There are two outlets of this sushi restaurant, with one in Sheung Wan and another in TST, which has opened more recently. Today we came to the Sheung Wan branch, which is located on Jervois Street. Going through the red noren curtain, we arrived at Sushi Rin.
The restaurant has two floors. On the ground floor is a L-shaped sushi counter that can serve ten customers, with neat design and décor. An interesting feature is the turquoise backdrop behind the chef, reminding me of the scales of fish. We were served by Chef Lung on the night.
Ordering the Omakase Menu ($1,880), the appetizer was an assortment of three dishes. On the left was the delicate taste kuzuimo 葛芋, or jicama, with miso. In the middle was zuwagani 松葉蟹, or snow crab, with vinegar jelly to bring forward its sweetness. On the right was hotaruika 蛍烏賊, or firefly squid, paired with some yuzu miso paste, with intense umami taste. A good start for the meal.
There was a total of seven sashimi included, the first one being same-karei 鮫鰈, or shark flounder, from Hokkaido. Chef Lung torched the engawa, or skirt, of the flounder to vitalize the fish oil, putting it onto a thin slice of the sashimi, adding a bit of the paste made from its liver, and then rolled it up. With a bit of charcoal salt or ponzu, the wonderful texture of the bite, the richness of the liver paste, and the fragrant fish oil provided a great feast of delights. Excellent.
The second sashimi featured hotategai 帆立貝 and akagai 赤貝. The scallop was large in size and meaty, with Chef Lung adding a few drops of lime juice to freshen up and bring forward the nice umami sweetness. The ark shell was crunchy in texture, with the muscle retracting when it hit on the chopping board. Seasoned with a bit of charcoal salt and yuzu shavings, very fresh and delicious. Good.
The third sashimi was kanpachi 間八, from Ehime. The greater amberjack had a firm, crunchy bite, with the chef cutting two portions of the fish’s fatty belly, one simply sliced to enjoy its delicate flavours, the other torched, to highlight the fish oil. He also suggested we could add a bit more wasabi on the latter to balance the fattiness. Very good.
The fourth sashimi was gindara 銀鱈 from Hokkaido. The baby black cod had been lightly torched and the chef recommended us to add a bit of wasabi, together with also some finely chopped leek marinated briefly in soy sauce, wrapped within a piece of nori sheet. Compared with those larger versions typically served in grilled dish, this one had a firmer texture and less fatty. Better in flavours as well. Very good.
The fifth sashimi was saba 鯖 from Nagasaki. Instead of the typical style to marinate in vinegar, Chef Lung wanted us to taste the fresh and original flavours of the mackerel, only torching it lightly on the skin. Adding a bit of shredded shiso leaf to freshen the palate, I applauded the chef’s attempt to highlight the authentic taste of the fish and demonstrated his confidence on its freshness. Very good.
The sixth sashimi was maguro 鮪. Chef Lung had cut two pieces of tuna, with a piece of chu-toro, the medium fatty belly, on the bottom, and a piece of o-toro, the prized fatty belly, on top. The fish oil in the o-toro was further enhanced through torching. Sandwiched between the two pieces was a shiso leaf and an abundance of wasabi, with everything wrapped inside a nori sheet. Luxurious enjoyment of the great taste of tuna, and despite the large amount of wasabi it did not feel choking at all, only to miraculously reduce the overall fattiness. A clever way to serve fatty tuna. Excellent.
Coming to the seventh and last sashimi, it was the prized seikogani 勢子蟹. The seasonal female snow crab was a wonderful delicacy, with the chef meticulously picking the meat, roes, and butter, and then stuffed it all back to the shell for a great presentation. Combining the three together, with a bit of crab vinegar, every bite was pure joy and wonders. Excellent.
Before transitioning to sushi, we were served the first of the two hot dish. The tempura included awabi 鮑, okra, sweet potato, and maitake 舞茸. The batter was thin, with the deep-frying process nicely done, each piece was dry and without feeling oily. Among the four, I liked the sweet potato most. Adding a bit of rock salt helped to further enhance the overall enjoyment. Good.
There was a total of six sushi, with the first being hokkigai 北寄貝. The surf clam was large in size, with the shari, or sushi rice, completely concealed under. Fresh and having a wonderful bite, it was full of umami flavours. The amount of vinegar in the shari was appropriate too. Very good.
The second sushi was shima-aji 縞鯵 from Oita. The striped jack mackerel had a nice fattiness, with the chef slicing a thick cut to make the sushi. The flesh was tender yet exhibiting a good bite, with a delicate yet nice umami taste. Good.
The third sushi was kuromutsu 黒鯥. The bluefish is a deep-water fish with high fat contents, and the generous thick cut provided a rewarding and fulfilling bite, with a bit menegi and momiji oroshi paste to give extra fragrance and a tiny bit of spiciness to season. Very good.
The fourth sushi was shirouni 白海胆 from Hokkaido. The white sea urchin got a sweet taste, without any weird flavour, where each piece was equal in size. Brushing with a bit of soy sauce, the umami is further enriched. Very good.
The fifth sushi was aji 鯵 from Shimane. The Japanese horse mackerel had a nice silvery skin, signifying how fresh the fish was, with the chef adding a bit of menegi to balance the stronger taste. The soft texture of the flesh was another highlight of this sushi. Very good.
The sixth and final sushi was botanebi 牡丹蝦 from Hokkaido. After removing the shell of the large spot prawn, Chef Lung used the prawn butter in the head to prepare a flavourful paste by adding some soy sauce before torching it, and then put inside the sushi to enrich the umami. This sushi was my favourite in the evening. Excellent.
The other hot dish was braised maguro jowl. The sauce had infused the tuna with umami and sweetness, with the eggplant on the side. Together with some shredded shiso leaf, the large chunk of jowl meat did not feel heavy, even after finishing all the courses beforehand. Very good.
I asked Chef Lung whether he could prepare an additional Kanpyo-maki 干瓢巻 ($80) for us. He gave me a wry smile hearing that and went into the kitchen to retrieve the dried gourd to make the sushi roll, splitting into four pieces for me and my wife. He had used the right amount of wasabi to balance the sweetness of kanpyo with more spiciness and giving us a complete, satisfying finish to the meal. Very good.
The miso soup was hot and brings a comfortable warming to the stomach, not overly salty. Good. Dessert was a homemade matcha pudding, with also black bean. A bit too sweet for my preference, but the pudding was silky soft and the matcha decent in quality. Good.
Service was good, with the staff courteous and attentive, and Chef Lung was friendly as well, introducing the ingredients to us throughout the meal. I was actually quite surprised at the variety of ingredients available for customers ordering the sushi set. And no wonder despite its relatively remote location in Sheung Wan, the restaurant was packed on a weekday evening. The bill was $4,224 and good value for money. It is a restaurant I intend to revisit again.
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