I have heard about this sushi restaurant for a while, but until recently was not specifically top of mind. Knowing that it is where local celebrity Anthony Wong picked to visit before leaving HK, we decided to come this Wednesday evening to understand why.
Located on Macau Yat Yuen Centre in Causeway Bay, we arrived sharp at 7pm. Entering, the décor is decent, with a traditional sushiya ambience, having a L-shaped hinoki counter seating 11 customers. Chef Imamura and his wife greeted us, with with other customers also arriving, started to prepare our dinner.
There are two menu and we ordered the Omakase Set ($2500). I also picked a bottle of sake, from Kiyashou Brewery木屋正酒造 in Mie Prefecture, Jikon Junmai Daiginjo Hakutsurunishiki 而今 純米大吟醸 白鶴錦 ($1500), which I like the fragrance and lighter taste to go with the food.
The first course was Junsai 莼菜, the seasonal Watershield. The chef added some sea urchin, surf clam, white corn kernels, yam, and vinegar jelly to make a refreshing starter. Delicate and with the different components harmonized in taste and not overshadowing each other.
Then the chef took out a box of Tomatoes, cutting it in pieces to serve as another appetizer. Paired with a bit of salt, it enhanced the sweetness of the juicy tomatoes. Simple yet another highlight of the quality of the food ingredient.
Two different sea bream was showcased next. The Madai 真鯛, or Japanese Sea Bream, had a firmer texture and more delicate in taste, while the Meichidai 目一鯛, or Gray Large-eye Bream, was softer and sweeter in flavours. An interesting contrast and both were very good with ponzu sauce.
The first piece of sushi was Hokkigai 北寄貝, with the chef lightly grilled it on charcoal before kneading the sushi. The Surf Clam was sweet and full of umami flavours, with the grilling helped to remove any hint of fishiness and added a touch of nice smokiness as well.
The second piece was Kinmedai 金目鯛, with the chef using a piece of charcoal to sear the skin to vitalize the fish oil, before torching a bit further. The fragrance of the Splendid Alfonso was highly appealing, while the taste was mild, the soft and tender texture was memorable.
Taken from the kitchen were some Chamame 茶豆. Looked like Edamame, the chef had boiled and then seasoned with salt. It had a sweeter taste, and interestingly the flavours kind of reminded me of taro. First time I had experienced this type of bean.
The next course was a show, with the chef meticulously cutting the Hamo 鱧 to break the small bones of the Pike Conger, a summer delicacy in Kyoto, the chef’s home city. After parboiling, it was put in ice water to stop the cooking, getting a crunchy texture. While on its own it was very light in taste, the plum paste paired was definitely a great match.
The Biwa-Masu 琵琶鱒 was a type of trout that inhabit in Lake Biwa, the largest freshwater lake in Japan. It had nice fat level, and the chef had prepared a special soy sauce seeped with ginger and spring onion, which created a perfect match in taste.
Next was Botan-Ebi 牡丹蝦, with the chef putting a homemade sauce made from the brown meat of the Spot Prawn, then sprinkled with the dried prawn roes which had been toasted, enhancing the umami and flavours tremendously.
On the night there were three sea urchin sushi. The first, Murasaki-Uni 紫雲丹, came from Hakodate in Hokkaido, with the large Purple Sea Urchin having a clean taste, holding up well in shape while on the bite was creamy. Very nice indeed.
Using a cocktail glass, the next course presented was a mousse made with Ise-Ebi 伊勢海老 and then scooping in plenty of Kegani 毛蟹 on top. With a bit of crab brown sauce to supplement, mixing the rich, creamy lobster mousse with the delicate crab meat created a wonderful treat of delicacies. Really tasty.
The Chawanmushi 茶碗蒸しwas another wonderful dish. The Steamed Egg was great in taste thanks to the delicious dashi broth, as well as the prized Matsutake 松茸 which had been grilled beforehand.
Next was one of my favourites in the evening. The Nishin 鯑 was prepared in a roll, with the great fatty texture, intense but not fishy flavours, plus the finely shredded pickles wrapped in a toasted nori sheet. One piece I would definitely like to encore.
Another sea urchin sushi came next. This Aka-Uni from Awaji Island in Hyogo Prefecture was only available two months in the year, with a clean and more refined flavours. Both of us had great resonance with this and I strongly recommend to try it out if available.
Seeing the chef took out the Awabi 鮑 and cutting into big chunks our mouths already started to water. The tender and flavourful abalone was very good, with a rich, buttery liver paste so good we immediately asked for some shari to enable us to savour the last drop of it.
The Kuruma-Ebi 車海老 was one of my top picks in having sushi. The quality of this Japanese Tiger Prawn was good as expected, and perhaps the only thing for me was the temperature of the prawn, where personally I would prefer the warmer style serve straight after cooking. Still very good nevertheless.
The long-awaited Shinko 新子 had got my attention all night, and seeing the chef using four tails to make the sushi was a treat, especially knowing how much effort it took to fillet the Young Gizzard Shad. I liked the way these were marinated, with the touch of vinegar not overpowering the flavours.
Coming to the Maguro 鮪, the Tuna was caught in Miyagi, while it is not the best season and this tail also relatively small in size, the Chutoro 中とろ had good fat contents and flavours, and was very delicious in all standards. Size does not matter in all cases.
The other piece of Tuna was Shimofuri 霜降り, with the flesh showing the specks of white coming from the fat, with a great soft, melt-in-the-mouth texture that was fantastic in umami and flavours but not like some cut that was just too fatty. A great piece and even more wonderful was the chef gave me another serving as one of the other customers did not want her piece. How fortunate for me.
Seeing the Anago 穴子 we knew it was close to the end of the meal. The Conger Eel was beautifully grilled with the tare sauce, with a slightly crisp surface, soft and moist on the flesh, the sauce had also the right level of sweet and savoury balance. Another great piece.
The final piece was another Sea Urchin, this one coming from Fukuoka in fact, another Aka-Uni. The chef used a nori sheet to wrap the sea urchin with shari as its form would be too difficult to knead into sushi. Very sweet and intense in flavours, this one was the best among the three and according to the chef was also extremely difficult to buy.
A nice Miso Soup was served, which helped to warm the stomach after a really great meal. I also liked it was spot on in flavours, with good umami note and not overly salty.
We were asked the cut of the Tamagoyaki 玉子焼き with most of the guests opting for the side, including me. The fluffy texture of the egg with the light yet detectable seafood flavours in the broth was enjoyable.
The dessert was Fresh Peach and Matcha Panna Cotta. The seasonal peach was very juicy and sweet, while the silky soft matcha panna cotta was not too sweet to my liking. A wonderful finale to a fantastic meal.
But wait, it was not finished! After completing most of the course Chef Imamura started to drink with his customers, and also opened a bottle of sake to toast with us. He then took some Hotategai 帆立貝 to prepare a dish for us to go with the sake. Even for first-timer like us we felt at home and totally immersed into the cheerful and fun atmosphere.
He also provided us a Lemon Sorbet to cleanse our palate and finished with something sweet. And by that time, I guess most of the customers had drunk a fair bit, including me. We chatted a lot with Mrs. Imamura and came to know more her story with Chef Imamura and found we were also fellow countrymen.
The bill on the night was $7,150 and considering the food
quality, service and atmosphere, it was wonderful value for money. In some
sushi restaurants one might feel a bit intimidated but certainly this is not
such a place. No wonder Anthony Wong said this is the one he would visit before
leaving HK, and I am quite sure there are many who would say the same.
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