Wineshark HK Restaurant Review - Daigo 醍醐

Hearing the legendary Mori-san has returned to HK, opening a new sushi restaurant at FOCO in Central, the place was fully booked in no time. Fortunately, like his prior venture in Shau Kei Wan, he also partnered with another chef, this time with his former apprentice Lung of Sushi Yayoi in Tin Hau. Today we came to Daigo.

Separating into two rooms from each chef, Chef Lung and his team was already busy in preparation when we were brought to the long sushi counter, able to accommodate 10 customers. The place was brightly lit, with a contemporary design. The Dinner Omakase menu was of $2,280 each.

I started with a serving of 大盃   Macho 雄町80 ($130). Made by Makino Brewery 牧野酒造 in Gunma Prefecture, with over 300 years of history, this sake had revolutionized the focus of rice polishing, using low degree of polishing to highlight the muscular flavours of the traditional sake rice Omachi.

The first course was Kue 九絵 from Shimane, with the huge Kelp Grouper weighing 11.8kg. Requiring a lot of effort to cut it up, Chef Lung had aged the fillet for four days to soften the texture. Fantastic in pairing with ponzu.

Next came Aori-Ika 障泥烏賊 Sushi. The Bigfin Reef Squid had been cut into strips to knead into the sushi, with a wonderful sweetness and great tender texture. Fantastic piece of sushi.

The third course was a Ise-Ebi Chawanmushi 伊勢海老 茶碗蒸. The Steamed Egg Custard was silky soft with a good umami taste, with the Lobster meat sweet and the chef also using the lobster miso to enhance its rich flavours.

Then it was Kinmedai 金目鯛 Sushi. The Splendid Alfonsino was easily recognized with its beautiful red skin, slightly torched to vitalize the fish oil for fragrance. The fatty flesh had a rich and sweet taste.

The fifth course was Iwashi Isobemaki 鰯 磯辺巻. A signature style to prepare Sardines, the roll also included menegi, pickled onion and takuan to balance the fattiness and intense flavours, presented in a pretty flower. Great in appearance and taste.

The second sake was伯樂星 純米大吟釀 兵庫県社下久米產特等山田錦 ($312). The sake was specially made to pair with food, using top-graded sake rice with a high degree of polishing (to 29%). Very clean and refined, with a smooth mouthfeel.

The sixth course was Torigai 鳥貝 Sushi. The Japanese Cockle was very fresh, with the muscle bouncing up when being hit, highlighting its unique beak shape. and had a slight crunchy bite, with the umami and briny taste a great combination.

Next came Kinki 喜知次, with the prized deep-water grilled Channel Rockfish delicious with fish oil, its scales edible through pouring hot oil on top, with the whole fillet sitting on a Hokkaido white corn puree, smooth with nice sweetness. There were also some corn kernels on the side as condiments.

The eighth course was Nishin 鯑 Sushi. The Pacific Herring was meticulously cut to resemble a millefeuille of many thin layers of herring. The rich flavours are pleasant, with also a soft texture, but the team must spend a lot of effort to remove the bones.

The third sake was 而今 純米吟釀 雄町 生 ($520). The famous brewery from Mie was very popular in recent years, with the price correspondingly reflecting the high demand. This sake had nice fruity notes with balancing acidity. My favourite one in the evening.

The ninth course was Awabi 鮑 with Junsai 莼菜. Cutting thin slices of steamed Black Abalone, Chef Lung then lightly blanched those on the stove, and served with the delicious broth and Watershield, with abalone liver paste provided for dipping.

Next was Akamutsu 赤鯥 Sushi. The Rosy Seabass was large, with the rich fish oil seeping out from the flesh from the light torching on the skin, full of fragrance, and the intense umami flavours are amazing.

The eleventh course was Tsubugai 螺貝, with the Sea Whelk having a wonderful crunchy and bouncy texture, a clean taste that the chef had paired with an emulsified butter sauce to give an additional richness.

