Wineshark HK Restaurant Review - Shin Shu Japanese Restaurant 信州日本料理

This Japanese restaurant is located in Kennedy Town, near the harbour front with a nice sea view. Arriving early we were the first group of customers and as requested we were seated at the counter, with the staff warmly introducing the menu and recommending the sake for us, which was very reasonably priced. I decided to have a bottle of Masumi Jinmai Daiginjo Sanka to accompany my meal tonight.

The interior setting of the restaurant is rather nondescript, with the counter only accommodating six customers and there are several tables as well. Very soon the whole restaurant is fully occupied, with many customers apparently long-term patron, showing how popular the restaurant is. And I strongly recommend to make a booking in advance.

We ordered the omakase menu ($988) and first came the Fresh Oyster, with some vinegar added to enhance the flavors, as well as having some mashed radish and chives on top. Very fresh and creamy, the oyster is bursting of a light brine taste. While it was not as crunchy as some of the best I had tasted, it is a good start for our meal for sure.

The second course was two appetizers, one being the Braised Eggplant, with the eggplant cooked to such softness, fully absorbing the stock to infuse with nice flavors, with a good complement of the Bonito flakes on top. The other one was Toasted Cashew Nuts which had sprinkled with some fine sugar during the process to give a nice sweet note. Quite a nice combination.

The third course was a thin-sliced sashimi, featuring Madai and Kinmedai. The fish is so finely cut that you can see through the flesh, and the chef had prepared mashed radish, chives and shredded ginger flower to pair with the delicate taste of the fish with yuzu vinegar. The Madai has a nice texture with a more refined taste while the Kinmedai has a comparatively fuller body and richer flavors. The plating is also very beautiful.

The fourth course was another sashimi, including Botan Ebi and Mirugai. The prawn is really sweet and fresh, with every bite a real treat of the wonderful taste, and the soft texture also offered a good contrast to the geoduck, which is even sweeter in taste, but offering the crunchy mouthfeel which is another great offering.

The fifth course was yet another sashimi, offering four different types of delicacies: Kuro Mutsu, Isaki, Chu-Toro and O-Toro. The Kuro Mutsu is lightly torched on the skin to liven up the fish oil to give an intense taste, while the Isaki is truly one of my favorite fish with its amazing taste. The two tuna were chosen to be less fatty, as requested by my wife, still rich and having no compromise on the enjoyment.

The sixth course was my favorite in the evening. It was a Awabi Marinated with Crab Yolk. The abalone is tender, and on the bite the rich flavors seeped out to the mouth. But the real amazing part is the crab yolk which added an intense, complex note to this truly great experience. If you come here I strongly recommend you have to order this one and try it out.

The seventh course was the Seafood Soup. After squeezing some lime juice into the teapot to bring out a refreshing fragrance and a bit of acidity to balance the rich broth, the soup offered a good comforting sensation, helping to get us ready for the other food to be served. Just a tiny criticism is that the soup might not be as 'clear' as some of the best ones I had tasted.

The eighth course was Crab Claw with Turnip Ball. Despite I had sampled this frequently in Japan, I did not recall eating it here in HK. The crab claw is nice though not particularly special, and in fact the feature of the dish would be the turnip ball, which was made from mashed turnip and adding some sort of sweet potato flour (?) in, before steaming it and then put in the bowl with the thick sauce. Interesting in taste.

The ninth course was Grilled Dried Karei. The technique of drying the fish was Ichi-yabosi, essentially meaning the fish was dried by the sea breeze overnight, so the flesh would be a bit firmer but retaining the freshness of the taste. This flounder was beautifully grilled, and would be a great dish to pair with beer or sake.

The tenth course was Japanese Wagyu Beef in Teppanyaki Style. However I switched mine to the pork. My wife said the beef was really amazing in taste, and while I did not sample it, the pork was also nice. With a salad on the side, there are plenty of bean sprout and onion added to the pork, and I can taste how the chef had stir-fried them in high heat to keep the crunchy mouthfeel. The sauce added further to the flavors in good harmony.

The eleventh course was the sushi, comprising of five different pieces: Uni, Hamachi, Akamutsu, Karei Engawa and Toro. Already very full at this point, fortunately the sushi pieces are not big so we could still finish them. The white sea urchin is not the type I like but because of the season this is what the best is available currently, while the rest of the sushi are nice and a good wrap up for the meal in my opinion.

Before going to dessert the chef gave us each several pieces of Grilled Awabi, which is directly heated on shell to maintain the best freshness and original flavors. Again, the flesh was tender and unlike the earlier dish this abalone has just its own taste, which is already intense and each bite made me feel like immersing myself in the sea. Thanks to the chef for the nice treat.

Last was the dessert, which is Homemade Apply Jelly with Peach. A delicate dessert, I like the way it showed the care and pride the restaurant in its own offerings, choosing to provide the homemade dessert instead of the typical ice-cream or fruit.

The service was very good, with the staff coming frequently to check with us on the food and explained to us the different dishes. And even though the chef was very busy with all the works, he also made an effort to have some conversations with us.

With the two sets and a bottle of sake, the bill was $2922. It was really great value for money and no wonder this restaurant was so popular despite being in not a prime location. I strongly recommend this restaurant.