Wineshark HK Restaurant Review - Sushi Kumogaku 寿し雲隠

Last year when Chef Kin organized the sea urchin feast, I could not attend because I was hospitalised. This year, I could not miss the chance again and so even though the Typhoon Signal No. 8 would be hoisted later in the night, we braved the winds and came to Sushi Kumogaku at H Code in Central.

Seated at the L-shaped counter, soon all the guests on the night arrived and the dinner started. The special omakase menu was at $3,000 each, and I started with a serving of 天明 さらさら純米 ($160) from 曙酒造株式会社 in Fukushima. A limited edition for summer, it had a light and refreshing taste, soft umami, best for the hot season.

The first course was 殻付紫雲丹 白海老添え. The purple sea urchin was served on its shell, with some white shrimps added in the middle, seasoned with a touch of yuzu to freshen the palate. Both were sweet and great in taste.  

The second course was 旬の刺し身. The seasonal sashimi included Makogarei 真子鰈 and Echubai 越中貝. The marbled sole was recognized as the best white fish in summer, with sweet and umami flavors. The Japanese sea snail had pleasant crunchiness, mildly sweet with also abundance of umami. Both seasonal and rarely seen.

The third course was 旬の雲丹 利き二種. The red sea urchins were 由良 川勝 極, the highest grade of this rare sea urchin from Awaji this year, and the other one coming from Ehime. Very sweet with unique fruity note, it was best to pair with salt. While the first one was much more expensive, the second one had more intense flavors.  

The second serving of sake was 田中六五 6513 from 白糸酒造 ($180). With rice polishing ratio of 65%, the sake was made to a lower alcohol level at 13%, hence its name. The sake had a unique yogurt flavor, with gentle acidity and a dry finish. The silky smoothness was also pleasant, best for more refined cuisine with delicate taste.

The fourth course was 蒸し鮑. Using the black abalone from Mie, after steaming with sake for an extended period, it was cut into thick slices and paired with the amazing abalone liver paste on the side. The stock was also delicious as well. Chef Kin later provided us with some shari to scoop the rest of the paste to enjoy.

The fifth course was 天然鰻 白焼き. Instead of the typical farm-raised ones, wild eel was a rarity and caught at sea. Grilled to perfection, the meat was tender and fluffy, with a nice fragrance. With a bit of sansho powder to season, there was also a peach mixed tofu sauce to cleanse the palate before transitioning to the sushi.  

The sixth course was 天縞鯵. This shima-aji sushi was special as most striped jack was usually farm-raised nowadays, but this one was caught. The flesh had a more reddish color but not as fatty as those raised.   

The seventh course was 烏賊. The aori-ika sushi was one of my favorites, with the bigfin reef squid having wonderful sweetness while the meticulous cutting on the surface made the texture also soft and easily chewable.

The third serving of sake was 十六代九郎右衛門 愛山13 from 湯川酒造店 ($170). The mix of almond and white peach aromas was very pleasant, on a deeper note evolving more to lychee and muscat, with also an elegant finish.

The eighth course was 鰯. The iwashi sushi was another of my favorite, having the tenderness and soft texture of the sardines, coupled with the intense flavors, memorable and great in taste.

The ninth course was 鮟肝 燻製. The ankimo had been smoked under applewood, infusing the monkfish liver with a woody fragrance, balancing its original richness, with a bit of sansho pepper on top for extra flavors as seasoning.

The tenth course was 松茸. The prized matsutake mushroom was coated with thin batter before deep-frying in tempura style. Large and meaty, the mushroom was drizzled with a few drops of lime to balance and freshen.

The eleventh course was 雲丹素麺. Chef Kin had made some changes versus the version from last year, using tomato consommé to prepare the somen, with a tiny bit of salt to season. Together with some Hokkaido Yoichi sweet purple sea urchin, it was a nice mix of sweet and sourness that was appetizing and flavorful.

The fourth serving of sake was 上喜元 純米吟醸 渾身 仕番41號 無濾過生原酒 from 酒田酒造 ($150). Recognized by many as a sake of super value for money, it had a perfect balance of umami and acidity, with elegant nose to match with more flavourful food.

The twelfth course was 本鮪. The tuna was caught in Indian Ocean, with the chu-toro sushi having the perfect balance of lean and fatty, bursting with rich fish oil on the bite but not overly fatty like eating a lump of pig lard.

The thirteenth course was 鰹, with the katsuo sushi featured a bit earlier than normal in other years. However, it was of great quality, with the flesh seared by charcoal while the flesh remained raw and moist.  

