This sushi restaurant is located on 1/F The Otto Hotel in TST, the first overseas branch of the famous Michelin 2-star of the same name in Osaka. With no dinner service allowed yet, I booked for lunch instead but requesting for the Dinner Omakase Menu ($2480).
The first sight greeting me was the long sushi counter able to accommodate 12 customers. The brightly lit, light beige tone gave a neat, pristine ambience. Behind the counter there were shoji as backdrop. There were three sushi chefs busy preparing and I was served by the Japanese head chef.
The first course was Mozuku, a type of seaweed from Okinawa. The chef had added some sweet and sour vinegar to marinate, before putting a piece of cucumber, yam and sea urchin on top. The acidity was very appetizing and the different textures made this a great start for the meal.
The second course was Sawara, the Japanese Spanish Mackerel. The chef had paired the sashimi with some onion, then added miso sauce and horseradish foam. Interesting to see the integration with Western cooking techniques, the flavours were harmonious and providing extra dimensions, with the umami from the sauce and the light spicy note of the foam in another way replacing the traditional soy sauce and wasabi.
The third course was Botan-Ebi. The chef had minced the Spot Prawn into a carpaccio style, then using the prawn head to prepare an ice-cream to go along, before putting in some caviar on top. Another innovative way to feature the ingredient, the prawn was sweet in taste, with the ice-cream flavourful, matching perfectly with the carpaccio. The caviar was a nice condiment to provide more umami and premium to the dish as well.
The fourth course was Kuromutsu. The chef had skewered the Japanese Bluefish and then grilled it lightly, with the heat reinvigorating the fish oil to make it very flavourful. He also added a bit of finely chopped peppers to go along, as well as a deep-fried shiso leaf. I was reminded of visiting a steakhouse previously with the same condiments. Another wonderful example of the integration between traditional Japanese cuisine with Western cooking.
The fifth course was Chi-Ayu. The seasonal Young Sweetfish was deep-fried, with the whole fish edible, together with the head and bones. The chef had paired with some Sakura salt and lime, with the lime adding a nice refreshing note to balance with the deep-fried sweetfish.
The sixth course was Shirako, with the chef putting the red snapper milt in a cup containing a rich fish broth. Creamy in texture, the cod milt essentially coated the mouth. After eating them, the fish broth was another treat with fantastic flavours. One of my favourites in the meal.
The seventh course was Torigai, the Japanese cockle. The chef took out a piece of hot stone from the kitchen, and after cutting the cockle, he put on the stone to lightly grill it for a short while. Paired with a bit of lime juice and finely shredded leek, the cockle was very sweet and bouncy. Another one of my recommendations.
The eighth course was Awabi. Seeing the chef took out the large abalone caught the attention of the other customers, as this one was not available in the lunch menu. Cutting into slices of suitable thickness, the chef poured a bit of soy sauce on top. Instead of pairing with the liver sauce like most other restaurants, I found this way could better highlight the original umami flavours. The abalone was a bit chewier than my preference, though not rubbery.
Then began the sushi section. The first piece was Madai, or red snapper. The fish had a wonderful firm texture, with a delicate taste. The sushi skill of the chef was also very good, with the rice sticking together and not breaking loose, yet having an airy mouthfeel and not feeling ‘pressed’.
The second piece was Shirasu, the baby sardines. The chef put some shari in the small dish together with some shredded onion, before placing the beautiful, transparent baby sardines on top, and then poured in the egg yolk. Mixing together brought a great feast of flavours, with every element matching well. Another great example of contemporary style of sushi in this restaurant.
The third piece was Hotaru-Ika, the firefly squid. After grilling them, the chef put the squid on the shari, with a piece of bamboo shoot in between, everything on the nori. Seeing his assistant toasting the nori beforehand to ensure the crispness was a demonstration of their attention to details. The squid was plump and tasty, with the crunchy bamboo shoot giving a contrast in texture. Another creative way to enjoy this seasonal ingredient.
The fourth piece was Shiro-Ebi, the baby white shrimps. The chef had marinated the shrimps with kelp and then making it into a ‘sheet’ to make the sushi, with the shrimps extremely sweet and soft, and the kelp adding a bit of additional umami.
The fifth piece was Iwashi, or sardines. This fish was a speciality because it could decompose easily, so it had to be super fresh to be offered as sushi. Adding a bit of scallions as condiment, the taste was very nice, sweet and without any fishy note.
The sixth piece was Sakura-Masu, the sesaonal ‘cherry salmon’. The fish came from Aomori, and the chef had used the smoking techniques to cure the fish, with a very nice fragrance of wood smoke permeating on the very soft flesh. The fish oil was rich and flavourful too. Another of my recommendations in this meal.
The seventh piece was Akami Zuke, the marinated lean tuna. The chef had put the tuna into soy sauce for a short while, infusing with wonderful umami notes. The bit of sesame added on top was a surprisingly matching condiment, a clever way to pair with this sushi.
The eighth piece was Uni Temaki. The chef had scooped a portion of the purple sea urchin before wrapping in a nori with the shari. The sea urchin was very sweet, creamy and without any weird notes. Again, the nori was freshly toasted right before serving to give a great crispness.
The chef then cut out two pieces of Tamagoyaki. The sweetened egg omelette was very good, with not just sweetness but also nice subtle umami notes from the broth used to mix with the egg before grilling.
Instead of serving a miso soup, a Fish Soup was presented, with the milky white broth steaming hot and served in an espresso cup. The intense, great taste from the soup, no doubt using a lot of fish bones to prepare, and the bit of chopped chives on top, helped to warm the stomach for the conclusion of a wonderful meal.
But there was still one roll coming. The Maguro Maki was prepared by the local chef, and seeing him putting the different cuts of the tuna (including Otoro, Chutoro and Akami) in the shari before making the maki made my mouth water. The perfect seasoning, with the abundance of the tuna, delivered a fantastic, memorable finale.
Finally, the dessert was served. With a piece of Melon and Homemade Cake with Mint Gelato, the very juicy and sweet melon was delicious, while the refreshing herbal notes from the gelato helped to cleanse the palate.
Service was good, and I was amazed that the Japanese chef could speak very good English, allowing me to have some conversations with him, in particular to learn about the preparation of Iwashi and Kohada. The bill was $2,728 which was a bit on the high end but considering the overall experience, I would definitely return again.
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