This sushi restaurant is located in Tai Hang, also under the famous chef/owner Mok san of IM Teppanyaki. Arriving sharp at 7pm, we were greeted warmly and seated at the middle of the C-shaped sushi bar, served by head chef Yat Kwong.
The décor is nice, with plenty of artworks on the sides, giving a cozy and comfortable ambience. The different plates stacked in front showing nice contrast in colour and shape also highlighted the sophistication in the presentation of the food.
We have the Omakase Hana ($2,180 each) and a bottle of 飛露喜 純米大吟釀 ($1,280). The sake from 廣木酒造 in Fukushima has delicate rice and fruit flavours, a well-balanced palate, and is great complement with the seafood and sushi on the night.
Seeing me having the sake, the chef has asked the kitchen to prepare some Deep-Fried Sea Eel Bones to go along. Crunchy and nicely seasoned, the bones are great to go with sake and the mayonnaise is also a perfect condiment. A thoughtful and pleasant treat to get us started.
The course begins with Mirugai (海松貝) and Hotaru-Ika (蛍烏賊). The Geoduck is very fresh, seeing how the muscles retracted when the chef hit it on the chopping board, with a sweet and umami taste. The raw Firefly Squid is right in season, rich in taste with some ginger and menegi added.
The second course was Buri (鰤), the chef has used charcoal to lightly burn on the skin of the Matured Japanese Yellowtail to impart the flesh with a nice fragrance, while the flesh retains a nice moist texture. Paired with two condiments, wasabi and yuzu kosho, to give different enjoyment.
The chef then cut a fillet of Aji (鯵) to small pieces, mixing the Japanese Horse Mackerel with menegi, ginger, sesame, shoyu, for our third course. The nice fatty fish, with the fish oil complementing with the condiments to highlight the complexity in flavours, are truly phenomenal.
The fourth course was Nagasaki Magaki (真牡蠣), with the Oyster having been lightly steamed to make it half-raw, retaining a nice soft bite while enhancing the flavours through steaming, resulting in a delicious sweetness on the bite mixed with hints of brine that is highly enjoyable.
Then the chef cut out a few slices of Sawara (鰆), and then went into the kitchen to smoke it over hay. The Japanese Spanish Mackerel has wonderful fragrance and soft texture, adding with a bit of menegi and shoyu, is another great piece we both liked very much.
Coming to the sixth course, the chef mashed the Shoyu-Braised Ankimo (鮟肝) to make a paste, then adding some finely-chopped pickled radish to give contrast in texture. It was then applied onto a small crispy toast, with the silky, rich taste of the Monkfish Liver simply fantastic.
While waiting for the next course, the chef cut a piece of Smoked Daikon and then putting some Japanese Cream Cheese in-between to make a finger-food. The crunchy texture of the daikon contrasting with the soft cheese is a nice treat.
The seventh course was Kegani (毛蟹) with Eggplant and Soramame (空豆). The Japanese broad beans and Kyoto eggplants were both sweet in taste, with the thick sauce made from the Horsehair Crab tomalley and dashi. Delicious and harmonious mixing with the sweet and delicate crab meat.
The first sushi was Hokkaigai (北寄貝), with the chef cutting the Surf Clam on the surface to break its sinews before grilling it briefly, resulting in a sweet, good bite that is impeccable. I also like the density of the shari and the airiness, with appropriate sourness.
The second sushi was Kinmedai (金目鯛), and the Splendid Alfonsino is charcoal-seared to vitalize the fish oil and tenderize the flesh. With a bit of yuzu kosho to season, its delicate taste with the rich umami made this sushi memorable.
Before the next sushi the chef treated us with an extra dish, the Grilled Hotaru-Ika (蛍烏賊). The seasonal firefly squids were fat and bursting with yolk, and the chef has sprinkled a bit of shichimi to add a bit of spice. The chef also told us how difficult it is to keep the freshness of these squids.
The third sushi was Iwashi (鰯), and the Sardine is very fresh, requiring careful and painful process to debone. The rich taste of the fish, together with the fragrant minced menegi to cut through the fatty mouthfeel, is just unbeatable.
Seeing how I enjoyed the Iwashi sushi, the chef took the cut tips from the fillet and minced them, adding some freshly chopped Japanese Leek and sesame, seasoned with a bit of shoyu, and then wrapped in nori just for me. I believe I got some envious stares from the other customers.
The fourth sushi was Aka-Ika (赤烏賊). The Red Spear Squid has a crunchier texture on the bite than cuttlefish, with the chef using the charcoal to grill briefly, and the way he cut it made the presentation beautiful. Hidden beneath was some Bafun-Uni (馬糞雲丹) to add to the flavours too.
The fifth sushi was Chu-Toro (中とろ). The Medium Fatty Tuna has been marinated with shoyu for a while, infusing the tender flesh with additional umami, savoury flavours. The acidity of the tuna balanced well with the umami making this another memorable piece.
The sixth sushi continues with O-Toro (大とろ). After cutting pieces of the Fatty Tuna Belly, the chef further trimmed the sinews to make it easy to chew, before using charcoal to grill briefly. Paired with some mashed radish, the heavy oiliness was tampered to good effect.
Knowing that we both loved silver fish, the chef made specially an additional Saba (鯖) Roll for us. The Mackerel was beautiful in taste, with a white kombu piece on top to give a bit of acidity to balance the fish oil seeping, with the whole piece wrapped in nori. Fantastic.
The seventh sushi was Murasaki-Uni (紫雲丹), with the Sea Urchin coming from Awaji in Hyogo. Skilfully kneaded to a sushi without using nori as gunkan, the natural sweetness of the sea urchin could be highlighted better, with also great aftertaste and hints of fruity note. Truly wonderful.
The eighth sushi was Kuruma-Ebi (車海老). The Japanese Tiger Prawn has just been cooked and still steaming hot, with the chef using the body to make the sushi, and serving the tail separately. The firm texture and nice sweetness of the prawn was phenomenal, really delicious.
The ninth piece was Anago (穴子). The Conger Eel is very soft, melting in the mouth in texture. The sauce was also nice, not too sweet or salty, with the whole piece offering a rewarding, pleasant and filling sensation, a great finale to the wide range of ingredients we have tried on the night.
The tenth piece was Tamagoyaki (玉子焼). The Homemade Egg Omelette has a soft, fluffy texture, moist and with also nice caramelized surface. It might not have intense seafood taste in the egg like some of the famous restaurants offered but overall, still a good piece to conclude the meal.
The Fish Soup was very good, with intense flavours apparently coming from a lot of fish head and bones used to prepare the soup, with menegi and ginger to balance and not making it too fishy in taste. If I am not so full by now, I am tempted to ask for another serving.
The dessert was Melon and Tangerine. The melon was juicy and sweet, but not syrupy making it cloying. The tangerine was also sweet and with a hint of acid to balance, making both fruit highly enjoyable, and finishing the whole meal on a high note.
The whole dining experience was great, and I have noticed how Chef Yat Kwong paid attention to the details like how soon the ingredients should be cut and rested, the temperature on serving them. Everything was all meticulously focused. He also had good conversation with us, sharing his knowledge, and of course, grateful for him offering us some extra pieces seeing how we enjoyed everything. The bill on the night was $6,204 and it was good value for money. I would return again for sure.
沒有留言:
張貼留言