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2014-03-30
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Having had lunch at Sushi Tsuraku for a few times since it has set foot in Central, it has become one of my favorite lunch spots. The first time I had lunch here with a colleague, we were the only ones at the restaurant. Since then, every time I came over, the number of diners proliferated (and there were only around 20 seats at the bar table). As work stress is getting overwhelming, my friend and I decided to splurge and pamper ourselves - to check out Omakase at Sushi Tsuraku.Its chefs are mos
Its chefs are mostly from other decent Japanese restaurants in town. For the night, our chef was from Ta-ke. They serve a few set lunches during the day time of raw and cooked food, ranging from HKD 200-550; while there are only 2 Omakase sets for dinner - Koyo for HKD 880 and Yuki for HKD 1,280. We both picked Koyo which comprised of appetizer, 2 Sashimi, 8 pieces of Sushi, miso soup and dessert. I loved the fact of omakase that you had to place trust in your chef, allowing him to pick the best and serve to you with remarkable skills.
The set embarked with Steamed Egg Custard. I find it very silky smooth with texture resembling that of tofu. Its aroma was well matched by crabmeat and mushroom.
The next bit of appetizer arrived after we were done with the egg. Shrimp with Eggplant, and 2 kinds of deep fried fish. The fish were prepped with a bit of lemon juice but not overly moist, just good enough to make you hungrier!
Our first sashimi was Hirame (Flounder) with Apple Jello. Hirame was sliced into thin pieces and there was not a need to dip soya sauce. I quite like its delicate texture with smooth and naturally sweet jello. I am a huge fan of apple sauce, this just reminded me of how apple puree complemented meat in western cuisine!
The second course of sashimi was Scallop with Lime Sauce. Rich, sweet and soft, perfectly described how it was.
Gotta thank my chef for offering me this extra sashimi! - Chutoro with Ooba leaf and seasalt, wrapped with Nori and a hint of lime sauce. A very good balance of fish flavor and fat (you can see the intricate network of fat infused with the meat). I liked the complexity of the tastes. The leaf, salt and lime sauce molded into one and went really well with the chutoro. Last but not least, the seaweed for very crispy! Definitely one of my favorites for the night!
Then we moved onto nigiri sushi. This was Isaki (伊佐木) , there was just a bit of seasoning it and soya sauce was already added. Perhaps this was the first sushi, the wasabi portion was a little too much for my liking. Nonetheless, I liked its crisp texure with a bit of chewiness in the beginning, and its lightly sweet flavor taking over the palate at the end.
Coming up was Sayori (針魚) with Pomelo zest. The wasabi portion was just right this time. Definitely in season, it was very smooth and soft. I appreciated the use of pomelo zest, which lifted the its distinctive aroma.
The third was Hiramasa (平政). From the picture, you could already see how fatty it was, it was served with a bit of ginger stem on top, adding a slight spiciness for the general taste.
The next was one of a kind - Torigai (鳥貝 - Heart Clam). Originally I requested no shellfish for the night since I had a weak stomach, but I was glad this was kept as one of our Omakase courses. It was still 'breathing', i.e. expanding and retracting while I was snapping a pic of it. It was not overly chewy as I had expected. Smooth while retaining a slight bounciness, it was another favorite of mine and my friend's for the night.
The nigiri sushi below was Botan-ebi with its shrimp paste. Sweet and juicy, albeit a little firm for my preference.
Then we had Shima-aji. Mashed ginger was placed on top. Deliciously fat and mildly crunchy, I reckoned I had a secret loving for fatty and stronger flavored food!
Then here came the seared kinds. This was Seared Ibodai (鯧 - Butterfish) with mashed onion soya sauce. Soft and juicy. Too bad what came next overpowered the its taste!
This looked very pretty, and immediately became my third favorite in the night - Seared Kinmedai with Balsamic, soya sauce and rice crisp. Crispy on the surface, while it remained juicy and luscious. The grease in the fish was well balanced with Balasmic. Loved it, that I had a second one!
The one below was Seared Kinki. Moist and tender, even though my heart stayed with Kinmedai.
Then we had Seared Ōtoro.Luscious again, and buttery, albeit feeling quilty.
Having had a buttery otoro, we were offered a cube of Mango infused with mashed ginger. The sourness in mango had reduced ginger's spiciness but left with a refreshing aroma to cleanse the palatte.
Uni came right after we were done with the mango. They were creamy and overflowing on the rice.
Lastly before dessert, we had Tamago. It actually looked like a Japanese sponge cake to me. Less sweet than the more common ones, and it was quite soft. Could be cut better in shape though.
Our tummies were already bulging out and dessert arrived. It was a Tomato with frappe jello. Icily cold and refreshing, definitely a nice wrap up for the dinner.
Overall, we had a nice dinner and it was good value for money. Certainly one of my favorite spots for lunch in Central and dinner's absolutely worth a try. Glad I accidentally had my eyes fallen onto its openrice page a few months ago.
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