This is the restaurant that started my omakase journey, and I could still remember the visit at its Sheung Wan location (currently occupied by Zuicho) many years ago, first coming to experience the amazing cuisine from Chef Yoshiharu Kakinuma. After moving to The Landmark Mandarin Oriental, and the continued recognition of Michelin 3-star, it remains one of the top sushi restaurants in town.
With my last visit already four years ago, I have some trepidation when I return today, not knowing whether the restaurant can still offer me the same experience in the old days. Taking the first seating at 6pm, the décor has not changed, with the beautiful 8-seat hinoki counter offering a good look at how Chef Kakinuma weaves his skill in preparing the different ingredients and kneading the sushi.
We order the Omakase Set ($4,000 each), as well as a bottle of Isojiman Junmai Daiginjo Emerald 磯自慢 大吟醸純米 エメラルド ($2,000). The sake has a nice elegant fruity taste, developing into smooth and nice sweetness, and is a good pairing with the food.
The first course is Shirako. The cod milt is first slow-cooked, then beautifully grilled over Japanese charcoal, brushing with special soy sauce in the process. On the bottom are some Japanese buckwheat, or soba, nuts. On top of the cod milt are finely shredded white leek, a bit of young spring onion, or menegi, and caviar, seasoned with some wasabi. The cod milt is creamy and tasty, with the buckwheat having a contrasting bite, fully absorbing the flavours from the stock used to cook it. The white leek has a refreshing palate, while the caviar gives a bit of umami note to complement. Really wonderful.
The second course is Shiromi, or seasonal white fish. The Madai, or Japanese Sea Bream, is served two ways. Cutting the belly portion in a thicker slice, the chef has brushed it with salted water and seasoned with a bit of citrus juice. Placed on top are salted sea cucumber roes, a Japanese delicacy, with a rich umami taste. The sea bream has a good bite, delicate in taste with an elegant, mild sweetness. Delicious.
The third course is the other serving of the Madai. This time it is the fillet, and the chef has cut two thinner slices for each person. Paired with wasabi and the special soy sauce made by the chef, and while this will seem the commonly seen style, I found in this way the soy sauce is able to enhance the sweetness of the sea bream. Equally delicious.
The fourth course is the signature of Chef Kakinuma, the dish that wow me on my first visit which I still remember to this day. The large tentacle of Tako, or octopus, has been massaged for one hour to loosen the muscle, before braised in soy sauce for two hours. The texture is so soft that I can easily bite through the tentacle without any problem, with fantastic flavours seeping on each chew. With a bit of yuzu shavings to supplement, it is still as amazing as my first experience.
The fifth course is Karasumi, or mullet roes. The homemade dried mullet roes are warmed on a hibachi, together with some Japanese rice cake, or mochi. Seeing the flat and hard mochi rising on the heat is fun, and once it has softened and got a touch of brown, the chef sandwiched the mullet roes in between, before pouring a thick sauce made with fish stock, with some powdered karasumi on top. The rice cake has a great chewy texture, the mullet roes delicious, full of umami, and while on its own the rice cake might feel a bit under-seasoned, the smart touch of the mullet roe shavings help to intensify the flavours. Another of my favourite on the night.
The sixth course is not on the menu, an additional item on request ($350 each). The Ankimo, or monkfish liver, has been stewed in sweet sake, with a touch of yuzu shavings to freshen up. Together with wasabi, the wonderfully soft, melting-in-the-mouth texture is very good, with nice flavours and in no way feeling heavy. The price is a bit aggressive though so not all the customers opt for it.
The seventh course is another of the signature which I have fond memories. The Awabi, or abalone, is one of the largest I have seen used in restaurant in Hong Kong. The chef has steamed the abalone for six hours, making it so soft it is easy to bite through, and having minimal seasoning in order to highlight its natural sweetness. The abalone liver sauce, to me, is the true winner here, with a super velvety mouthfeel, delicious buttery note in addition to the umami flavours, which go perfectly with the abalone. The piece of shari, or sushi rice, on the side makes sure we can savour the last drop of this fantastic sauce in the end. Amazing.
