Before heading to London for a business trip, I came to Sushi Kumogaku for my regular catch up with Chef Kin to enjoy a good dinner. The team greeted us warmly as usual and led us to our seats at the 12-people hinoki counter.
I started with a serving of 白糸酒造 ハネ木搾り純米酒『糸島70』($180). A clean and refreshing sake, made with 100% 糸島産山田錦, with rich rice flavours but also a crisp finish, a nice one to start dinner with.
The first course was Zuwai-Gani Chawanmushi 松葉蟹 茶碗蒸. Inside the steamed egg custard was an abundance of snow crab meat, with a thick ginger sauce on top. Silky smooth on texture and full of wonderful umami in taste, it was also searing hot, serving at the optimal temperature.
The second course featured Mirugai 海松貝 and Makogarei 真子鰈. The geoduck was crunchy and had a wonderful umami taste and good sweetness, while the marble sole was an amazing shiromi-zakana in Summer, prized for its firm texture and great bite. Together with its engawa, rich in fish oil, the marble sole was a must-try if available.
The third course was Aji 鯵 from Amakusa. The Spring Japanese horse mackerel was small, with each fish able to serve for two. Have marinated in vinegar briefly, with a bit of acidity to freshen the taste, it was enjoyed with the mashed daikon on the side, with some fresh wakame underneath to increase the umami.
The fourth course showcased the seasonal Komochi Yari-Ika 子持槍烏賊. The eggs of the spear squid were stuffed back inside, half-cooked to a gorgeous soft and gooey texture, and paired with a thick sauce made from the remaining body and tentacles of squid and served together with the fresh and crisp Spring vegetables Urui うるい.
The second sake was 一歩己 純米 うすにごり ($180). Coming from Azuma Toyokuni Brewery 豊国酒造 in Fukushima, this Spring sake offered subtle sweetness, balancing well with hints of bitterness, and was good complement with sushi.
The fifth course was Iwashi Isobe-Maki 鰯 磯辺巻. Inside the nori was the sardines, with Chef Kin putting also some young ginger, shiso leaves, and seasonal nanohana, with the flowers separately served on the side. Great in taste, it was best to enjoy with a bit more wasabi as well.
The sixth course featured Kue 九絵, having the kelp grouper steamed with sake, and served with a thick sauce made from stock of bones of Japanese horse mackerel and marble sole, scattered with the rare and prized hana-sansho which was only available for 2 weeks in the year.
Coming to the sushi, the first piece was Kinmedai 金目鯛. The splendid alfonsino had a wonderful texture, soft and delicate, with a good sweetness and fattiness that was balanced and not excessive.
The second piece was Aori-Ika 障泥烏賊. The bigfin reef squid was fantastic in taste, having a soft texture that was easy to chew and having great sweetness. Coupled with Chef Kin’s knife skills it was always one of my favourite sushi in Kumogaku.
The third piece was Torigai 鳥貝. The Japanese cockle was the seasonal delicacy in this time of the year, with a mildly sweet flavour, good crispness on texture while also tender. This one was a bit thinner than some prior ones I had enjoyed but still delicious.
The fourth piece was Shima-Aji 縞鯵. This one was wild caught, from Shizuoka. Chef Kin taught us one way to differentiate farmed and wild ones was the yellow fat showing on the flesh, and this one was rich buttery taste and nice firm texture.
Switching back to Sakana, the seventh course was Ankimo 鮟肝, seasoned with caramel sauce and a bit of sansho powder. The monkfish liver was thick and amazing in both taste and texture, silky soft and very tasty with mouthwatering smokiness.
The eighth course featured the seasonal Hotaru-Ika 蛍烏賊, prepared in tempura style with a thin batter and coated also with shredded nori to increase the umami and savoury taste, with the whole firefly squid edible and gorgeous in taste.
The third sake was 醴泉 純米吟醸せせらぎ 特等飛騨誉 ($180). This Gifu sake had a clear and easy to drink style, with gentle aromas and soft umami taste, good complementary and versatile with food.
Returning to sushi, the fifth piece was Akami 赤身. The tuna was caught near Sado in Niigata, with this lean tuna had been marinated briefly in shoyu, infusing with a nice umami with a very tender texture that essentially slid down the throat.
The sixth piece was Chu-Toro 中とろ, with the medium fatty tuna coming from the same fish as the earlier one, with the rich fish oil coating the mouth with a fragrant and delicious enjoyment, almost dissolving in the mouth with its tenderness.
The seventh piece was Hokkigai 北寄貝. The surf clam had been blanched briefly, better able to showcase its sweetness, controlling the cooking to perfection to retain its crunchiness and not even with a hint of tough chewy.
The eighth piece was another of Chef Kin’s signature in my opinion. The Kurumi-Ebi 車海老 was again perfectly blanched, immediately taken out from the kitchen to remove the shell and serve, ensuring the optimal temperature and texture. Fantastic on its sweetness.
The ninth piece was Shiro-Uni 白雲丹. The white sea urchin had a nice fragrance, while it might not have the same level of sweetness as the smaller Bafun-Uni, it had richer taste and a better creamy texture.
The tenth and final piece was Anago 穴子. The conger eel was another of the anchor of his menu, grilled impeccably before brushing with the sauce on top, with a melt-in-mouth texture that was irresistible.
To get myself ready for the upcoming trip I indulged in a few more. Apart from another serving of sake ($180), I had five additional sushi, starting with Kawahagi 本皮剥 ($160), with the translucent flesh covering the liver, bringing forth rich and delicious flavours of the thread-sail filefish.
The second additional piece was Sayori 針魚 ($140). The silvery sheen on the skin showed how fresh this Japanese halfbeak was, with a sweet and clean taste with also a nice firm bite on the texture.
The third additional piece was Sakura-Masu 桜鱒 ($140). The cherry trout was named such because it turned pink on reaching maturity and was caught during the Sakura blossom season. The buttery and nice sweetness was refined and very pleasant.
The fourth additional piece was Uni 雲丹 ($200) from Karatsu. The local sea urchin was a specialty and had a richer taste, having a different fruity flavor than the more commonly seen Hokkaido ones. Not to be missed for sea urchin fans.
The fifth and final additional piece was Kanpyu Roll 干瓢巻 ($120). As usual, we asked Chef Kin to prepare half using the normal amount of wasabi and the remaining less as my wife did not enjoy having too much of the spicy kick. With shiso leaves adding fragrance, the dried gourd roll was very good.
The Tamagoyaki 玉子焼 was fluffy and rich in taste of eggs, plus also the various seafood that was used to prepare a paste to mix with the whisked eggs before putting it to bake, with very nice umami taste.
The Miso Soup was delicate, not too salty, and served in perfect temperature. The Huadiao Ice-Cream was a creative twist, with the unique flavours of the Chinese yellow wine highlighted but not overpowering, suitable even for non-alcohol drinkers.
Service was good as always, and the quality and handling of the ingredients remained top notch. The bill on the night was $7,282. Considering the overall experience, I would rate this restaurant an Exceptional 85 points, must try.
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