Wineshark Mystery Restaurant - Sushi Kamitachi

Knowing that Chef Kami has recently moved to this new place, we came to FOCO, located on Cochrane Street in Central to try it out. Arriving a bit earlier, we had to wait outside before the restaurant was ready, and sharp at 7pm, the door opened, and we were led to our seat, served by Chef Shing.

The long sushi bar can accommodate a total of 12 customers. The Omakase costs $1,880 each, and I also ordered a bottle of 飛露喜 純米大吟釀 ($1,080) from 廣木酒造 in Fukushima. It is nice sake, versatile to pair with different seafood. I also appreciate the restaurant did not make a big mark-up on the price.

The first course was Tako Sakurani 蛸の桜煮, with the octopus tentacles heavily massaged to loosen the muscle before braising in the Sakura sauce, softened to a wonderful tenderness with also a beautiful pinkish red.

The second course featured Hirame 平目. After cutting two slices of the olive flounder, the chef wrapped one with some shiro-ebi, using the small white shrimps to give extra sweetness, while the other piece was matched with irizake jelly for its traditional flavours. A small grilled engawa was served on the side too, with a wonderful fragrance of fish oil.

The third course was Shima-Aji 縞鯵 Sushi. The popular Japanese stripped jack has delicate flavours and a nice buttery texture.

The fourth course was Kuruma-Ebi 車海老 Sushi. After removing the head and tail of the tiger prawn, the chef had kneaded the sushi into a ball instead of the usual shape, making it smaller and able to eat in one go. A clever and thoughtful way to facilitate customers.

The fifth course was Ankimo 鮟肝. Slicing two bite-size pieces from the huge monkfish liver, they have an amazingly silky soft texture, melting-in-the-mouth essentially picking up the umami from the sauce impeccably.

The sixth course featured the sashimi of two, Mebaru 鮴 and Kamasu 魳. The former is a type of rockfish, with large patchy eye, having a light taste and good bite. The other is barracudas, lightly seared with a richer taste comparatively.

The seventh course was the lightly blanched Kama-Toro カマトロ, the prized and fatty cut from the collar and jaw area of the tuna. The rich and buttery texture, and intense flavours were a match with the high-quality wagyu, paired similarly with egg yolk as well.

To provide some complements to the sake, the chef had asked the kitchen to prepare some deep-fried Shiro-Ebi 白海老. With crunchy shell, the small white shrimps could be eaten whole and a perfect match with some icy beer or sake.

The eighth course was Akagai 赤貝 Sushi. The ark shell was large, with a good crunchy texture, sweet in taste.

The ninth course was Kombu Uni 昆布海胆 Sushi, with the chef using kombu to marinate the sea urchin to enhance the umami flavours and also form the shape to make it easier to eat as a sushi.

The tenth course was Awabi 鮑. The steamed abalone was very soft, with a tender texture and full of umami flavours. To supplement the chef had prepared the liver paste which was creamy and wonderful In taste.

The eleventh course was Akami 赤身 Sushi. The lean tuna had a soft bite, with the chef marinating the cut in shoyu for a brief while to tenderize.

The twelfth course was O-Toro 大とろ Sushi. The fatty tuna had very rich flavours, seeping out abundance of fish oil on each bite. Great in taste.

The thirteenth course was Grilled Mehikari 目光魚. The greeneye had delicate flavours, with a very tender texture, while the skin was crisp. With some narazuke as condiment it was very nice in taste.

The fourteenth course included Katsuo 鰹 and Sawara 鰆. The skipjack tuna had been smoked, infusing the flesh with a fragrant note, while the Japanese Spanish mackerel had been grilled on the skin, paired with a miso sauce.

The fifteenth course was Sanma 秋刀魚 Sushi. This year’s Pacific saury was so good that I did not have one so far that was disappointing.

The sixteenth course was Bafun Uni 馬糞雲丹 Gunkan. Inside the gunkan the chef had added kanpyo for a contrast in texture with the creamy soft sea urchin.   

The seventeenth course was Maguro 鮪 Handroll. The chef had minced the different parts of the tuna, and together with a shiso leaf, wrapped in the nori sheet to form a hand roll. A filling and delicious conclusion for the meal.

With room for another piece, I asked for an additional Shima-Ebi 縞海老 Sushi. The striped shrimp had nice sweet flavours, with the chef adding extra layer of sea urchin on top as a treat.

The Tamagoyaki 玉子焼 had a fluffy texture, reminiscent to a nice sponge cake on the upper half, while the lower had a denser texture, with richer seafood flavours. The first time I saw the restaurant taking the effort to combine the two styles into one.

Before serving dessert, the fish soup helped to warm the stomach with comfort.

The first dessert was some Seasonal Fruit, including melon, grape, and poached mango, together with Pudding. The chef further asked whether we wanted the ice-cream as well, and duly served us the Yuzu Ice-cream, with good balance of sweetness and acidity.

Service was nice, and the bill on the night was $5,324. A highly enjoying dinner, with the chef having a good chat with us throughout and taking care of us. While many would ask for Chef Kami to serve, I think Chef Shing also did a great job on the night.