Video
Read full review
2018-08-26
2750 views
Summary: At HKD 1080, it's a great value for a high-end japanese meal in HK. It doesn't include the sheer quantity of sushi that other omakase menus offer, but what you get is great, and there are some interesting surprises as well. Definitely worth a try.On the rare occasions i splurge on sushi omakases, i'm slightly wary of trying new places given the price you're paying. Today though, we tried to visit Sushi Nakamoto on Pottinger but found it a bit pricey (1580 for the cheapest set!), and my
On the rare occasions i splurge on sushi omakases, i'm slightly wary of trying new places given the price you're paying. Today though, we tried to visit Sushi Nakamoto on Pottinger but found it a bit pricey (1580 for the cheapest set!), and my fave Imamura Sushi in CWB had no counter space, so I finally got the excuse to try Sushi Ono. Ono made some headlines a year ago for offering a $900 omakase set, which made it one of the cheapest on HK island . The dinner set has since gone up to $1080, and I admit to some wariness when they explained the menu. They offer 2 omakase sets - one at HKD 1080 and one at HKD 1280, and she described the 1080 as having 5 pieces of sushi and the 1280 as having 7 pieces. This was a bit concerning as we had prepared ourselves for the standard 10-15 pieces and we didn't 5 pieces would get us where we wanted. However, they do themselves a disservice when they summarize it like this, as you get a lot more food than it sounds. We both opted for the 1080 option.
As to the restaurant more generally - it's a sushi counter around an island, so most of the seats (there are some tables but i don't recommend those) are situated around a central area where you can see the chefs prepare the food. The service is attentive and quiet, and there is a compact drinks list; as an aside, the more I eat sushi, the less I enjoy not drinking with it... unlike western or japanese bar food, sushi doesn't seem to be helped by alcohol. Anyway, it's there if you want it. The chefs are all locals and they are pros, with no wasted movement or unnecessary flashiness in their preparation. More importantly, our chef (Wing) was spot on with that unexplainable balance needed in nigiri between the sushi rice (texture, quantity, denseness) and the fish. Basically, Sushi Ono is setup exactly how you'd expect a proper omakase restaurant to be.
As for what really matters, here's what we ate:
Appetizer - Flounder in ponzu with seaweed. Really enjoyed the texture of the wakame within the rolled up flounder, but any thinly cut fish in ponzu is delicious let's be honest.
Sashimi course - katsuo, 2 types of octopus and another amberjack-type fish- delicious. we really liked the octopus (sprinkled with yuzu salt)
Seared tuna in seaweed - i'd never seen something like this before; basically a large piece of lean tuna (akami) seared with a blowtorch, smeared with mild wasabi, and served in nori. Not oily like usual seared fatty fish, it's not a typical handroll since there's no extraneous sauces/ingredients, and it's balanced deliciously with the wasabi and nori. Really tasty.
Grilled yellowtail - the only average dish of the night - a bit crumbly in texture - i wonder if this is a yellowtail thing or is it a defrosting issue? Grilled beautifully, and a generous portion but not terrific.
Sushi course begins.
Amberjack - no picture but was tasty
Spanish Tuna (i actually don't know what this is but tastes like katsuo)
Seared cod - also something i'd never seen before in a sushi course - cod is so oily, i would have thought it would be a staple in seared sushi - however, this was the first time i've tried it and it did not disappoint. You'll notice the scoring technique they use to provide more surface area for the sear - wonderful.
Seared Flounder fin (Engawa) is too oily for me usually, but this one was terrific. The seaweed was a nice touch in giving it some structure, as it melts away completely in your mouth otherwise
Fatty Tuna - mandatory for omakase i suppose, and delicious as expected
Now, we only had those five pieces, but we also got the classic Uni-Ikura mini rice bowl (flecks of gold salt !)
As well as my personal favorite; the negitoro hand roll (they sprinkle in a bit roasted garlic too, which actually works!)
This is followed by a mushroom soup and a small dessert (matcha pannacotta or a slice of japanese melon)
This was more than enough food, and though it was light on the nigiri, we did appreciate the variety and small surprises they throw in, some of which are tiny but serve to differentiate the food (garlic in negitoro temaki!). The seared tuna handroll and cod I'd never tried before, and the uni/ikura don was a nice addition that wasn't on the menu. True, the fish variety isn't the most exciting, and they do err on the side of fan favorites (oily/seared fish), but this is understandable with only the 5 pieces to impress you with. The table next to us had the 1280 version and they had iwashi (sardines) as part of the appetizer and sushi course. The upgraded set does seem worthwhile FYI, as you get extra uni, lobster (instead of grilled yellowtail) and more sushi. We'll be trying that next time.
Overall, I think it was a terrific omakase meal. Sushi Ono doesn't try to blow you away with quantity or with really expensive ingredients, and instead focuses on delivering a high quality meal for a relatively good price. I think HK has enough fancy japanese places that we can appreciate Sushi Ono's place on the lower-end of this scale and not compare it to what the HKD 2000 p.p. monsters are doing. If you've never tried omakase, it's a great place to start, and even if you're a regular, the food is interesting and unique enough to offer you something too. Strongly recommended.
Post
