This Japanese sushi restaurant is located in Harbour City, and my prior visit was in May 2023, hosting a gathering here with some of my best friends who finally able to return to HK after relaxation of covid protocols. We had a great time, enjoying amazing sushi prepared by Chef Tsukasa Kaneko, and the whole restaurant was fully packed with customers.
Returning on this Saturday evening, we are seated at the same spot as last time, but in this occasion we are served by Chef Shibayama from Hokkaido. The décor has not changed, with a comfortable and warm, premium sushiya ambience. There are two menus, and we go for the $2,480 one which has got more courses.
To pair with food, I have also ordered a bottle of sake, Toyobijin 東洋美人 限定純米吟醸 醇道一途 山田錦 ($1,580), from Sumikawa Sake Brewery 澄川酒造 in Yamaguchi. This sake has a nice umami note but quickly dissipates, leaving a clean palate afterwards. It is a versatile sake that matches well with Japanese food, but the mark-up price here is quite high.
The starter includes Deep-Fried Seasonal Lotus Root and Gingko, with the lotus root very crispy. On the side is a bowl of Ikura 筋子 which has been soaked in dashi, dusted with some yuzu shavings to add a refreshing fragrance to the poppy texture of the salmon roes. The other piece is a Zuwa-gani 松葉蟹 Cream Wrap, using a sheet of egg to wrap the snow crab meat and cream cheese together.
The second course features Sanma 秋刀 and Murasaki-Uni 紫雲丹. The chef has wrapped the Pacific saury together with some chives and radish in nori, to provide the rich umami taste with a balancing sweetness of the radish and fragrance of the chives, with a bit of shiso flowers as condiment. The purple sea urchin is also of season, placed on a piece of seaweed to enjoy in one go with some wasabi. Both very delicious.
Then Chef Shibayama shows us the huge tentacles of Tako 章魚, longer than his forearm. Cutting the octopus into bite size pieces, he also adds the suction cups for us, and providing wasabi and yuzu kosho for seasoning. I enjoy more the original taste though. The octopus is very tender and soft, not sure how long the chef needs to massage the muscle to achieve that texture. Nice.
The fourth course is Hokkaido Kegani 毛蟹.The chef has meticulously removed the horsehair crab meat, presented it nicely with the crab meat underneath, with a section of the leg meat on top. A satisfying luxurious treat with the delicate sweet crab meat very flavourful, with some tosazu 土佐酢 made to jelly format, to complement with the crab.
Starting with the first piece of sushi, Hirame 平目 is olive flounder, with this piece having a firm texture, mild and delicate taste. Very good.
The second sushi is Kinmedai 金目鯛, with the chef using charcoal to lightly sear the skin of the splendid alfonsino, vitalizing the fish oil and make the sushi more fragrant and rich in umami taste. Very good also.
The third sushi is Hokkigai 北寄貝, and again the chef has used charcoal to lightly sear the middle part of the surf clam to release a sweet taste, using some sea salt to season. The nice crunch on the bite is satisfying as well.
The fifth course is Ama-Ebi 甘海老 Chawanmushi 茶碗蒸, adding the sweet shrimp and shrimp miso to steam with the egg custard. The silky-smooth egg, together with the rich taste from the orange brown shrimp miso, is enjoyable.
The sixth course features Buri 鰤. The matured Japanese yellowtail has been smoked on hay, then adding some onion and myoga, and season with a bit of shoyu. The deep flavours and rich fish oil make this memorable.
Returning to the sushi, the fourth piece is Kuruma-Ebi 車海老, with the tiger prawn coming from Kagoshima. The prawn is poached and served slightly warm, with its firm texture, rich sweet taste full of umami. Another wonderful sushi.
The seventh course features Shirako 白子. The cod milt has been grilled and then garnish with some chives. It is a bit cooled down and probably would be more ideal serving it while still hot in temperature, and the taste is also quite bland. A slight disappointment.
The fifth piece of sushi is Nodoguro 喉黒, with the blackthroat seaperch famed for its rich fish oil. After it has been grilled briefly on charcoal, the chef prepares the sushi but instead of serving it direct to us, he thoughtfully uses a nori sheet to hold it, avoid spoiling our fingers with fish oil picking up the sushi. The rich sweet taste in fat is highly enjoyable.
The eighth course is Ezo-Awabi 蝦夷鮑 from Hokkaido. The prized abalone is cut into thick slices, paired with a paste made from the abalone liver. With each bite the umami taste seeps through the teeth, but it is a bit too firm on the bite, and perhaps need a bit longer time to steam. Still good.
The sixth sushi is Chu-Toro 中とろ. The maguro is caught near Oma in Aomori, with this medium fatty cut having intense flavours, tender and soft in texture. Very good.
The seventh sushi is Bafun-Uni Gunkan 馬糞雲丹, with the chef serving us an extra layer of the creamy and sweet sea urchin from Hokkaido. Nice and delicious.
The ninth course features Taichio 太刀魚. The chef has used yuzu sauce to brush on the skin of the largehead hairtail while grilling it, to give a refreshing citrus note to the sweet and tasty meat. Very good indeed.
The last piece of sushi is Anago 穴子, with the conger eel very soft and have a melt-in-the-mouth texture, with the homemade thick sauce delicious and not too sweet or salty. With a bit of sansho powder to season, it is very satisfying.
The Tamago 玉子焼 is made in traditional edomae style. The egg omelette is made from a mixture of egg, white fish, shrimp, yam, and sugar without adding any flour. It has a fluffy texture and reminds us of spongy cake. Very good.
The Red Miso Soup provides a comfortable closure to the dinner, offering warmth to the stomach to complete a wonderful meal.
The dessert has two types of grapes, including the famous Shine Muscat from Okayama and Pione from Yamagata. Both the grapes are very sweet, with their unique flavours. On the side is the Wine Jelly which is palate cleansing.
Service is good, with the staff attentive
and helpful to introduce the dishes. Even though the chef does not converse
with us that much throughout the meal, is welcoming. The bill on the night is
$7,194 and overall, I would rate this sushiya as good, but somehow has not got
the same energy and amazing taste in my memories. Maybe it has to do with the
much slower business nowadays, as we sadly see there are only 6 customers in
this evening.
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