鮨 純司

Open Now

Now Closed

This sushi restaurant is located in Baskerville House in Central and is in fact where Sushi Sase Hanare used to be. After Chef Sase has moved back to Hokkaido, it took a while before this restaurant is re-opened, now under another Japanese chef, Chef Junji Ito.On this night we come to the familiar small restaurant, through the sliding door which leads to a sushi counter with eight seats. There are already a foreign family of three started, and we are the other two customers. With Chef Junji back in Japan, we are being served by his assistant, Chef Ivan, on the night.The Omakase Menu is $1,580 each, with an additional $300 if going for also the abalone. I also order a bottle of Nabashima ($1,780) to enjoy with the food. To start we have Hirame 平目 from Aomori, seasoned with a bit of yuzu zest. The olive flounder has a firm bite, with the skirt muscle nicely chewy. The taste is mild but delicate.The chef apologizes to us that he has run out of Chu-Toro so for the next piece he serves us O-Toro 大とろ instead. The fatty tuna, from Canada, has been aged for two weeks. On the bite the fish oil seeps out to the mouth, highly flavourful and delicious. It is our lucky day.Next it is Katsuo 鰹, with the skipjack tuna smoked over hay to infuse the lean flesh with fragrant smoky aromas, and the chef has prepared a soy sauce with ginger and scallions to pair, bringing forth the umami for the best effects.Chef Ivan then serves us Kinki 喜知次, with the channel rockfish lightly poached and served in a clear broth prepared from the bones of the fish, with a lot of chives added. Both the fish and the broth are very rich in flavours, but the latter is very sweet, not sure that is the style or just having too much sugar.Retrieving the Tako 章魚 from the tray, Chef Ivan cuts several pieces of octopus tentacles for us. The octopus is from Hokkaido, having been slow cooked to soften the texture, requiring no effort to chew. Adding a bit of mustard to season, it is nice and tasty.The chef then takes out two large Hotategai 帆立貝 and grills them on the stove, before serving to us wrapped in a crispy nori. The scallop has a caramelized surface to bring forth the sweetness, while the inside is soft and juicy. A strongly umami delicacy.Next is the additional course, the steaming hot Ezo-Awabi 蝦夷鮑 taken out from the kitchen. Chef Ivan first put some of the liver paste on the tray together with shari, before cutting the abalone into thick slices and put on top. The abalone has been steamed for long hours, so it is very soft and not chewy in texture, and on each bite the flavours come bursting forth.Then comes Kuromutsu 黒鯥, and the prized deep-water bluefish is famous for its fattiness. Grilled to vitalize the fish oil to the full extent, the chef has added some pickled onions on top to balance, with a touch of sesame. Highly flavourful and it is apparent why this is one of the favourites for many people.Coming to the sushi part of the menu, the first piece is Kinmedai 金目鯛. The splendid alfonsino has a tender texture, with a clean and delicate taste.The second piece features Shiro-Ebi 白海老, with the chef using a shiso leaf to hold the baby white shrimps in kneading the sushi. The mushy texture is memorable, with also good sweetness.The third piece features O-Toro 大とろ, the same fatty tuna served earlier. Very rich in fish oil and flavours.Next comes Akami 赤身, with the lean tuna having good sourness and tender. It might not have the same silky-smooth texture compared with those in which the tuna is dipped in shoyu to briefly marinate, but equally it has less saltiness which can highlight the original flavours.The fifth piece features Hokkigai 北寄貝. Chef Ivan has briefly grilled the surf clam to bring out its sweetness, with each bite filling the mouth with a very nice umami taste.The sixth sushi is Aji 鯵. The Oita horse mackerel is fatty, with a great tenderness on the bite. Added with a touch of grated ginger it has great taste and is one of my favourites sushi in the evening.The seventh piece features Akamutsu 赤鯥. The Nagasaki rosy seabass is another prized fish which also got good fattiness, with the chef torching the skin to exuberate the wonderful flavours, doing it just right to avoid melting the fish oil to the degree of dripping.The eighth and final piece is Aka-Uni 赤海胆. The seasonal red sea urchin is creamy and without any weird taste.On my request Chef Ivan has made an additional Shiro-Ika 白烏賊. Meticulously cutting the Fukuoka white squid into thin strips he uses the same techniques to knead the sushi with the help of a shiso leaf. The texture is very soft and without any rubbery mouthfeel.Finishing with a Red Miso Soup to warm the stomach, with the dessert being a slice of Melon, very sweet and juicy. With satisfaction, it is a pleasant meal overall, having fresh ingredients of good quality and generous portions.  Service is good, with the staff attentive to help pour sake throughout the meal, and Chef Ivan friendly and having good conversations with us. The bill on the night is very reasonable at $6,094. I look forward to returning and see what additional wonders Chef Junji can offer. continue reading

