Taking over the space of the former Azito, located at FOCO in Central, where there are also several other well-known sushi restaurants on the same building, it shows the confidence of Sushi Koh, placing Chef Hirokuni Shiga and his team at centre stage with its circular layout, and the other 12-seats surrounding.
I ordered a bottle of 榮光富士 大吟釀 無濾過生原酒 聖域 Sanctuary Eikofuji Sanctuary Daiginjo Muroka Nama Genshu ($1,280) to pair with the Dinner Omakase ($2,480 each). This is one of the premium sakes from the brewery, with plenty of fruit and floral, silky and clean in texture, a good sake to pair with most of the food.
The first course featured Kochi コチ, Japanese Flathead Fish, a rare, prized fish with a firm texture and clean taste. It was the first time I had this as sashimi in all my years of eating Japanese food. Paired with soy sauce and wasabi.
The second course featured Akagai 赤貝, with the crunchy Ark Shell great in umami, paired with a ponzu sauce on top with some nice citrus acidity and a white miso sauce on the bottom for savoury. The shiso flowers further added fragrance.
The third course featured Katsuo 鰹, with the Skipjack Tuna having a wonderful texture. To complement, the chef had added myoga and spring onion to reduce the irony taste of the fish, supplemented with mashed yam and ponzu sauce.
Moving to sushi, the first piece was Shiro-Ika 白烏賊. The White Squid from Kyushu is tender on the bite, with the trick coming from how the chef meticulously cutting on the surface to break the squid and made it less chewy. Sweet in taste.
The second piece was Kasugo 春子鯛. The Young Seabream was a seasonal delicacy, with tender texture and a nice sweetness, with some dusted yuzu shavings on top to stimulate with an appealing citrus note. Wonderful in taste.
The third piece was Aji 鯵. The Horse Mackerel was paired with a bit of grated ginger and scallion on top as seasoning to mask any fishy notes which could throw people off if they did not like even just a tiny bit. This was very fresh, rich in umami.
The fourth piece was Kisu 鱚. The Japanese Whiting had a lean texture, with clean and refreshing flavours. The beautiful fish skin pattern was an easy way to distinguish this classic Edomae early-summer sushi.
The fifth piece was Nishin 鰊, with the Pacific Herring very soft and tender, virtually dissolving in the mouth. The chef had cut into many thin slices and put them together to make the sushi, with a bit of finely shredded onion for seasoning.
Going back to the course, the fifth one was Chawanmushi 茶碗蒸. The steamed egg custard contained Hamaguri 蛤, with the Asian Hard Clams giving additional rich umami flavours to the steamed egg, with a sweet corn puree on top.
The sixth course featured Awabi 鮑, and the Black Abalone was simply huge in size. Cutting the body into slices and wedges to offer two different bites, they were paired with the liver sauce for enhanced flavours, plus a cup of delicious broth on the side.
The seventh course featured Kamasu 魳, with the grilled Barracuda paired with some eggplant, scattered with maguro flakes on top, serving with a cold skipjack tuna broth. A nice summer dish to showcase the seasonal ingredients.
Returning to sushi, the sixth piece was Akami 赤身. The Lean Tuna was very tender in texture, having soaked in soy sauce for a brief while to infuse with the savoury which brought forward the umami flavours even further. Very delicious.
The seventh piece was O-Toro 大とろ, with the chef cutting three thin layers of the Fatty Tuna before kneading to sushi, breaking the chewy tendon. The rich fish oil was wonderful in taste, delicious but not excessively fatty like eating a piece of fat.
The eighth piece was Kohada 小鰭, with the Gizzard Shad salted and marinated in vinegar to give a unique taste. Another classic Edomae sushi which Chef Hiro-san perfected, another of my favorites in the evening.
Then came the eighth course of Taichio 太刀魚, with the meaty Largehead Hairtail nicely grilled over charcoal, with a crisp skin while the flesh remained moist. With a bit of mashed turnip on the side as condiment, great in taste.
The ninth sushi was Kuruma-Ebi 車海老. The Japanese Tiger Prawn was blanched perfectly, giving a bouncy texture and sweet taste that could only be enjoyed when eating them cooked.
The tenth sushi was Nodoguro 喉黒, with the Blackthroat Seaperch lightly grilled on charcoal to vitalize the fish oil, leaving the flesh a beautiful pinkish hue. The fish oil was fragrant, with intense flavors, amazing in taste.
The eleventh sushi was Murasaki-Uni Temaki 紫海胆. The Purple Sea Urchin was creamy in texture, with a nice, sweet taste. The Chef had put a generous portion in the handroll, almost falling off the cone.
The twelfth piece was Ankimo 鮟肝, with the Chef adding a thin piece of narazuke on the Monkfish Liver before making the sushi, balancing the rich flavors with the unique fermented sake lees to a great effect.
The final piece was Anago Maki 穴子巻, where Chef Hiro-san had added the Conger Eel to the sushi rice along with some julienned cucumber to make the roll. The soft texture of the eel contrasted to the crunchy cucumber nicely.
For the Tamagoyaki 玉子焼, the baked Egg Omelet added with scallops and nagaimo to give an extra layer of umami. The steaming hot Miso Soup was a good way to warm the stomach after the meal, giving satisfying comfort.
Finally, the dessert was Almond Tofu with Melon. The almond tofu was appropriate in sweetness, smooth in texture, with the diced melon giving some additional bite, plus the puree on the bottom balancing with some acidity to freshen the palate.
Service was very good, with good interactions throughout the meal and the experience was pleasant and joyful. The bill on the night was $6,864. Considering the food quality and overall satisfaction I would rate them an Excellent 78 points, worth returning.
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