Then came Kuruma-Ebi 車海老 Sushi. The Japanese Tiger Prawn had been cooked and immediately taken to the sushi counter to remove the shell and made into the sushi, retaining the temperature and perfect texture, along with its sweet taste.

The thirteenth course featured Kaki 牡蠣, with the Saga Oyster wrapped in a spring roll sheet together with shiso leaf before deep-frying, giving a crispy surface while retaining the juicy tenderness. With some caviar on top, it was a luxurious treat.

Next was Akami 赤身 Sushi, with the lean cut coming from a tuna caught in the waters of Australia, weighing 94kg. The tenderness of the flesh and the rich flavours of the slight irony was very pleasant.

The fourth sake was 黑龍 大吟釀 龍 ($320). Another versatile sake that had good fruit, slightly dry, with a clean finish that paired well with different food and could be a good choice for the omakase menu to cover most of the dishes.

The fifteenth course was Kama-Toro 釜トロ Sushi, with the tuna caught in Shimane. This rare and prized cut came from the jaw area, only having two pieces for each fish. Slightly seared, the intense fatty marbling was delicious.

Then came the Ankimo 鮟肝, with the Monkfish Liver very creamy and soft, virtually melting in the mouth. Dusted with some sansho powder on top to season, it was another wonderful piece to go with sake.

The seventeenth course was Ji-Uni 地海胆 Sushi. The red sea urchin came from Ehime, with a lighter colour and larger size on the piece. Not those with the mango flavours, this one was sweet and have a creamier taste.

The fifth sake was 会津娘 純米酒 ($180). A well-made sake that was easy to drink, the rice fragrance was mellow and not intrusive. Coming to the end of the dinner this one was a good finale without the burden of something too strong or powerful.

Seeing the chef took out a large claypot drew a happy gasp as we were having Kegani Kamameshi毛蟹 釜飯 for the night. Mixing the meticulously picked crab meat from the Horsehair Crab, crab miso was also added to prepare the rice, infusing fantastic taste to the steaming hot rice. It was so good I could not help but finishing three large bowls.

The Aka-Miso 赤だし味噌 Soup was flavourful and helped to warm the stomach after the fantastic meal, with the miso not overly salty. The Tamagoyaki 玉子焼 was fluffy, with the egg custard made from the seafood paste and eggs.

Service was very good, with the staff all polite and eager to explain each dish and the story behind as much as possible. The bill on the night was $6,624. Considering the food quality, service and overall dining experience I would rate them an Excellent 83 points, worth returning.

Wineshark Home Cooking - Ultimate Meatballs 終極肉丸

Ingredients (for 4):

• Beef - 150g
• Pork - 200g
• Onion - 1
• Garlic - 4 cloves
• Egg - 1
• Breadcrumbs - 15g
• Dashi powder - 2 tsp
• Nutmeg powder - 1/4 tsp
• Pepper salt - dashes
• Olive oil - 1.5 tbsp
• Canned tomato - 1/2

Procedures:

1. Mince the pork.

2. Mince the beef.

3. Cut the onion finely.

4. Cut the garlic finely.

5. Mix the meat, half of the chopped onion, half of the garlic, egg, breadcrumbs, half of dashi powder, nutmeg powder and dashes of pepper salt together.

6. Knead the meat patty until it sticks. Then scoop into balls about ping-pong size.

7. Heat the pan with olive oil, then use medium-high heat to pan-fry the meatballs until both sides are browned. Remove for later use.

8. Put the remaining onion and garlic into a saucepan. Sprinkle with some pepper salt and stir-fry at medium heat.

9. When the onion turns to transparent, add in the canned tomato and dashi powder. Cook until the sauce thickens.

10. Add in the meatballs and stir well. 

11. Drizzle with olive oil to serve.

Wineshark HK Restaurant Review - Yoru Teppanyaki 夜 鐵板燒

This teppanyaki restaurant is located at Hillwood Road in TST, in which in my younger days used to be a popular spot for people to spend the night, with lots of high-end restaurants and entertainment. It is quite sad to see how things have changed and the area has a much-reduced luster nowadays. Today we came here to get a glimpse of that era.

