This sushi restaurant is located in Central Soho area, the first time coming it might be a bit difficult to find, as there was no clear signage and the entrance was rather hidden. Inside you could see a sushi bar with about 10 seats surrounding, plus some tables, with three chef busy preparing the food in front of the customers. The decor is traditional for a sushi restaurant.
We ordered the Zen Omakase Menu ($1750 per head). The beautifully put together appetizers include Seaweed Button, Tempura Shrimp, Chicken Roll, Marinated Fish and Sesame Pudding. Each piece is nicely done and set the expectation high for us.
There are a total of 7 sashimi following. First was Righteye Flounder. The texture of the flesh is great, with a bit of liver paste on top plus some ginger and chives making the flavors equally impressive.
The second was the fish of the season, Saury. Very fresh indeed and not having the fishy taste at all, again pairing with ginger and chives they were great in flavors.
The third was Cod Milt, which some people might not be fond of, but we do like it. The cod milt was first blanched lightly and then added with some chives and mashed radish, further sparkled with some chili powder. The texture was very creamy and another nice one.
The fourth was Skipjack Tuna, with the skin and sides torched to give some burnt flavors. Rich in taste, this one was also good.
The fifth was Largehead Hairtail, a type of cutlassfish. Again this one was torched to give a slight crispy skin, and the chef recommended us to pair with the radish to highlight the delicate flavors of the fish. It was really tasty and I personally think this was the best of the sashimi on the night.
The sixth was Horsehair Crab, and in fact when we arrived the chef was just preparing this and removing the meat from the legs and body of the crab. The crab meat was sweet and great in taste, with also a paste made by the crab yolk on top to further enhance the great flavors.
The seventh was Oyster, which was meaty and fat. It was also slightly poached so was not exactly raw but still maintaining the great freshness and soft texture. And the kelp on the side was also good too.
Before transitioning to sushi we had a choice of a special dish, and we ordered the Crab Spring Roll. It was a spring roll with crab meat fillings, and paired with a special mayonnaise with slight chili spiciness. Freshly deep-fried and so the skin was very crunchy, it was very good and interestingly there was a deep-fried small crab on the side which you could also eat. Very cute in execution.
Then we moved the sushi part, and there were a total of 10 pieces. The first one was Golden Eye Snapper. It was certainly great. The chef had cut the fish in a way so the soy sauce was able to seep and keep on the flesh. A great sushi.
The second one was Squid and it was really tender.
The third one was Akami, the back of the Toro. This part of the fish has no or much less fat so it was particularly well-received by those people who don't like too much fat on the tuna, like my wife. Again another good one.
The fourth was a gunkan sushi made with Kobashira, the abductor muscle of Surf Clam. They were very sweet and tasty, and the texture was soft but retaining a bit of bite. I like this one very much and was one of my picks for the sushi on the night.
The fifth sushi was O-Toro, the prime tuna belly that fetches a high price and was the favorite of many people. This one was rich in fish oil and so highly flavorful, and had the right balance of fat and meat, as I personally don't like these to be too fat. Another good one.
The sixth sushi was Japanese Amberjack, or Yellowtail. It was one of my favorites of sashimi or sushi, and this one also delivered the promise. Full of flavors. A wonderful one.
The seventh sushi was Mackerel which had an intense flavors. For my wife she said it was a bit too fishy but it was acceptable in my opinion. A bit polarizing as you can imagine, but I still believe this one was decent.
The eighth sushi was a tiny bowl with Sea Urchin and Salmon Roe on top of the sushi rice. The sea urchin was very good, sweet and tasty, and one of the better ones I had tried in HK.
The ninth sushi was Grilled Eel. A generous size, with a nice sauce accompanying, the flesh was soft and melting in the mouth. Another good one.
Finally the sushi part was wrapped up with the Egg. Although it might look simple, this one really needs a lot of effort to make it right. The egg was fluffy, with a spongy cake like texture. It also got a nice fragrance on the bite.
The Miso Soup was made from the fish stock and full of flavors. There were thin and delicate bean curd skin instead of tofu, which is rather unique.
There was also a Temaki or Hand Roll with Finely Chopped Tuna fillings. Prepared in a way to look like a rolled cigar, there were plenty of sesame added which added to the aromas and flavors. A nice finale before going to dessert.
There were a few choices for dessert and I chose the Black Sesame Pudding. The pudding was silky and the black sesame was like a sauce on top, so spooning it up you could see the black sauce dripping down the white pudding which was got a nice experience.
Service overall was good with the staff attentive. Jason, the chef and owner, was not too talkative but I saw how he warmed up when talking to the frequent customers. It might be good to have more interactions with the customers to make them feel even more at home which would improve the overall dining experience.
The bill on the night was $3850. Slightly high in price considering the number of sashimi and sushi we had but overall still worth coming to try it out.
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