纯司师傅是2023年8月来的香港，先是在Sushi Sase替换离任的主厨。时机其实不巧，正好赶上日本排放核处理水，香港严格限制日本海产进口的时候。我还清楚的记得当日只有两桌大概5-6位客人。一转眼快一年过去了，Sushi Sase关店原址变成了Sukiyaki Mori，而纯司主厨将寿司店搬到了原址对门（之前是铃木天妇罗）的地方，而店名就是以自己名字命名叫做Sushi Junji 寿司纯司。木色调装修，优雅的和乐营造安逸的氛围，桧木台如今小了一点，可以有8个位置。这样也正好更温馨一些，方便主厨照顾的到。墙上的水墨龙的画以及精美的刀具，都让人安心这家寿司店的档次。Omakase的菜单，酒肴开始就体现出纯司师傅在传统中追求创新的精神。整体酒肴给的量很大方，用到了不少高价食材。而且像鮟鱇鱼肝、鲍鱼、慢煮八爪鱼等这种港人比较中意的菜式这里也都准备，在execution上面则可以看出一些主厨自己的创新心思：Hirame平目并不少见，不过这里拿货新鲜弹嫩，纯司师傅特别加了两片裙边，这是稀有部位，非常Q弹。酱油浅渍的Akami部位鲜美嫩滑，师傅加了芽葱让味觉得以升华。茶碗蒸略微有点普通了，火候准确不过调味和食材再有特色一点就更好。烤平贝非常大个，经过炙烤后鲜甜的味觉得到浓缩，师傅又额外加了一勺深色的虾酱顿时让鲜味上升了一个层次。鮟鱇鱼肝的做法在传统中增加了酱瓜丝和山葵解腻。鲍鱼个头虽然不算很大，但是师傅将整个鲍鱼切四片全部给，而且鲍鱼肝酱调的鲜美。加了一颗醋饭做成散寿司正好把鲍鱼肝酱全部吃光。慢煮八爪鱼这种费工费事的酒肴这里也有准备，虽然弹嫩程度比Sushi Saito略硬了一点，但整体依然够水准。煮鱼籽吃的不多，这里感觉调味略淡了一点。烧物的金目鲷洋葱渍火候也恰到好处。接下来进入寿司的部分。这里用的是赤醋饭，寿司米的部分比较小颗，食材堆的足，入口空气感明显。整体上寿司米是起到衬托出食材风味的作用。在一些寿司调味的处理上可以看出创新。有几款特别特色寿司印象深刻：吞拿鱼蛇腹部位经过炙烧油脂香气满满，再结合上面红色葱茸的解腻。乌贼刀功好，入口是软糯质地，几颗七彩芝麻让香气与众不同。北极贝这种需要极新鲜的食材，这里质素满意。车海老巨大一只，去壳从腹侧切开放入舍利再切两段，鲜美的虾肉结合浓郁的虾膏，好吃。深海池鱼如果脂肪超过10%，这种最肥美的在日本就有一个专门的名字叫どんちつち。这种高级货这里能吃到很令人惊喜。港人很爱的chutoro，这里加胡椒和盐，类似牛排这样调味，创新有趣。海鳗则是包成了手卷，鲜美。总评：从食材导质素，这家都媲美一些人均3500左右的顶级寿司店。纯司师傅的手势稳健，性格幽默开朗，如果会日语的话可以和师傅很舒服的沟通。很喜欢这里，会常来。 continue reading