Because no dinner serving is allowed, I must settle for lunch omakase. Today I came to this sushi restaurant, atop a commercial building on Stanley Street Central. Going up in the lift made me recalled a lot of good memories, when I had spent many weekends in a wine shop on the same building, doing wine tasting with friends and the staff, having even my own storage to keep wines there. But that was already ten years ago.
Coming out from the lift, a U-shaped sushi counter is in the middle of the restaurant, with three chefs busily serving customers. I was seated in front of Chef Keith. Having picked the omakase menu Kaiun ($1380), I also ordered the house plum wine ($125) the staff recommended to start as well.
The appetizer was Ika, with the thin slices and tentacles of the squid blanched and then added a bit of sauce with some seasonal vegetables. The tentacles were a bit rubbery in texture, but not too bad that I could not chew through. It might not be the best start in my opinion.
Then there were a few sashimi items. First came Shima-Aji, with the chef dusting some rock salt to season, together with a bit of yuzu vinegar jelly and shiso flowers. Rolling the thin slices of striped jack mackerel with the condiments brought an integrated flavours to highlight the sweetness of the fish itself. Quite nice.
Next was Magaki from Yonesaki in Iwate. The oyster was quite big in size, with a bit of lime juice and minced spicy radish to season. Good in taste and not briny, it was very fresh and creamy on the bite, it could not be swallowed in one bite because of its size. Personally, it would be easier to eat if the chef cut in halves before serving, but perhaps some customers might prefer the aesthetic of the whole oyster.
The third one was Aji from Amakusa. The chef first cut the Japanese horse mackerel fillet into small strips and then put in a bowl to mix with a bit of ginger, finely shredded spring onion and sesame. Served on a crispy biscuit, the chef recommended to first try some of the sashimi on its own before enjoying together with the biscuit. The seasoning was nice to bring forward the sweetness while helping to lower the fishy note some might not use to, and the biscuit a contrasting texture. Nicely done.
Next was Saba. The chef first skewered the vinegar marinated mackerel before going inside the kitchen to smoke it with hay. He then used a piece of seaweed to wrap and serve, together with a shiso leaf. The nice smoky aroma was appealing, with the marinade appropriate in sourness. The fatty fish oil, the signature taste of the shiso leaf, the crisp and umami of the seaweed made this overall very flavourful.
I saw the chef was preparing to serve the next dish but somehow the staff brought the Awabi from the kitchen at the same time, so I ended up having the abalone first. It was poached in sake, with a tender texture yet also a good bite, and together with the liver paste and Japanese pepper leaf on top, offering intense flavours. The chef also provided a lump of shari so I could scoop up the remaining sauce after finishing the abalone.
The chef then presented the Karei, with the chef offering two styles. On the right was the sliced fillet and the chef had added the liver paste on top, supplemented with chives and a bit of sesame, while on the left was the torched engawa, the muscle that moves the fin. The liver paste certainly enhanced the flavours tremendously, with the fatty fish oil from the engawa matching in richness.
Ordering a half bottle of the house sake ($420) to go with the upcoming sushi, the staff brought the next dish, the seasonal Hotaru-Ika. The firefly squid was lightly grilled, with each plump and bursting with flavours. This was the perfect food for sake as well, and I congratulated myself for the perfect timing in ordering.
The Grilled Unagi came next. The chef had prepared the Japanese eel in two ways, one being grilled with salt, having a crispier skin with its natural flavours, and the other with special unagi sauce, providing a sweeter and more umami notes. There were some Nanohana on the side, with this seasonal vegetable sweet and very tender.
The sushi part of the omakase then began. The first piece was Sakura-Dai, the prized spring sea bream. Very soft and delicate, the chef had left the beautiful shiny skin on the pinkish tinged flesh, with a sweet note on taste. It was really good, and no wonder so highly regarded by the Japanese.
The second piece was Hotategai, and the chef cut grooves on the surface of the scallop to hold better the soy sauce, and then cut in the middle without breaking in halves, to allow the whole piece to sit perfectly on the shari, revealing the wasabi inside. The scallop was sweet, but the amount of wasabi was a bit over making it too spicy.
The third piece was Buri, with the chef cutting the thick cut of the matured Japanese yellowtail on the surface to break any tendon so it was soft and easier to chew. While it was not as fat as the fish would be in winter, so the intensity of the flavours was a bit on the low end, but still it was quite nice overall.
The fourth piece was Sakura-Masu, the cherry salmon from Aomori. It got the name because the peak fishing season coincided with cherry blossom. A premium seasonal ingredient, this one had a good fat content and rich in flavours, and not to be mixed up with the common salmon in those inexpensive sushi restaurants.
The fifth piece was Botan-Ebi from Hokkaido. Although I did not check with the chef, from the colour of the prawn I believe it had been lightly poached. A bit of a surprise as it was always eaten raw in my experience, the prawn was nice in taste and got a firmer texture than the sashimi version. But I would still prefer for the raw one.
The sixth piece was Chutoro, the medium fatty tuna. Even though less premium than otoro, I prefer this cut as it got a more balanced amount of fat, with the nicely soft flesh of the tuna allowed every bite to infuse the mouth with the great flavours of fish oil.
The seventh piece was Uni Gunkan, with the chef taking a generous portion from the box and put on the gunkan roll, giving me the impression of a sea urchin double-decker. Sweet and without any weird taste.
The last piece of sushi was Toro Temaki. The minced tuna was seasoned well and after making the hand roll the chef also added a bit of sesame on top. A rewarding and fulfilling closure to the sushi section of the omakase.
Chef Keith then made three additional pieces for me. The Akami Zuke, or lean tuna marinated in soy sauce, had a rich umami note, and a soft texture. There was a bit of tendon showing that it was probably not the best cut, but still it was tasty and highly enjoyable.
Then it was Hobo, and this was the first time I had this sushi, with the red gunnard coming from Shizuoka, having a mild and delicate taste and a firm texture. It had a rather unique look, red in colour and was quite rare. A special piece to try out if you got the opportunity.
The final additional piece was Akagai, with the ark shell bouncy in texture but was lacking a bit of the sweetness.
Wrapping up on there was the Miso Soup which was good to warm up the stomach, and followed by the Shizuoka Melon which was sweet and juicy.
Throughout the meal I had a good talk with Chef Keith, not just because he made me three additional pieces of sushi for free, he was also very friendly and we did have a good chat sharing our visits to different sushiya. The bill was $2,118 and very good value for money in my opinion. Seeing the three chefs happily conversing with the customers, and each having a passion to try different restaurants to learn, it told me clearly this is a good place to enjoy a relaxing meal with good interactions.
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