The fourteenth course was 毛蟹と雲丹. After meticulously removing the crab meat from kegani, it was mixed with its own miso to prepare a horsehair crab sushi, with some Amakusa red sea urchin on top to add a touch of deep umami.

The fifteenth course was 紫雲丹. The purple sea urchin was from a popular brand 大千, often regarded as the best in quality and fetched high price. Its size was even larger than the length of the sushi, and with a touch of salt it was amazing in taste.

The sixteenth course was 赤雲丹. Unlike the last one, this Hokkaido Rishiri red sea urchin sushi was smaller and had to be served on a gunkan roll, but with an even sweeter taste and creaminess. It was also my favorite sea urchin on the day.  

The seventeenth course was 蛤. The hamaguri sushi was huge, with the Asia hard clam so big I could barely finish in one bite. The umami and the thick meat were memorable, without having to rely on the thick sauce typically used on such.

The eighteenth course was 手巻き. Mincing the tuna with the addition of some pickles, the hand roll was wrapped in a crisp nori sheet, finishing a great dinner with a bit more sushi rice to ensure the customer was full and contented.

The fifth serving of sake, for my additional orders, was 澤乃井 大吟醸 凰 from 小澤酒造 ($200). The sake was the signature of the brewery, with good elegance and finished with a crisp dryness to wrap up the last few pieces of sushi on the night.

The first add-on was Akagai 赤貝 ($100), with the ark shell crunchy in texture, on each bite the umami was seeping out to coat the mouth with wonderful flavors. Very good in quality and freshness.

The second add-on was Akamutsu 赤鯥 ($100), with the rosy seabass having good fattiness. But unlike most other restaurants where the flesh was torched to vitalize the fish oil, this piece was raw to retain a more delicate taste.

The last add-on was 干瓢巻 Kanpyu-Maki ($120), splitting into four pieces to serve both of us. The dried gourd roll was usually on my last sushi, with a good amount of wasabi to freshen and cleanse the palate, with satisfaction.

The Soup was prepared with dashi and kombu, helping to warm the stomach to finish this meal with contention. Tamagoyaki 玉子焼 was fluffy, with good umami from mixing seafood to the egg before baking them.

Dessert was the seasonal Muscat Grapes. The Japanese grapes were like mini jade eggs, on the bite the grape had a crunchy skin, juicy and sweet. A happy finale to a fantastic meal, making us all feel happy and satisfied.

Service was great as always, with Chef Kin explaining each course in detail, and trying to interact with each customer as much as he could, while busy preparing all the dishes. The bill on the night was $7,898. Considering the overall experience and food quality, I would rate them an Exceptional 85 points, must try.

Wineshark HK Restaurant Review - Sukiyaki Isekuma 壽喜燒 伊勢熊

This Japanese restaurant is located at Minden Avenue in TST, specializing in the preparation of prized wagyu beef in sukiyaki style. Coming on this Saturday evening, pushing open the noren at the entrance, we were greeted warmly by the staff, who showed us to our seats at the L-shaped counter.

Having pre-ordered the Omakase Menu Haruka ($1,480 each), I also had a bottle of Koshi no Kanabi 越乃寒梅 金無垢 純米大吟醸 ($1,680) from Ishimoto Brewery in Niigata. This was the pinnacle of the Junmai sake for brewery, with a refined taste that matched well with the different food on the night.

The starter was French Biscuits with Homemade Salty Beef and Porcini 自家製咸牛肉配牛肝菌法式脆餅. The minced beef and porcini were flavourful, and sandwiched between the biscuits, in the shape of a cow, with its rich buttery note of the biscuit matched well with the fillings, plus some edamame mousse as condiment on the side.

The other starter was Akagai with Mozuku and Tosazu Shaved Ice 赤貝刺身拌水雲醋配土佐醋冰沙. Together with sea asparagus, the raw ark shell was crunchy in texture, with nice umami. Mixing with the Okinawa algae and shaved ice got an additional layer of vinegar acidity and texture, with a refreshing coolness on the palate.

The Assorted Seasonal Sashimi 時令刺身 included Shima-Aji and Kinmedai. The striped jack had a balanced fattiness, having elegant mild flavours and a firm texture. The splendid alfonsino had a beautiful red skin which the chef had lightly torched, with good umami taste, with some soy sauce marinated kombu to accompany.

Next was Sea Urchin Chawanmushi with White Asparagus Puree 白蘆筍蓉海膽茶碗蒸. On top of the delicate and silky steamed egg custard there was a thin layer of white asparagus puree for additional texture. On top were some sea urchin, plus shredded spring onion, to enjoy together.

