Wineshark HK Restaurant Review - Kokorozashi 志

Kokorozashi is located in Ashley Road, TST, atop a commercial building. Owned and managed by Chef David, who uses his name for the restaurant. In fact, Chef David has worked in Yuen Long before, at a local sushi restaurant called God of Sushi.

After pushing the red noren at the entrance, there are two sections. Directly at the entrance is the table seats which can accommodate three groups, and further in is the sushi counter good for eight customers. The décor is a bit run-down, with the restaurant started in 2019.

I order a sake ($680) to go with the Dinner Omakase Menu ($1,400). Started with Mozuku 水雲, coming from Okinawa and marinated in tosazu. The chef has added some fresh Japanese yam to give a bit of sticky texture to the sea moss, with yuzu shavings to bring freshness.

Next is Same-Karei 鮫鰈 Sushi. This flounder has a tough skin like a shark, as a result getting its name. The fatty and soft flesh is good, with the chef adding a bit of the liver paste as condiment on top.

The chef then brings the Engawa 縁側, the flesh around the fin of the same-karei, into the kitchen to grill it on charcoal, using the heat to further vitalize the fish oil, with great fragrance and flavours. Having a bit of wasabi to season, this is a good piece especially if you like rich fish oil.

Coming next is Buri 鰤 Sushi. The wild yellowtail has a decent fat level, and the appearance of this also signifies the coming of winter, even though here in HK it is still very hot. This one has a good mix of fat and lean flesh, with rich taste of the fish.

Then comes Hokkigai 北寄貝 Sushi. The surf clam is very fresh, with the muscle still retracting while the chef hits it before serving. The delicacy of the sea infuses the mouth on the bite, with its natural sweetness and umami memorable.

Chef David next cuts out slices of a pinkish fleshed fish, before taking it to the kitchen to grill on the skin. The Sawara 鰆, or Japanese Spanish mackerel, is line-fished, with the skin having crisp texture of nice taste. The flaky texture of the flesh is appealing, with also good fatty level.

To pair with the sake, the chef also provided some Deep-Fried Fish Bones from the same-karei. Very crunchy on texture, it is truly a wonderful complementary snack for beer. I am almost tempted to order a glass of beer in addition to go with them.

Continuing it is Katsuo 鰹, with the chef smoking the skipjack tuna with hay, and then cutting into slices and serving with a bit of wasabi, deep-fried garlic, and spring onion. The nice aromas of the hay is infused into the flesh, and the garlic has miraculously enhanced the taste to another level.

After that it is Tairagai 平貝. After cutting a slice of the large Japanese pen shell, the chef has grilled it on charcoal, and then add some raw shichimi (without toasting) to season. The texture of the flesh is firmer, less sweet than scallop, but has more concentrated umami.

Coming next is my favourite in the evening, Sanma 秋刀 Sushi. The seasonal Pacific saury is very fresh, with a shiny silvery sheen on the skin, and good fattiness. Biting in, the wonderful burst of umami is phenomenal and definitely one of the must-try when available.

The chef has prepared the Sanma in two ways, and the second serving is grilled together with the skin, with a crisp texture, and the liver paste to add a slight bitter taste. I think while the heated fish oil has enhanced the flavours, the umami taste has in fact been subdued. Still good though.

Then it is Watari-Gani 渡蟹. The chef has marinated the raw swimming crab for a day, with a homemade marinade of soy sauce, mirin, and garlic. Instead of the stronger Shaoxing wine in another restaurant I have tried before, here it is milder, with richer shoyu flavours. The crab meat is sweet, while the crab butter is delicious umami. Some people might worry as it is raw crab, but here I can tell they do this with utmost care on food safety so I feel comfortable eating them.

Next it is the Fish Collar of the buri, with the chef grilling it together with a homemade sauce of soy sauce and mirin. The umami and savoury taste is nice, with the bit of yuzu juice to give some acidity, and the mashed daikon to balance, a nice transition dish.

The Ankimo 鮟肝 has a creamy, melting-in-the-mouth texture, with the marinade fully absorbed into the monkfish liver, bringing forth the umami and delicious taste. With wasabi to season, it might not look as refined in how it is cut and presented, but on the taste it is another of my favourites.

To cleanse the palate, we are served the Daikon 大根, braised in miso. The sweet taste of the radish, with some sesame and shredded shiso leaves as condiments, has harmoniously integrated with the savoury of the miso. A neat way for a transition to the next course.

The Chawanmushi 茶碗蒸 has hamaguri, with the Asian hard clam meaty with umami, and the chef tells us that there is no seasoning added in the egg custard, purely using the jus from the clam to add to the flavours. The egg is a bit too watery but taste is good. A delightful dish.

Next is Chu-Toro 中とろ Sushi. The medium fatty tuna has been aged to break down the amino acid, making the flesh tender and even more flavourful. The chef has also cut the on the flesh to break down the tendon further to make it less chewy.

Continuing with maguro, next is the Akami 赤身 Sushi, and I do not see the chef putting them in the soy sauce to marinate briefly, instead serving it as is. The lean tuna has good umami but I believe it can be further enhanced by marinating in shoyu.

Then comes Threadfin 馬友, caught in local waters. Grilled perfectly with a beautiful golden-brown sheen on the skin, the fish has a rich flavour, sweet in taste and adding a bit of lime juice to freshen up helps to balance the rich fish oil. This is another of our favourites in the evening.

The Saba 鯖 Roll, apart from the mackerel and shari, inside there are some shredded ginger, shiso leaves to add to the flavours, with another piece of white kombu on top to increase umami. Putting all these in a nori sheet it is a delicious and filling, to ensure we feel full and contented.

As part of the special offering, we have the uni sushi upgraded to a Uni 海胆 Don. After putting some shari in the bowl, the chef has added a generous amount of sea urchin. While the sea urchins are of different colour so not exactly the high-end ones, the taste is good.

Next is Sujiko 筋子 Sushi. Instead of marinated salmon roes, the chef has opted to use the original taste version. Without the shoyu there is a lack of savoury taste, however the flavours of the roes can be much better appreciated, and there is no oversaltiness issue as in a lot of ikura.

Then it is Shirako 白子, the cod milt has been grilled with shoyu and then put on top of some lemon slices to lightly give a bit of citrus notes to balance the fishy taste. The soy sauce has imparted savoury flavours to the cod milt, which is creamy and soft.

The last piece of sushi is Anago 穴子. The conger eel is the least of my favourite in the whole meal, a bit too tough and not hot in temperature, as if it has been prepared and left for a good while before making the sushi. A pity not able to finish the meal on a high note.

For the fruit instead of just serving fresh fruit, the chef has creatively made a tempura using Persimmon 柿. The thin batter on the surface has coated the sweet and crunchy persimmon slices, and even though I generally is not a big fan of this fruit, I enjoy it very much.

The Miso Soup 味噌汁 helps to warm our stomach while we wait for the serving of the final dishes.

Next is Tamago 玉子 but the chef has made this in the style of bread pudding. With a soft interior, he has dusted it with some icing sugar and added maple syrup, with a great texture and nice sweetness, not excessive, and the flavours of the egg still dominant and apparent. Very good.

The final serving is Apple Sorbet. With the refreshing sorbet cleansing the palate and completing a nice meal for us.

Service is good, with Chef David friendly and having good conversation with us throughout. There is a special discount and if customer is able to present evidence on travel there is a 30% discount, so our bill on the night is only $2,904. Very good value for money.