This small Japanese restaurant is hidden on a side alley in Kau U Fong in Central, and frankly if not checking beforehand we could easily miss the entrance, through a short corridor leading to a metal door with no signs, all the while having only a non-descript white hanging door curtain to give us a hint.
Awarded Michelin 1-star recently, it continues to remain one of the most difficult to book restaurants in town, with only six counter seats and a table for two available. The raw concrete walls, wooden counters and high chairs give a simplistic yet comfortable ambience.
There is only one menu ($2,300) that comes with sake pairing. Chef and sake master Goshima Shinya greeted us and after introducing the menu, began the dinner with the first sake, Beau Michelle Cotton Candy, an unfiltered raw sake from 伴野酒造 in Nagano, with a pleasant spritz, appetizing sweet and sourness, and lower alcohol. Easy to drink and a fun start.
Serving on a lotus leaf was the first course, featuring Kegani, with the delicate and tasty Hokkaido horsehair crab meat on top of some diced scallops, fresh and rich in umami. The peach vinaigrette jelly and shiso flowers on top, with some green yuzu juice to season, added a further layer of sweet and sour flavours, plus refreshing notes to this highly appetizing starter.
The next sake came from 藤平酒造 in Chiba, the seasonal 福祝 夏の純吟 has a nice fragrance of melon and muscat, a refreshing summer sake which paired well with the lighter flavours of the ingredients selected for the next course.
The second course featured Shiro-ebi, with the small white shrimps coming from Toyama. The chef had prepared a cold broth using edamame, with its unique taste showing up nicely but not overpowering. Under the white shrimps was a corn polenta, while on top was caviar which added some savoury elements. Together with the interesting texture of the water shield, the combination was complex and creative.
Coming next was the sake from 中島醸造 in Gifu, 小左衛門 純米大吟醸. The uniqueness of this sake was that it was made from two types of sake rice instead of one, with a richer aroma and soft palate that paired well with the stronger and more oily nature of the coming course.
The third course featured the prized Nodoguro, coming from Nagasaki. The thinly sliced fish meat had been lightly grilled, seeping with the fragrant fish oil. The kamo-eggplant was very flavourful, with the chef using the skin and mixing with the liver of the blue fish to make a seasoning, which was truly delicious. The kombu underneath had absorbed the fish oil, and was so amazing in umami taste I almost tempted to ask the chef to give me another piece.
The following sake came from 宝剣酒造 in Hiroshima. Serving slightly warmer, the 宝剣 純米大吟醸 was developed aiming to be a good food-pairing sake, and the chef had adjusted the temperature to enable a fuller body in order to match with the deep-fried sweetfish coming up.
The fourth course was my personal favourite in the evening, with the whole Ayu coming from Wakayama. Its head and bones had been deep-fried so edible, while the flesh was tender and tasty, with a bit of green seaweed to complement with its umami flavours. The gingko and myoga helped to balance the richer mouthfeel and together with the sake the overall sensory experience was just harmonious and perfect. A must try in my opinion.
The next sake was certainly an interesting one. From 神亀酒造 in Saitama, the ひこ孫 純米大吟醸 had been aged for twenty-years, with good development of savoury characters and to illustrate this the chef also served it a bit warmer. The balance and smoothness were phenomenal.
The fifth course featured Kuruma-ebi from Kagoshima. The tiger prawn had been prepared in tempura style, with a thin and flaky batter. Together with figs and Manganji pepper, a milder but very tasty capsicum that originated from near Kyoto, it came with a delicious shrimp miso sauce instead of the traditional dipping sauce. The combination of umami from the tiger prawn, the sweetness from the figs, and the grassy notes of the pepper was just magical.
The following sake was my favourite in the evening. Coming from 仁井田本家 in Fukushima, しぜんしゅ なつゆき was a summer sake with a lesser alcohol level, and had undergone secondary fermentation in bottle, with subtle sweetness and wonderful balance. It was also served slightly colder as a result to highlight its characters.
The sixth course featured Awabi, with the Miyagi abalone perfectly cooked and not having any rubbery texture. Paired with a sauce made from the abalone liver, there were plenty of Girolle mushroom, finely chopped zucchini, and rice to prepare a risotto, which was fantastic in taste with also an equally amazing bite of different texture. Another of my favourite in the evening.
The last sake pairing came from 田中農場 in Tottori, with the farm specializing in growing their own rice to make the sake. This 精米七割酒 was warmed, with a better sharpness on the flavours that would be best consumed hot. The sake had been aged for more than 16 years but was still full of energy and vibrancy.
The seventh course featured the jewel of the sea, Kinki. The Hokkaido channel rockfish was grilled beautifully, and served on a broth prepared from the fish head and bones, with the seasonal winter melon, saltwort and sea grapes added to complement. Adding some sansho to spice up, its unique fragrance also helped to enhance the overall flavours. I finished every last drop of the broth in the end.
The eighth course was Somen Noodles with Hamaguri. The somen noodles came from Nara, and was a type of thin wheat noodle with delicate texture and mild taste. Served in a soup with one of the largest clams I had seen, the umami taste was fantastic and I also liked how the chef had timed the cooking of the clam to perfection, tender and not having any hint of rubbery texture. A rewarding and satisfying dish to the stomach.
The ninth course was Almond Ice-Cream, with pieces of melon and warabi-mochi, before the chef prepared a matcha sauce made together with しぜんしゅ にごり, the cloudy sake with lots of sediments and the flavours of rice, to add a sourness to balance the sweetness of the ice-cream. Again, the complex texture with the almond flakes in the ice-cream, chewiness of the mochi, and the softness of the melon concluded a special dinner for us.
Despite we were seated on the far end of the counter, the chef had made effort to introduce each course and the accompanying sake to us. I was very impressed on how he was meticulous in the serving temperature, making sure the best experience comes out from each serving. The bill on the night was $5,060 which was reasonable. A great place to enjoy sake pairing, but you need to plan early to reserve the seats.
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