Today’s prime dish was Siphon Beef Consomme with Thin Slices of Beef 法式虹吸壺牛肉清湯配牛腿肉薄片. Using the siphon, which is typically used to brew coffee, the chef made a delicious consommé, infusing the stock with herbs and kombu, before using it for this one and the later shabu shabu. The beef was very tender and great in taste.

Then came the Grilled Wagyu Italian Style, with Sansho White Miso Sour Cream Sauce 意式和牛燒 配山椒白味噌酸奶油醬. The wagyu was juicy and wonderful in taste, with some asparagus in thin slices and cherry tomatoes mixed with olive oil for salad, together with the appetizing sour cream sauce to balance the fattiness.

The Sukiyaki Wagyu 特選和牛壽喜燒 used two different beef, with the first piece being the highest grade A5 Sendai Wagyu Ribeye 仙台和牛肉眼 with a melt-in-the-mouth texture. Paired with egg yolk and egg white mousse, together with pickles and different condiments, it was truly irresistibly good.

To balance the diet, the chef also prepared an Assorted Seasonal Japanese Vegetables 季節日本野菜, which contained eggplant, tomato, bell peppers, enoki mushroom, and tofu. Flavoured by the sweetness and savory of the sukiyaki sauce, the vegetables were good in taste and were perfect to match with the wagyu.

The manager also treated for a serving of Tanada la Grace Junmai Daiginjo from Nagano Meijo 信州銘醸. The flagship of the brewery, this sake had delicate white peach and sweet melon, plus nice floral notes. With sufficient depth and strength to pair with sukiyaki, the label was also a collaboration with contemporary artist Chihiro Koshi.

Finishing the sukiyaki the other piece of beef was Yamaguchi Wagyu Kirameki sirloin 山口縣 “燦” 西冷 with a fine marbling and tender. The chef also added some sea urchin on the beef for extra flavours. Together with the vegetables, green chili, and zucchini, the second rice serving was also KO in no time.

To ensure we were full to the burst, the menu also got Seasonal Egg Cap Udon 季節究極蛋蓋烏冬. The scrambled egg was prepared using olive oil on the sukiyaki pan, to pick up the flavours from the beef essences and a nice sweetness, with the udon noodles wonderful in texture. A satisfying completion on the menu for the night.

For Dessert 甜品   there was a Stawberry Ice-Cream with Matcha underneath, with some grapefruit on the side. Refreshing and not too sweet, it helped to cleanse the palate and offered a comfortable wrap up the meal.

Service was very good, with the staff friendly and attentive, and the chef explaining the food and the details behind, making the dinner both enjoying and informative. The bill on the day was $5,167. Considering the food quality and overall experience I would rate them a Good 70 points. Worth Trying.

Wineshark Home Cooking - Congee with Winter Melon, Golden Thread Fish and Tragacanth Resin 冬瓜魚蓉雪燕粥

Ingredients (for 4):

• Golden thread fish - 3
• Winter melon - 200g
• Tragacanth resin - 2 small pieces
• Rice - 1 cup
• Thousand-year egg - 1/4
• Salted Cantonese kohlrabi - 1/2 slice
• Ginger - 1 piece
• Spring onion - 1 sprig
• Dried tangerine peel - 1 piece

Procedures:

1. Soak the tragacanth resin in water for overnight.

2. Drain the water from the soaked tragacanth resin.

3. Soak the dried tangerine peel in water till softened.

4. Soak the salted Cantonese kohlrabi in water.

5. Clean the golden thread fish.

6. Put the tragacanth resin in boiling water for a while then remove and drain.

7. Remove the skin of the winter melon and cut into strips.

8. Mix the winter melon with some tapioca starch. 

9. Cut the dried tangerine peel into thin shreds.

10. Add the winter melon into boiling water and cook for 5 minutes under low heat. Then turn off the heat and cover with lid to continue to cook until it becomes transparent.

11. Cut the ginger itno shreds.

12. Pan-fry the golden thread fish on both sides until golden brown.

13. Cut the salted Cantonese kohlrabi into small pieces.

14. Cut the spring onion into shreds.

15. Remove the meat from the fish. Taking great care to remove the small bones.

16. Drain the winter melon for later use.

17. Boil a small amount of water and then add in all the fish head and bones to prepare a fish stock. Use sieve to get the stock and avoid any bones.

18. Wash the rice.

19. Add in the thousand-year egg and crush it.

20. Add into the pot with sufficient water to prepare the congee. Keep stirring throughout.

21. Add in the fish stock to the appropriate thickness when the congee is done.

22. Add in the fish meat, tragacanth resin, dried tangerine peel and a pinch of salt.

23. Add in winter melon and mix well. Then serve.

24. Then add the ginger, spring onion, and salted Cantonese kohlrabi on top.