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2020-09-01
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A review on the restaurant is long overdue, as we have been visiting this restaurant a dozen times since summer began. Sometimes I tend to leave out restaurants that become our canteen, not only so that we can keep the good place to ourselves, but also to avoid misjudgment and bias that could begin to develop when we forge emotional ties as a regular. After another great meal today, though, I thought I should finally write up about Sara’s greatness. The reader can decide whether the review is fa
To be sure, Sara is not a glamorous and well-Instagrammed restaurant, but the dedication and diligence of its Head Chef Tomita Kohei as well as the kitchen’s professionalism cannot be overlooked. Even restaurants under big F&B groups have chatty and unfocused chefs behind the counter who gossip with one another, completely disregarding the customers that are sitting right before them. Everyone behind the counter here works assiduously. And the real test comes when a regular comes every week. Is the food consistent every single time? The answer is a solid yes.
Having worked in a number of reputable restaurants in Japan, Chef Tomita has sound skills running a restaurant and sourcing the freshest of ingredients. While food is nothing dazzling and meant to be more of the every day kind of washoku, there are surprises all over the menu, things you don’t often see elsewhere, like soft-shell turtle liver sashimi or even chicken thigh sashimi. There is a focus on food coming from Saga and Kyushu in general, although some fresh food and sashimi also get flown in from other regions. Our favorite is the Yobuko squid sashimi that gets served whole. We like it so much that we often have one each on top of set meals and other dishes. Then there is a grilled sesame tofu that is really one-of-a-kind and not spotted anywhere else. Saga kuroge wagyu beef and Saga’s Mitsuse chicken are also must-tries.
Seating is comfortable and service is friendly and accommodating. One can expect to spend $200-400/head for lunch and roughly $500-800/head for an extravagant dinner excluding drinks. SARA offers alcohol free flow at a fixed price (throughout the day) of $248/$298 depending on timing. The menu includes Japanese sake, whisky, beer, cocktail, umeshu and soft drinks.
As there are too many dishes to write about, I've broken the review into two parts. This is the first part.
Food Rundown
Yobuko Ika Sashimi, $348 eachThis is the legendary Yobuko ika sashimi that we come back for every single time. It’s very fresh and the texture is the firm kind with a creamy and nutty flavor. It also has a melt-in-your-mouth sweetness. It almost tastes better than the ones that get sliced live in Fukuoka, and the price premium is just about a 20% markup here in Hong Kong. Highly recommended if you like ika sashimi.
The rest of the squid gets chargilled or deep-fried at no extra cost. Still full of the flavors of freshness.
Japanese horse mackerel sashimiWe asked for the freshest sashimi of the day and this turned out perfectly. Smokey skin, a bit fatty, absolutely fresh.
Hokkaido oyster, $88 eachPlump and juicy with distinctively Japanese sweet-ish and mild flavors. Also very creamy. Recommended.
Fresh clams, grilled and cooked, $78 eachThey were huge and meaty. Again, produce was fresh. That was all that mattered.
Sashimi set (lunch), $298Kitchen was flexible with customer preferences and sashimi also comes out consistently fresh with no hiccups. Zero complaints here. I’d say it was just as good as $500-ish lunch sashimi sets at most omasake restaurants in the city.
Sashimi platter five kinds, $428This is sashimi ordered à la carte. Again, excellent.
Grilled Sesame Tofu, $58Highly recommended. The texture was a real surprise. We still don’t know how this is made.
This is the end of Part I.
张贴
