As a fan of Chef Kin and regular patron of Sushi Kumogaku, knowing that he has partnered with Chef Gabriel Chung for a few days of 4-hands dinner ($2,980 each), we reserved two seats and came today to see what special dishes they have prepared for the occasion.
In addition to some special dishes, there is also a wine pairing arranged ($898 for 5 glasses), starting with a glass of Krug Grande Cuvee Edition 171eme. A very nice Champagne with good acidity to match the first few dishes on the menu.
The first course, Summer Appetizer, features Mozuku 水雲 and Cold Noodles in Bonito Dashi. Serving in chilled temperature, the Okinawa seaweed is refreshing with a crunchy bite, in contrast to the silky soft noodles. The dashi is very salty though.
The second course comprise of three small bites. In the middle is a Shima Ebi 縞海老 Tart, with some Ricotta cheese beneath the sweet grey prawn, decorated with some local lychee vinegar gel, red daikon and oscietra caviar on top.
On the right is Seasonal Shellfish, featuring
Ishigakigai 石垣貝. Using Bering Sea cockle in its raw
form and a piece that has been briefly toasted on charcoal, the clam is very
sweet and crunchy on the bite. The pickled spruce tips on top is marinated
using winter pine needle vinegar from Denmark.
On the right is Summer Katsuo 鰹, with Chef Kin cutting a slab of skipjack tuna, grilling it over
hay fire in the kitchen, to infuse the fish fillet with a smoky fragrance
before cutting it into slices to serve. Together with some grilled scallion
sauce, it is highly flavorful and delicious.
The second wine in the pairing is Thibaud Boudignon Clos de la Hutte 2020, from Savennieres in Loire Valley. The Chenin Blanc has nice citrus characters, bringing forth also the minerality of the region.
The third course is Uni Chawanmushi 茶碗蒸. Inside the steamed egg custard, apart from the Hokkaido Bafun sea urchin, there is also the seasonal Kanpachi 間八, with some green apple and seaweed oil added to the white fish. It is topped with an espuma, made from Kyoto carrot juice that is fermented for seven days for some savoury and sour taste, with also some lime zests to freshen the palate. Appetizing.
The fourth course is Iwashi 鰯 Roll. Putting the sardines on a piece of nori, Chef Kin adds shiso, spring onion, and some pickled ginger, which has been marinated with homemade rose vinegar, to add a touch of Western cuisine to this traditional Japanese delicacy. With a bit of wasabi to season, the picked ginger has a slight floral flavor to balance the rich taste of the sardines to good effect.
The fifth course is Abalone 鮑 Angel Hair Noodle. The steamed Chiba abalone is tender and rich in taste, with Chef Gabriel using the abalone liver sauce to mix with Spanish sherry vinegar and truffle oil as a sauce to add to the pasta. On top there are some oscietra caviar, and plenty of shaved Australian winter black truffle, it is of intense flavours but each component can shine without being masked by the others. Chef Kin also serves us a cup of steamed abalone broth, which is pure umami.
The third wine in the pairing is Jerome Galeyrand Cotes du Nuits-Villages Vieilles Vignes 2022. A Pinot Noir with fresh cherries and strawberry notes, light and easy to drink, with low tannins.
Next is Maguro Trio, a series of sushi featuring different parts of tuna. The first piece is Akami 赤身 Sushi, with the lean tuna having a smooth texture, rich in umami. The tuna is caught in Boston.
The second piece is Chu-Toro 中とろ Sushi, with the cut composing of half lean and half medium fatty tuna, and the two portions are clearly distinguished on the flesh. This tuna is caught in Australia.
The third piece is O-Toro 大とろ Sushi, and the fatty tuna has rich fish oil seeping out from each bite, full of amazing flavours. All three pieces are impeccable in quality. And the tuna for this one is also from Boston.
Coming to the ninth course, Crab Cake Tempura, Chef Kin uses Kegani 毛蟹 from Hokkaido, and the cake is pure crab meat, using only egg yolk to coagulate to form the shape, fantastic in taste. It is paired with elderflower tartare sauce, with a unique floral and tropical fruit note.
