Wineshark Mystery Restaurant - Hana no Kumo 花雲

As The Henderson has become a hip landmark in Admiralty, with a few restaurants also starting business, two months ago we had a good experience dining at the contemporary Korean restaurant Akira Back. Today we come to Hana no Kumo, a Japanese kappou restaurant located on Summit 38, to see whether it can keep up with our expectation.

The glamorous entrance leads to a circular room, with a rounded counter surrounding the central preparation station. The ceiling has a beautiful light fixture, like the petals of a flower, echoing the name of the restaurant. The use of wood and stone also creates a natural and comfortable dining atmosphere. 

Soon all the other customers arrived, and the dinner duly starts. The December Menu 師走 御献立 ($2,380 each) has ten courses, and I also order a bottle of 新政Colors 生成 Ecru 2024 ($2,380) from the famous 秋田県 sake brewery 新政酒造. The taste is pure, and this entry-level Aramasa is versatile and a good match with food.

The starter is 車海老 ラフランスの白和え. The crunchy Tiger Prawn and sweet La France pear are cut into small cubes, mixed with Shira-ae, a creamy mashed tofu salad with some spinach, before adding some caviar on top to give a touch of savoury and colour, making this starter even more premium and delicious.

The appetizer is 香箱蟹の茶碗蒸し. The seasonal Female Snow Crab is a prized specialty, only allow for catch during November to January. Its delicate Crabmeat and intense flavoured miso are used to prepare a thick sauce on the Steamed Egg of silky-smooth texture and serve very hot in temperature for the best effect. 

The signature course is 蒸し鮑と雲丹の磯辺餡掛け. The Steamed Abalone is cooked to perfection, tender and not rubbery in texture. The creamy Hokkaido Bafun Sea Urchin on top, together with the delicious Seaweed Sauce, provide sweetness and umami to enjoy the natural flavours of the abalone to the full extent. 

The seasonal clear soup is 甘鯛 舞茸. The broth is prepared from shaved bonito and kombu without pressing, rich in amazing umami flavours. A grilled piece of Tilefish, with a slight golden surface while the flesh remains moist and soft, is added, together with the prized Japanese Maitake Mushroom, for its wonderful aromas.

The cold dish is Seasonal Sashimi 旬のお造り, which include Hirame 平目, Buri 鰤, and Toro トロ. Apart from the usual shoyu and wasabi, which are for olive flounder and tuna, a special pickled sauce is served to highlight the flavours of the yellowtail. A small engawa, skirt of flounder, is supplemented also so we can enjoy its nice chewy bite. 

The assorted dishes 山海佳肴 features a platter utilizing the best seasonal ingredients, including shimeji and shungiku in dashi, deep-fried hamo, grilled ox tongue, deep-fried taro, fresh tomato with sesame sauce, grilled engawa sushi, boiled mukago, and chicken liver pate in monaka. A beautiful presentation with all the items tastes good. 

For Main Seafood Dish 海の幸, the chef braises the Ise-Ebi to perfection, with the lobster meat having a sweet taste and crunchy bite, and served in a creamy white Shirako Sauce, matching the cod milt sauce well with Daikon, the seasonal turnip, and Spinach. Both vegetables are of good quality and without any fibrous residue.

The Main Meat Dish 山の幸 features a charcoal-grilled Omi Beef, prepared to medium rare per my preference. The steak is juicy and tender, having just tiny amount of seasoning to highlight the original flavours of the prized wagyu. It is served also with some fresh salad and a piece of sweet potato on the side. 

There are two options for Rice, and we have picked Wagyu & Black Truffle with Soft Boiled Rice 和牛トリュフ温泉卵ご飯. We have also requested to have additional white truffles ($100 each), which are perfect match with the wagyu slices, enhancing the flavours tremendously. The rice is also served together with miso soup and pickles. 

The dessert is Seasonal Fruits & Chestnut Ice Cream Monaka 旬のフルーツ 栗アイス最中. The fruit includes muscat grape, strawberry, and melon, all very juicy and sweet, while the monaka contains the homemade chestnut ice-cream, sandwiched in the rice cracker, with a nice Christmas decoration to celebrate this festive season.

The bill on the night is $8,074. Service is nice, but the staff should learn more about the food in order to introduce. It is also annoying to have a group of customers who keep talking loudly and speak in foul languages beside us, which ruin the dining experience. Discarding that, I would rate this restaurant for a Good 78 points. Can try.