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2020-04-19
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Headed by the renown chef Mitsuru Konishi, this Michelin 1-star restaurant is located in On Lan Street in Central, on the top two floors of a commercial building, with the 29th floor serving as a bar with a snack menu while the 28th floor is the dining room. The reception is on the 29th floor and after checking in we were shown to our table going down an internal staircase.The decor is contemporary with a simple and clean design, using plenty of mirrors (even on the ceiling) to create the space,
Headed by the renown chef Mitsuru Konishi, this Michelin 1-star restaurant is located in On Lan Street in Central, on the top two floors of a commercial building, with the 29th floor serving as a bar with a snack menu while the 28th floor is the dining room. The reception is on the 29th floor and after checking in we were shown to our table going down an internal staircase.
The decor is contemporary with a simple and clean design, using plenty of mirrors (even on the ceiling) to create the space, supplemented with metal rods to give a sheen and hip atmosphere. There is the open kitchen on one side where diners can have a glimpse of the busy chefs preparing the dishes. There is also a private room as well.
We decided to order the Degustation Menu ($1,480 per person). We were first served the bread which included Brioche, Sourdough and Grissini, along with homemade butter. All of them were very good, with the brioche buttery and soft, the sourdough crunchy on the outside while soft inside, and the grissini crispy. The butter was delicate while some matcha powder sprinkled on top along with some olive oil to further enhance the flavors.
The amuse bouche included three dishes. The first was Akagai, Cauliflower, Zucchini. Very beautifully plated, the surf clam was very fresh and tasted with sweetness and bringing the flavors of the sea home. With the cauliflower and zucchini finely chopped and diced, and seasoned greatly with some ginger to bring further fragrance and complexity to the starter.
Next on the amuse bouche was Scallop, Kadaif, Chorizo. This creative dish took the idea of the Middle East pastry from shredded phyllo dough, with the scallop stuffed inside before deep-frying. Really tasty, the salmon roes on top served not just as decoration but also a bit of savory and umami as a clever way of seasoning.
The last of the amuse bouche was Carotte Cigarette. The thin pastry sheet was rolled and filled with a carrot puree. The natural sweetness of the vegetable added to the sesame and other elements of the crispy snack, and amazingly there is no even a tiny bit of oily feeling from the roll, truly demonstrating the skills of the chef.
Next was Blue Crab, Eggplant, Basil, Shiso Flower. One of my favorites in the evening, the eggplant was cooked in a broth to infuse with flavors to softness, and then stuffed with the delicate and tasty crab meat, with a basil and leek puree underneath. There were also some shiso flowers on top to add some spicy note to the enhance the overall complexity.
The Slow Cooked Wagyu Beef Consomme was another wonder, with the pieces of daikon and purple radish thinly sliced, artfully placed in a bowl with the cheek meat, before the very hot beef consomme was poured in. Mixing them to allow the temperature of the broth to slightly cook the vegetable and beef, it was a great presentation on both appearance and taste. I ended up scooping every single drop as it was so good.
Next was Kinmedai, Spinach, Enoki Mushrooms. Again the plate was served with the food and then a sauce prepared from a nice fish broth with kelp was poured in. Intense on flavors, the fish had a fantastic texture, firm and permeating a rich array of taste. The chef cleverly used the enoki mushroom and wrapped them with spinach to form a roll, absorbing all the nice elements of the sauce to make it highly appealing.
The main course was Kagoshima Pork, Parsley, Viennoise, Morel Mushrooms. Two beautifully seared pork loin was coated with a crumbs made with parsley, juicy and seasoned well. The jus was concentrated, with the morel mushrooms providing further intense flavors to supplement the pork. There was a carrot puree which added a color contrast and offered also a slight sweet balance to the savory dish. Very delicious.
Transitioning to dessert, then came Conference Pear, Pine Nuts, Coconut Sorbet. An interesting creation, apart from a few pieces of the pear, the pear juice was also made to some shaved ice format, put on top of the coconut sorbet which together provided a nice cleansing effect to the palate. It was also of appropriate sweetness. The pine nuts were a surprise as they were intense in the taste and highly complementary to the overall experience.
Last came Citrus Madeleine. This small French sponge cake had a citrus note coming from the lemon skin shavings added to the dough, and paired with a nice cup of coffee ($58) it was a great match and generated a satisfied and rewarding feeling, a great finale and conclusion to a really wonderful meal.
The service was good, with each of the dish explained to us in details to highlight how they were prepared and the interesting elements. Unfortunately I could not try out the wine pairing as I had to drive on the night. It was a memorable evening with the great food and finesse.
The bill was $3,538 for two, which was reasonable in my opinion. Overall the restaurant well-deserved its Michelin status, and no wonder on the night, even with the coronavirus still seriously affecting us and the economy, the restaurant was full-house.
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