature Fish Bone Soup. Retrieving the boiling soup from the kitchen, the chef poured it into the beautiful espresso cup after adding some finely chopped chives. The intense taste from the soup, apparently made from a lot of fish bones, was comforting and warming.
The third course was Saba Roll. The chef first put a piece of mackerel, added some white sesame and shiso leaves, together with shari, before rolling and pressing to form the roll. He then cut into slices and took it back to the kitchen to torch on the surface, before wrapping with a piece of seaweed to pass to us. The fish oil from the mackerel had been intensified after the torching, fragrant and tasty, it was one of my favourites in the evening.
The fourth and fifth course was served together. First was Kinmedai, which could be eaten by adding some lime juice or with wasabi and soy sauce. Very tender and flavourful. The other was Smoked Shima-aji, with the chef adding a bit of mustard on top after brushing with soy sauce. The smoky notes were very appealing and each sashimi was beautifully delicious.
The sixth course was Kaki, with this seasonal oyster coming from Ofunato Bay in Iwate. Truly wonderful, the large oyster was very sweet, balanced with a slight briny flavour, with also a nice texture. Together with the all-time pairing of ponzu dressing, Momiji Oroshi and chives, was another great one on the night.
The seventh course was Ankimo. My favourite among all the dishes, the soft texture of the monkfish liver was unbelievable, and the chef had marinated it so well the flavours came seeping through. The wonders also came from eating together with the pickled turnip which provided great umami, and with a bit of wasabi the whole experience was heavenly.
The eighth course was Steamed Amadai with Green Seaweed Sauce, plus Ginkgo. The tilefish had a good soft texture and delicate in taste, and the green seaweed was a winter specialty, adding umami and savoury to the dish. The ginkgo provided a different chewy bite to contrast with the tilefish.
Starting the sushi pieces, the first one was Kue, one of the most prized fish in Japan because of its scarcity. While the kelp grouper could be caught all year round, the best time is winter. With great texture and a delicate taste, it was a wonderful beginning on the range of sushi.
The second piece was Aji. Easily identified with the beautiful silvery skin and the mix of white and red flesh, the Japanese horse mackerel was sweet and had more intense flavours, which was further enhanced by the touch of scallions added on top.
The third piece was Ika. Seeing the chef cut the large squid into pieces, and then lightly cutting on the surface to break down the fibres was a demonstration of true knife skill, resulting in a soft and tender piece which was not chewy at all. To season, the chef added a bit of rock salt and some yuzu shavings.
The fourth piece was Katsuo. We were fortunate as the fish was very fresh and was served raw, instead of the more common tataki serving. It had stronger flavours and tasted similar to tuna but had a leaner texture. The chef paired with a bit of green onions to match with its more intense flavours.
The fifth piece was Namigai, the large geoduck had been cut into pieces, and the chef further sliced along to make it easier to chew and allowing the soy sauce to seep in. Very sweet in taste, the crunchy texture of the geoduck was also amazing.
The sixth piece was served in a dish. The Ikura was large in size, each showing a nice sheen. Eating them was a joyful experience, with the salmon roes bursting in the mouth. They were marinated well but not overly salty.
The seventh piece was an interesting one. The Chutoro was perhaps nothing unusual, but this was the first time I had it in zuke style, having the piece marinated in soy sauce briefly. The soy sauce had helped to increase the umami flavours while the great taste of the fatty tuna was still able to shine through.
Before getting to the eighth piece, the chef mischievously brought out something wrapped. It turned out to be what my wife had been asking for, Karasumi or salted mullet roes. The chef had prepared this himself, after processing and salting the roes, he left it hanging to dry out. Cutting two slices and with one torching, while both were delicious and perfect match with sake or beer, we preferred the torched one with the burnt note making it even more fragrant and tasty.
The chef then served us Chawanmushi, with the silky-smooth egg custard steamed perfectly. The chef had added fresh lily to the custard, with the soft and delicate sweet notes complementary with a thick dashi sauce prepared with hairy crab meat.
The eighth piece of sushi was Sayori. The Japanese halfbeak has another name as needlefish, with a sleek shape. Seeing how the chef cut along the horizontal length to flatten the flesh, making it transparent to prepare the sushi was another example of the skills needed to handle this fish. The clean and delicate taste was memorable.
The ninth piece was Botan-ebi. The large meaty Botan Shrimp came from Hokkaido, very sweet in taste and had a nice texture. Really delicious, at the same time I could not help to compare another type of shrimp, kuruma-ebi, which was best to serve cooked.
The tenth piece was another of our favourites in the evening. Seeing the chef took out a large Awabi, which had been steamed for three hours to make it totally soft, and then he cut out the pieces and put on the plate, before adding some shari and then liver paste on top. The abalone was so flavourful it was amazing, and the liver paste further added wonders. A must-try.
The eleventh piece was Kohada. Always a test to the skills of the sushi chef, there were many steps needed to fillet, debone, salt and marinate with vinegar. The strong umami taste, complemented with the acid from the vinegar, was a true Edo-style sushi.
The twelfth piece was Uni, with the sea urchin coming from Hokkaido, the chef had generously scooped in a large portion on the shari and putting in on a seaweed to facilitate eating. With an intense taste and creamy texture, it was really delicious.
The last piece was Anago, with the conger eel simmered in soy sauce and sake, before the chef took it out to make the sushi, brushing with the signature tsume reduction. A fulfilling finale to the sushi, the soft eel essentially melted in the mouth, and the sweet flavours of the reduction integrated perfectly with the umami of the eel. Together with Tamagoyaki, the impeccable egg batter mixed with shrimp meat, offered closure to another great dining experience.
Finishing with the Miso Soup, the clear broth was prepared with some small clams and chives. The soup was comforting with a warming feeling to the stomach, at the same time full of umami notes.
The dessert was Kumquat, Leclerc Pear and Home-made Vanilla Ice-cream Sandwich. The kumquat was sweet and could be eaten together with the peel, without any bitterness. The pear came from Aomori, juicy and very sweet, no wonder it had the name ‘perfume’ pear. The ice-cream sandwich was also very good, with the sweetness just right and the chef had added some red bean paste in the middle.
After so many visits we had developed good relationship with Chef Motoyama and Apple, and apparently the service was very good with the chef remembered well my wife’s preference. The bill on the night was $6,160 with a bottle of sake. And we look forward to our next visit in February.
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