Continuing the holiday eating spree, on Boxing Day, with a festive mood and high energy, we come to Sushi Zinc in Shau Kei Wan, to see what new dishes Chef Zinc has created since our last visit. With us returning every three months or so, the team never fails to deliver an incredible experience every time we visit.
The Omakase Menu ($2,400 each) starts with Soup prepared with Hokkaido Nemuro Bafun-Uni 馬糞雲丹. The sea urchin is kept in brine to ensure its original and authentic taste, without any additives. Fantastic in sweetness and umami taste, it is good to have something warm to start in the winter season.
The first sake I have is あべ ブラック 純米 ($100). This Junmai has a rich yuzu and mochi fragrance, slight bitterness on the palate, refreshing with a touch of saline finish. A versatile sake to pair with food, also very good on its own. Frankly this sake has changed my perception of Junmai being generally of inferior quality.
Next comes Oita Kawahagi 本皮剥, with Chef Zinc cutting the fish meat into shreds, reminiscent of noodles, and mixed with its rich and delicious liver, before putting a paste made from the fish bones and menegi, sprinkling with some Italian red pepper on top. A big thumbs-up as this highlights the great taste of filefish and its liver to the max.
A seasonal must-have is Hokkaido Sekogani 勢子蟹. Baking the female snow crab shell to prepare a fragrant broth, it is then mixed with whisked egg and crab miso, and steam to make the Chawanmushi. A crab roe sauce to add to the savoury taste, together with a piece of rolled crab meat in kombu, with a local fennel flower on top for fragrance.
Then comes a special ingredient. The Grilled Shirako 白子 comes from blowfish, with the membrane wrapping the creamy, delicious fish milt. The taste is pure and elegant, without any weird fishy notes often found in cod milt. Good in its original flavours, there is a wedge of sudachi on the side to give some citrus acidity if needed.
Coming to Sushi, the first piece features locally caught Madai 真鯛, from Po Toi Island. The red sea bream is featured in many celebrations in Japan because of its red colour, symbolizing good fortune. Having marinated in kombu to soften the firm texture, it has an elegant, delicate taste, rich in umami.
The second Sushi features Sumi-Ika 墨烏賊 from Lamma Island. The cuttlefish is very large in size, weighing four and a half catties, with a good bite but not rubbery. Inside the sushi Chef Zinc has added some karashi mentaiko, the spicy pollock roe from Fukuoka, to replace wasabi as seasoning for better complementary flavours.
The third Sushi also comes from Po Toi Island, featuring a special fish called Hong Kong Grouper, or Kijihata 雉子羽太. Seasoned with just a pinch of salt, the soft texture and rich flavours are truly phenomenal, and well deserve to be named after our home. It is our first time enjoying this fish, and we are fortunate for this opportunity.
The second sake continues to be from Abe Shuzo. あべ 純米大吟醸 ($100) is the most premium sake of the brewery, with good aromas of lime, guava and some grassy herbaceous notes. It is richer than the last one and it is best to pair with also more heavy dishes, as well as sushi.
The fourth Sushi also comes from Hong Kong. The local Spondylus is a rarity, only available in the winter season, and although the Cantonese name is 車蠔 it has nothing to do with oysters. Look like a yellowish scallop, the clam has amazing umami, and it is super fortune we get to try this one.
The fifth Sushi continues to feature local fish, this time is the signature Ma Yau 馬友 from Sai Kung. Weighing over twelve catties, the fish has good fattiness, with a soft texture. With a brush of shoyu to enhance the savoury flavours, it is another great example of how Chef Zinc successfully introduces local fish to sushi fans and change their perspective.
Returning to Japanese produce, next is Tempura Anko 鮟鱇. The batter is very thin, wrapping the white monkfish meat which has a clean and rich flavour. It is served with a creamy and smooth sauce made from the bones and liver of the monkfish, together with some fresh green sansho as seasoning.
Another of Chef Zinc’s signature dishes, next is Shirako Risotto. Using cod milt to prepare a creamy sauce to cook the rice in the traditional Italian fashion, the rice are perfectly done with a nice texture, having a good bite. Shaving some Alba white truffles on top to give extra fragrance, there are also small pieces of chestnut for additional flavours.
