Hearing that a new tempura restaurant has recently opened in Lee Garden Three, we came to Causeway Bay today to try it out. In fact, this is the first overseas outlet of a famous restaurant in Hakata. Through the entrance the restaurant is effectively split in half, and we are taken to the section on the left, seated at the open counter and seeing the chefs busy in preparation in the background.
At that moment we were greeted by a familiar face and are joyful to see a person we know from another sushi restaurant for a long time who is now working here. After some happy conversations and exchanges of our latest situation, we decided to order the limited promotional Crab Feast Omakase ($788 each).
To pair with the food, I also order a bottle of Nabeshima Junmai Ginjo Kitashizuku ($680). The famous brewery in Saga is one of my favourite sake houses, and this bottle has a clean and crisp profile, showing nice fruity melon and exotic fruit, with good umami and slightly sweet as well.
Starting with Amuse Bouche, it is Crab Meat and Salmon Roe Pudding. Extracting the crab meat from the body, they are then mixed with salmon roe, served on a pudding, with the bowl sitting on an ice holder to keep the temperature low. Thoughtful in idea, the crab meat unfortunately is very bland in taste, affecting overall enjoyment.
Next comes Sashimi, featuring Matsuba Crab Meat with Seasonal Fish, including Hotategai and Shima-Aji. With vinegar to pair with the crab legs, it helps to provide some flavours to the crab, while the scallops and yellowtail are decent in quality and freshness. Mediocre, but probably not fair to compare with what we expect from sushi restaurants though.
The third course features Matsuba Crab with Potato Salad. The white crab meat is put on top of the boiled potato salad, with curry mayonnaise at the bottom. Mixing everything together, the potato salad is delicious, with the unique curry flavours helping to elevate the taste. It made me think why we need to have crab meat on this one.
Coming to the Tempura part of the menu, the set includes seven kinds, serving straight from the stove. The batter of the tempura is thin and not oily, delivering to the expectation of a tempura restaurant. The Matsuba Crab Legs is meaty, and best to dip with sea salt.
The second one is Matsuba Crab Claws. The large claw is also meaty, delicate in taste, and while the claw is best with the tempura sauce, the meat can be enjoyed with different types of salt.
The third one is Crab Meat & Roe with Seaweed Tempura. Placed on a crunchy nori piece are a mix of crab meat and crab miso, with also some deep-fried Sakura shrimps on top to add to the flavours. No need to dip any salt in the process.
The fourth piece is King Crab with Shiso. The crab meatball is wrapped in shiso leaf before deep-frying, making it easier to keep its shape and supplementing a nice fragrance. My favourite tempura on the night.
The fifth one is Fish Cake with Crab Soup, with the chef also preparing other tempura vegetables including maitake, green chili, and taro also, served in a thick soup with crab meat. The fish cake is bouncy, with the vegetables nicely cooked and still tender.
The last two pieces are Sweet Potato and Asparagus. The sweet potato has nice flavours and soft, while the asparagus is tender and without the hard fibers in chewing, showcasing the quality of the food itself.
The Matsuba Crab and Salmon Roe Claypot Rice has enough for two bowls each person, with the same combination of crab meat and salmon roe as the starting amuse bouche so it is a bit boring. Taste is decent though and served together with miso soup.
Finally, the dessert is an interesting Mandarin & Red Bean Paste Tempura with Mochi. The mandarin is wrapped in the red bean paste before deep-frying, and then there is a mochi strip to encircle everything. The acidity from the mandarin balances the sweetness of the red bean paste well.
Service is good, not only because we know one of the staff here, but from observing how the team interacts with other customers we can feel their enthusiasm. The bill on the night is $2,482, reasonable. Considering the overall experience and food quality, I would rate this restaurant at 68 points. Can Try.
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