Today we came to Akira Back, under the famous Korean chef and restaurateur of the same name, which was recently opened in the iconic The Henderson at Admiralty, for its fusion Korean Japanese cuisine. Stepping out of the elevator, the artistic design of the chocolate-brown entrance, and the contrasting white marble floor already drew a gasp of awe.
We were seated at a table on the window side, looking down to the building lobby one floor below. The décor here is truly sensational, with every single element, from the ceiling, lighting, and wall panels to tabletop and tiles on the floor, all creating a special ambience which is comfortable and chic at the same time.
As I was driving on the day, instead of trying out their wine selection, I ordered a mocktail to start, picking Spumoni ($138). Made with Lyre’s red bitter, grapefruit, Fever-Tree tonic, and saline, it is a refreshing beverage, with the different components harmonized in taste. My wife had a simple Ginger Ale ($48) as well.
We had two appetizers. AB Tuna Pizza ($168) had a thin crisp crust at the bottom, spread with umami aioli and some micro shiso, drizzled with white truffle oil, before coated with a layer of tuna hammered to paper thin, plus rings of onion, tomato, and green pepper to decorate. The contrast in taste and texture was interesting, also delicious.
The other appetizer was Truffle Bomb ($238). On the smoked potato truffle foam were three beautifully deep-fried croquette balls, with raw marinated sweet shrimp jang, sea urchin, and caviar on top, decorated with some chopped spring onion, giving complex savoury and umami taste to the croquettes, further enhanced by flavours of truffle in the foam.
For the main, Filet Tobanyaki ($488) was served on a sizzling hot stone plate, with an umami soy sauce poured on top of the prime filet and mixed mushrooms. The filet was of great quality, very tender and juicy, while the mushrooms got a good bite on texture and complementing with its earthy taste.
The Bibimbap ($258) is the traditional anchor food in stone bowl, with different sauteed vegetables, mixed with gochujang, the signature Korean fermented chili sauce, with a twist of using job’s tear instead of rice, to take advantage of the grain’s chewy texture and earthy taste. Both delicious and healthy.
We had also ordered the signature Brother From Another Mother ($268). Strangely it only came after we had finished the bibimbap. The roll got its name as it featured two types of eels. Wrapped inside the roll were the freshwater eel unagi kabayaki, with sea eel anago tempura on top, plus some shaved foie gras torchon, and paired with ponzu aioli. Creative but not my favourite.
For dessert I had Chocolate in a Cup ($118). Served in a coffee cup was Nutella together with vanilla bean ice-cream and a banana foam, and a chocolate film on top with the restaurant’s logos. Rich and flavourful. My wife had Yuzu Shiso ($108) featuring confit citrus fruit, lime madeleine, yuko yuzu sorbet, and green shiso cream. Refreshing and nice.
Service was good, with the staff attentive and friendly, eager to help. Food quality was very good and delicious, with the dining environment impeccable. The bill on the night is $2,112. On checking my receipt, I found the restaurant charged me $168 for the Tuna Pizza but according to the menu it should be $148. Something the restaurant needed to investigate and correct, but we were very happy about the overall experience. No wonder it had become a hot spot in town.
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