Wineshark HK Restaurant Review - Ana Ten 天穴

This Japanese restaurant is located in TST Ocean Terminal, on the new extension wing of the shopping centre, having an amazing ocean view looking at the Victoria Harbour. Apart from a sushi counter and the tables on the window side, there is also a western-style bar offering many wonderful cocktails and beverages, as well as an outdoor balcony facing the waterfront.

Arriving early in the evening and still allowing us to look at the beautiful sunset, the staff warmly and sincerely greeted us to our reserved seats at the sushi counter. The decor is contemporary, with a chic coppery ceiling and metal elements providing an overall modern ambiance, while on the wall there is the Japanese style paintings reminding the nature of the restaurant, all in good harmony.

I ordered a cocktail to start, decided to have a Manhattan ($108). This classic cocktail is mixed by Rye Whiskey, Sweet Vermouth and Angostura Bitters. This is my favorite cocktail and got me started many years ago on the interests in alcoholic beverages. Drinking this today brought back many memories of my days visiting bars in the afternoon when I had no class in university. I would prefer this to be served in a rock glass, but the taste is true to the original recipe.

As my wife was still recovering from her stomach-ache she did not follow me to order the omakase. Instead she started with Shizuoka Sweet Tomato
with Smoky Salt ($88) and Grilled Seasonal Fish, which is a Kinki ($1480). The tomatoes are truly sweet and tasty, with the chef cutting into slices and bursting with the intense tomato flavors when eating them. But it is important to put a bit of the salt which brought a totally different experience on the palate, a really great starter.

The Kinki is of a good size, and this premium fish is prized for its great taste, and the chef has grilled it beautifully, with the flesh still moist and juicy, and exhibiting a great aromas from the fatty fish oil. The chef also provided a ponzu sauce with radish to add to the flavors. It is another great dish but I would say it is a bit pricey.

For the Omakase dinner ($1580), the appetizer is the Ankimo, or Monkfish Liver. The great 'foie gras in the sea' has a creamy texture and intense flavors, paired well with the ponzu radish on top. There are some nice yellow petals to decorate too making it both appealing on the palate and appearance.

Then it was the Sashimi, first being Hirame, or Japanese Halibut, with the chef offering two cuts. There are the thin sliced flesh which has been dabbled with some elderflower to add a nice delicate note to the fish, and there is also the side which offers extra bite on texture. Some seaweed salt is provided to add to the light taste of the fish. A nice one.

The second sashimi was Bonito, and the chef used charcoal to grill the skin to give a slight crispy texture, while the flesh is soft and tender. There are two condiments accompanying, one being chives and the other garlic, both coming from Japan provinces. Another great dish.

The third sashimi was Botan Ebi, or Spot Shrimp. The size of the shrimp is quite big, with a nice texture like melting in the mouth. The chef has creatively used toasted mullet roe to grind into powder and coated the shrimp, bring a nice savory to supplement to the sweetness of the shrimp, and also giving a nice golden yellow color.

The fourth sashimi was Mirugai, or Geoduck. A great contrast in texture to the previous dish, the geoduck has an amazing crunchy mouthfeel, and the chef has provided a lemon salt to pair, highlighting the freshness and sweetness of the clam even further.

The fifth sashimi was Toro, or Fatty Tuna, and the chef first used a glass cover to cover the dish, infusing with woody smoke, to slightly smoked the tuna. It is certainly tasty with some roes on top to provide a bit of salty flavor, and what I like is that the tuna was not too fat, offering a nice balance with the fragrance of the fish oil, and with the smoky note a good wrap up of the sashimi dishes. The chef also prepared a special sauce from egg and soy sauce which was the first time I tried and really amazing in complementing.

Then came the Deep Fried Madai, or Sea Bream. Wonderfully prepared, the scales on the skin had been deep-fried to crispiness and edible, giving a nice contrast to the firm, flaky flesh, with a delicate and mild flavor. There are some pickles on the side to reduce any oily note, and the yuzu salt also brought out the original taste of the fish nicely. Another nice dish.

The Steamed Egg with French Cristal Blue Prawns might sound simple, but here the chef had used the soup base prepared from the shrimps instead, so on the first bite one would find a familiar lobster bisque flavor from the egg. The egg is silky smooth in texture, and the prawn full of flavors. The addition of the chives not just added the color but also the nice fragrance too.

Next was the Boiled Ainame, or Greenling, in Broth with Shimeji Mushroom. This fish is relatively unfamiliar, but I would say is perfect for this dish. There is a nice white fish flavor, fleshy and firm in texture. The broth is also impressive with a bit of coriander adding to the flavorful soup base and the dish created a warm comforting culinary delight to diners which I found highly fulfilling.

Upon ordering the staff asked whether I am interested to upgrade the beef to the Yonezawa Beef, one of the three most famous beef in Japan, with an additional $100. Decided to try it out, the beef was truly good, with the surface grilled perfectly, while the flesh is appropriately cooked, juicy and soft. There are the usual complement of rock salt and spicy yuzu kosho paste, as well as some nicely deep-fried garlic slices.

Following is the sushi, starting with the Nodoguro, or Blackthroat Sea Perch. This is a premium fish with a great texture, full of flavors and the chef had put a little seaweed on top, but honestly I think that may not particularly serve much purpose. I would prefer the sushi to be served simple here. But overall the quality of the fish is just wonderful.

The second sushi was Ishigakigai. This meaty clam is big in size, and before serving the chef hit the flesh so that it contracted and allowing the texture to be even more crunchy. Fresh and sweet in taste, this is one of my favorite sushi and I am really thankful that the restaurant had this one in the lineup.

The third sushi was Shiroebi, or Small White Shrimp. This again is my favorites, with a lot of effort needed to remove the shell of the shrimps, and then putting them together to make the sushi. Simply creamy and explosion of flavors in the mouth, the chef had added a bit of shichimi on top. Again I think it might probably be better just to serve without those as the shrimps are already great in taste.

The fourth sushi was Uni or Sea Urchin. There are plenty of uni on the sushi, and it is served on a dish with spoon as apparently the chef did not want to make a roll. I found this way is better to taste the original flavors without having the seaweed masking the uni. Even though it might not be the best season for uni, the quality for this one is pretty good.

Wrapping up the sushi was Tamagoyaki, the Japanese egg omelette made by rolling multiple layers of cooked egg. I found this one strangely reminded me of the sponge cake and is not something I like unfortunately.

For dessert it was some fresh fruit from Japan, including the Kyoho Grape, Hokkaido Melon, and a Wagashi (a traditional Japanese confections) made to resemble a Persimmon. Nothing too special but it was a good finish to the meal.

The service throughout the night was good, and the chef had explained to us the different dishes during the meal. While the idea is to create a contemporary style Japanese cuisine there are elements I think the chef had made it over-complicated. The ingredients are all premium and good in quality, and it would be good for a few of the dishes to be made simpler and true to the original taste.

Some important details also worth to mention. It is essential to change the tea at the end of the meal for customers but unfortunately the staff somehow forgot to do so.

The overall bill for the meal was $3722. And in fact for the omakase I would say it is very good value for money considering the premium ingredients used and the portion served. I hope with the minor adjustments this restaurant can go further in establishing itself in the local Japanese cuisine arena.