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.