The eighth course is the best dish on the night in my opinion. The Akamutsu, or rosy seabass, is beautifully grilled on charcoal, using a bit of sea salt to season, with the fish oil so fragrant that I can smell from afar. Equally impressive is its rich intense taste. The chef has prepared a fish bone broth congee to go along, with a bit of egg yolk and soy sauce added to enhance the flavours, plus some shredded shiso leaves to season. I am particularly impressed by how the congee integrates the different flavours together in a harmonized way, and the rewarding happiness this creates. Must try.
Coming to the sushi part. The first piece is Sumi-Ika, the Japanese spineless cuttlefish. The chef has cut on the surface of the cuttlefish to break the tendon, making it soft and easy to chew. With a sweet flavour, a very nice one.
The second piece is Kinmedai, the splendid alfonso. The skin has been blanched slightly to soften it, showing a beautiful pinkish colour, with the flesh a delicate taste with nice umami notes. Another great sushi.
The third piece is Chu-Toro. The medium fatty tuna has been briefly marinated in soy sauce, bringing forth the umami taste of the tuna, while also making it softer and more tender on the bite. Very delicious.
The fourth piece is O-Toro. From the look of the brown edges of the large piece of fatty tuna before trimming I believe it has been aged for many days, to break down the protein to showcase its amazing umami flavours. No wonder it is the most beloved sushi for a lot of people.
The fifth piece is Kohada. It is one of my favourite fish, with the gizzard shad showing good fattiness and very fresh also. It is not overly sour from the vinegar, having a perfect balance with its umami taste. I ended up having an extra piece later to encore its great taste.
The sixth piece is Saba Roll. It is the best mackerel roll I have tasted, and the size of the mackerel must be very big given its thick fillet. On the inside apart from the shari there are nori sheet, kanpyu, myoga, and sesame, with each elements complementing to give wonderful flavours. On the outside is white kombu and brushed with soy sauce, further adding umami to the amazing taste. Another must try.
For the seventh piece, the chef first mixes up shari with some Bafun-Uni, before kneading into a sushi and then top it up with Murasaki-Uni. The red sea urchin has a richer taste that goes well with the acidity of the shari, while the purple sea urchin has more creamy texture. A good way to experience the two different types of sea urchin at the same time. Really good.
The eighth piece is Kuruma-Ebi. The tiger prawn has been blanched to half-cooked, and after removing the shell, adding a bit of the paste made from the prawn head butter. The great sweetness of the prawn, with the umami from the paste, is a natural perfect complement to each other. The crunchy texture of the prawn is also amazing. Another nice one.
The final pieces include Anago and Tamago. The sea eel roll has shari, nori sheet, egg, and narazuke, with the see eel having a very soft texture, melting-in-the-mouth essentially. The ingredients inside are also tasty and delicious. The castella egg has a cake-like texture, made with egg mixed with prawn and prawn head butter so full of umami taste. A great finale on the sushi.
Requesting for some additional pieces, I have the Kohada again ($200), as well as the Kanpyu Maki ($100). The pickled gourd has been marinated beautifully, not overly salty, with abundance of umami and sweetness. One roll is able to be cut into four pieces so is enough to share among two people. Worth to try it out if you got the chance.
Finishing with Misowan, the miso soup is tasty, with menegi, the small green onion, and yuzu peel, giving a nice fragrance to the soup. The warming feeling in the stomach upon drinking the soup is rewarding.
The dessert is a homemade Daifuku, with a nice mochi skin wrapping fresh strawberry slices and red beans paste, which is not too sweet and both the flavours of the strawberry and red beans can clearly be distinguished on the palate. A happy completion to a wonderful meal.
Service is good, with the staff attentive and friendly. Chef Kakinuma explains each dish to us in good English, helping us to understand more on the food, and the staff also supported in translating to Cantonese in the process. The bill on the night is $12,100 and while it might be a bit expensive, this dining experience is still able to bring me back to the reason why I enjoyed omakase so much.
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