While the third sake 多賀治 純米大吟醸 朝日 無濾過生原酒 ($100) has a more mellow nose at the beginning, on deeper sip it shows good harmony and a more savoury palate, showcasing the sweetness of the Asahi rice in a smooth texture. It is a great match with the next dish, and I finish the whole serving with that one dish.
Featuring the homemade Karasumi 唐墨, with Chef Zinc using the plum wine to marinate the Hyogo salted mullet roe to give a nice fragrance and sweetness, before gently grilling the surface to give a nice smoky taste. On the side are Cured Himi Buri 鰤, and the yellowtail really tastes like ham. Some local dried small fish are provided on the side.
To clean and freshen the palate, Chef Zinc has prepared some Yunnan Yellow Ear Fungus 黃耳, which has been cooked in boiling homemade yuzu vinegar and then marinated for a week. The fungus has maintained its beautiful vibrant yellow colour, with also a pleasant glutinous texture.
Coming to my fourth sake, 大典 白菊 大吟醸 金賞受賞酒 ($100) has a robust rice fragrance and sweetness, richer in taste and well-balanced, and is very good to match food with stronger flavours. This bottle has also won the Golden Award in the Annual Japan New Sake Appreciation Event for two consecutive years.
The sixth Sushi features the prized Botan-Ebi 牡丹蝦, with the spot prawn aged for three days before use, to intensify the sweet flavours and bring forth the umami taste of the prawn to the next level. I like this one more than shima-ebi, which also has similarly sweet taste, but botan-ebi has a firmer texture.
The seventh Sushi is Aka-Uni 赤海胆. Wrapped in a gunkan roll, the rare red sea urchin has a sweet taste, denser, and with creamy texture. The flavours are well-balanced. The reason why this type of sea urchin is pricier and rarer, is that they live in deeper waters, and often require free diving to catch.
The eighth Sushi features Akami 赤身. Coming from a bluefin tuna caught in Oma, the lean tuna has been marinated in shoyu for a brief while, infusing the meat with the savoury delicacy of the soy sauce, with the texture very smooth, sliding down the throat without effort. Often perceived as an inferior cut, but for good ones they are simply phenomenal.
The ninth Sushi continues to use cut from the bluefin tuna; this time it is O-Toro 大とろ. The fatty tuna has been hay-smoked briefly, also soften and vitalize the fish oil. Instead of using wasabi, Chef Zinc uses garlic paste for seasoning instead. Our second time trying this combination, we are still amazed by how good they match and are so delicious.
Chef Zinc has made an Italian twist on the Tamagoyaki 玉子焼. Chef Zinc has prepared a shiitake broth, mixed with egg, then adding pieces of the mushroom and black truffle to make the omelette. Then he shaves more black truffles on top for even stronger fragrance and flavours. Another combination of Japanese and Italian cuisine of his background.
The Clear Soup is very delicious and rich in umami flavours, using Kabu 蕪菁 and local Okagagai 日月魚, with the Japanese turnip providing a delicate sweetness to the soup, while the local scallop, with a burgundy red left and white right shell, offers very nice sweetness. With a slice of sudachi for its citrus acidity it helps digestion as well.
For dessert Chef Zinc features rice, using different toast levels to make rice puffs before putting on top of a homemade Panna Cotta. The Italian pudding is not too sweet, silky soft in texture, and is made by infusing pan-fried rice into milk to enrich the flavours of the pudding. Very elegant and delicately done.
The final course includes White Strawberry and Panettone. The Italian sweet bread is a festive season specialty, with raisins and citrus peels added to the airy and buttery bread. The strawberry is another specialty, with a nice sweet taste but more juicy, having grown locally in Tai Tong and only harvested the night before.
Service is very good, with Chef Zinc explaining in detail all the food we have, and even the tricks of his cooking, not holding anything back. The bill on the night is $5,720. Overall, the quality of food, dining experience, and everything is impeccable, good value for money. I would rate it an Exceptional 85 points. Must try.