The fourth wine in the pairing is Chateau des Quarts Pouilly-Fuisse Aux Quarts 1er Cru Clos des Quarts 2020. A monopole of the producer, it has richer flavours of citrus and floral, also a sharper flinty note.
Then comes another two pieces of sushi. Aji 鯵 Sushi has a nice shiny sheen on the skin and pinkish flesh, demonstrating the freshness of the horse mackerel. Adding some grilled scallion sauce to season, the sauce is a bit different than the earlier one with katsuo, having more intense scallion flavours to match the fish oil. Very thoughtful.
The other piece is Akamutsu 赤鯥 Sushi. The rosy seabass is fatty, and after grilling on charcoal briefly, the fish oil is vitalized and becomes very fragrant. A small pickled wild asparagus is put on top, offering the necessary acidity to balance the fattiness.
The twelfth course features Charcoal Grilled Kinki 喜知次. The prized channel rockfish is perfectly grilled with a crisp skin and put in a fish broth with Kyoto mi sansho, fermented mustard greens, burnt chili puree, parsley oil, and sauerkraut sauce. The mustard greens has been fermented under low temperature for 3 months, without using preservatives. The whole experience reminds me of an elevated version of the popular Sichuan dish, but much more flavourful, refined and delicious. A fantastic dish and a must try.
As there are still a few pieces of sushi remaining, with the possible addition of a few more, I have 悦凱陣 山廢純米 花巻亀の尾 無濾過生 from Kagawa ($195). The sake has good intense flavours, complex yet well-balanced. A very good recommendation from Chef Kin.
The remaining two sushi pieces include Kuruma Ebi 車海老 Sushi. The Japanese tiger prawn is cooked perfectly, with the shell removed while the prawn is still steaming hot. Sweet in taste, with a bit of grilled prawn tomalley added, wonderful.
The last piece of sushi on the menu features Aka-Uni 赤海胆 from Awaji Island. Because of very limited supply, this sea urchin is not commonly offered. As it does not add any preservative so have a short shelf life, but the clean and delicate taste is memorable.
The fifteenth course is Tachiuo 太刀 Matsutake 松茸 Ochazuke 茶漬. Served inside the fermented porcini dashi is the grilled largehead hairtail, wrapping the shredded matsutake mushroom inside. Together with grilled onigiri, it has a nice mix of sourness and savoury in flavours, very pleasant.
Seeing how the other diners are all craving for more, I cannot help but order two additional pieces of sushi. The first is Akaza-Ebi 赤座海老 Sushi ($160). The Japanese langoustine has nice, sweet taste, with a softer texture than lobster. Very nice.
The second is Tokishirazu 時不知 Sushi ($120). The chum salmon has a very tender texture, rich in flavours. with good fattiness. Only available in early summer off the coast of Hokkaido, they are the best quality salmon in my opinion. A must try when it is available.
The fifth wine in the pairing is Markus Molitor Kinheimer Hubertuslay Auslese 2013. The German Riesling has a delicate sweetness, balancing well with its acidity, making this sweet wine refreshing and able to pair well with lighter desserts.
But before that, we have our sixteenth course, the signature Ankimo 鮟肝 Puff. Reheating the puff to warm it up, the cold mashed monkfish liver is piped inside, giving a nice contrast in temperature. Very rich in flavours but without any greasiness, the creamy monkfish liver is truly phenomenal.
The dessert is Pistacio Cheesecake, having an appropriate level of sweetness while balanced by the savoury of the cream cheese, infused also with the pistachio nutty flavours, a happy and complete ending for a fantastic dinner.
Service is wonderful as always, and the bill on the night is $8,066. They remain one of my top three most visited sushi restaurants in Hong Kong for the obvious reason of good quality food and impeccable services. In terms of consistency, I would rate Chef Kin as one of the top, and look forward to the special sea urchin dinner at the end of the month.
沒有留言:
張貼留言