Down the short corridor with sparkling stars painted on the dark-colored walls to the entrance, the staff led us to one of the two rooms, with the teppanyaki station in the middle and the C-shaped counter surrounding. In fact, the wall could be removed to combine with the adjacent room to form a much larger room for a bigger party.

We were served by Chef Yee, and after her introduction to the menu and showing us the fresh and lively seafood on the day, I ordered a bottle of 朝日鷹 本釀造 ($988). Made by the renowned and long-history brewery 高木酒造 in Yamagata, with a rich umami taste. A very reasonably priced, fantastic sake.

Picking the Lobster 13-Course Menu ($1,488 each), the first appetizer 一品料理 was Tofu with Eggplant, together with a homemade Miso paste. A delicate but flavourful starter to excite the palate for the start of the meal.

The Sashimi 特選刺身三品 includes Ama-Ebi, Kamasu, and Maguro. All very fresht, with the barracuda having its skin lightly torched to give a bit of smokiness. The sweet shrimps and tuna were decent in taste.

The second appetizer was Isoyaki Abalone 磯煮鮑魚. The abalone was tender, infused with the flavours of the marinade in the cooking process, having a nice sweetness but not overpowering the original flavours.

The Chawanmushi 茶碗蒸 has plenty of crab meat on top of the steamed egg custard, with a soft and rich in seafood flavours. I would prefer the egg custard to be steaming hot, but this one was a bit cooled down already, apparently been waiting for a while.

Beginning with the teppanyaki, the first course was Ise-Ebi 伊勢海老. The head was removed to prepare a soup later, and Chef Yee then carefully grilled the local green lobster, paired with a rich lobster sauce. Together with some spinach, Chef Yee shaved some Parmesan cheese on top for additional flavours.

The second course featured the seasonal fish 季節鮮魚 Amadai, using hot oil to splash on the scales got those to crispiness and edible, while the flesh of the filefish remained tender, and with a bit of salt to season, the original flavours could be highlighted. On the side was some puree made from shallot, as well as ice plant and a small edible rose.

The third course used Razor Clams from Scotland 蘇格蘭蟶王子, and Chef Yee cooked the razor clams, asparagus and morel mushroom to perfection, timing the difference between the various foodstuff so that no single one was over or under-cooked, and adding a bit of black truffle sauce which enhanced the fragrance tremendously.

The fourth course was an Assortment of Japanese Vegetables 日本野菜盛合, including zucchini, broccoli, tomato, and eggplant, paired with a bit of red miso paste as condiments. The vegetables had a nice sweetness, of good quality, and helped to balance the diet before transitioned to the main course of the menu.

The main course was Miyazaki A4 Wagyu Sirloin 宮崎A4和牛西冷. Prepared to medium level, the beef was tender and juicy, rich in flavours with minimal seasoning needed. On the side there was different condiments provided, including rock salt, wasabi, fresh dill, and deep-fried garlic slices, as well as some peanut shoots.

Coming towards the end, we were served Fried Rice 特色炒飯 with Pickles 漬物, and the Lobster Soup 龍蝦花膠鰹魚高湯. The fried rice has plenty of Sakura shrimps and conpoy which added savoury enjoyment, with each grain of rice distinct. The soup was also delicious, with the fish maw giving an extra premium texture to the umami of the soup.

Finishing with Dessert 甜品, which was Seasonal Melon and Peach. Both were sweet and juicy, and with that it was a complete and satisfying meal.  

After a 20% discount on food, the bill on the night is $3,818. Service was very good with Chef Yee explaining the dishes to us in details, as well as the restaurant’s history and background. Considering the quality of food and overall experience, I would rate them an Excellent 78 points, worth returning.