This Michelin 3-star sushi restaurant has always been one of my favorites in town. Coming for the first time after it has moved to Landmark Mandarin Oriental Hotel, we saw the familiar sushi counter having just 8 seats, but at the back the traditional charcoal grill stove is now moved inside the kitchen. Greeted by Chef Yoshiharu Kakinuma, I ordered a bottle of Kamoshibito Kuheiji 'Eau du Desir' Junmai Daiginjo ($2200) to pair with the Omakase dinner ($3500 each) on the night.
The first course was Shirako, the grilled cod fish milt with buckwheat nuts and black caviar. The chef has mixed the buckwheat nuts with some fish broth and the overall texture reminded me of risotto, with the buckwheat having a nice bite. The shirako is grilled beautifully, with a creamy mouthfeel matching well with the buckwheat. The caviar further enhanced the flavors with some salty and savory note, balanced well with the chives.
The second course is Shiromi, the seasonal white fish. The chef had chosen Tai, or Sea Bream, and had sliced into two pieces, one serving with the eggs of sea urchin, with some lime juice to complement, highly refreshing and delicate. The other is more intense in flavors, with the konbu bringing a stronger umami note, supplemented with the in-house made soy sauce from the bones of the fish. Both are really great and an example of how the chef's attention to all the details in the cuisine.
The third course was Hotategai, or grilled scallop with seaweed. Another of my favorites, the scallop is grilled so perfectly, with the surface lightly browned to give a great fragrance, while the inside is soft and moist, and amazingly there is no fibre in chewing. The sauce also is fantastic and sandwiched by the seaweed is truly a wonderful appetizer that one cannot stop eating.
The fourth course is another signature here, one that I can still remember clearly from the last visit. The Tako, or Japanese style tender octopus, has been marinated and massaged for a long time so that it is very tender, without any residue after biting. It is as good as always.
The fifth course was Katsuo, or seared bonito. The chef first used the skewer to poke the skin to allow the fish oil to seep out during the grilling, then put that to the stove. The heat livens up the fish oil, not only to give a great taste but also intensify the flavors, and there is a sauce prepared from yam underneath. The amazing taste of the Kyoto scallion also complemented tremendously to the dish. This is the chef's personal favorites.
The sixth course was Awabi, with the steamed abalone with abalone liver sauce. The abalone is truly large in size, cut into thick slices and then dipped with the carefully prepared liver sauce. So creamy and rich in taste, it does not mask the delicate flavors of the abalone but on the contrary enhanced the overall enjoyment. The sauce is so good that the chef has provided some sushi rice for us to savor the remaining of the sauce.
The seventh course was Koubako-Gani, or Japanese snow crab with citrus jelly and crab roe. This crab is only allowed to be caught during a certain period, with the chef meticulously picking the crab meat and then stuffed it back into the shell. The crab roe is then added to the citrus jelly sauce and so on every bite there is an intense crab roe sparkles added to the flavorful crab meat, with the yuzu note permeating and freshen up the whole experience.
Moving to the sushi, the first one was Ika, or cuttlefish. Seeing the chef's skills on the knife, cutting the cuttlefish in very fine intervals to make it tender to the bite. The amazing texture of the cuttlefish is just like melting in the mouth.
The second sushi was Kinmedai. I did not ask but I thought the fish was aged for a while to tenderize the texture. The fish is surprisingly rich in flavors too. Another great sushi.
The third sushi was Akami, the lean tuna that is marinated in soy sauce for a short while. Perfect in the seasoning, the tuna was rich in taste and for my wife she prefers this much more than the more premium o-toro.
The fourth sushi was O-Toro, the fatty tuna. So intense was the fish oil, the sushi however did not have any unpleasant sensation for eating a piece of fat. Unfortunately I failed to observe how the chef prepared the fish as I was busy arranging for the next visit to celebrate my wife's birthday.
The fifth sushi was Kohada, or gizzard shad. This fish I had for the second time recently, the fish is very flavorful and in terms of the fish I would rate this as my top among the different sushi, and one that I want to encore for another piece.
The sixth sushi was Saba-bou-sushi, or mackerel roll. This is the first time I had such, with the mackerel wrapping some shiso and shari sushi rice. There are also something else in the middle but I did not ask. The mackerel has been marinated with vinegar so there is a sourness but this probably is a traditional edomae sushi that not many restaurants are doing in HK. If there is opportunity you should try it out.
The seventh sushi was Uni, and there are two types of sea urchin used. One is the sweeter Bafun sea urchin, then the more creamy purple sea urchin. The chef showed us the two types of sea urchin in the box, and from the colour and shape it can be easily identified. A good lesson for the diners, on the taste it was simply wonderful, with the great sea urchin sweetness and not having any tiny bit of weird note which I found in many sushi places in HK.
The eighth sushi was Kuruma-Ebi, or tiger prawn. This is my wife's favorite, with the chef grilling the prawn and then removing the shell in front of us, cutting in halves and then removing the intestines, before putting on the sushi. Truly demonstrating the wonderful taste of the tiger prawn.
The ninth sushi was Anago, or sea eel. The eel was grilled and brushed with a home-made sauce, with the eel truly melting in the mouth. A great finale for the sushi.
The tenth sushi was the Tamago, or castellea egg. Often overlooked but this is another true test to the chef. The right broth to add to the egg and the thickness of the egg are all critical elements, and here they did not disappoint, delivering another exceptional piece.
Wrapping up there was the Miso Soup which was boiled with fish, creating a rich and intense soup, making one feel contented and warm.
The dessert was a mochi style rice cake wrapping a strawberry and red bean paste. Appropriate in sweetness, the strawberry gives some nice acidity to complement the red bean paste to make it refreshing and enjoyable.
The service was good and attentive, with the choice of sake also very wide. Given that there is only 8 seats, there restaurants have two servings per night, one starting at 6:00pm and the other at 8:30pm. Deposit payment is also needed.
The bill on the night was $10,676 and frankly is one of the most expensive dinner I had. But if you want quality, and also to understand why this restaurant is so good, this is definitely one place worth you visiting.
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