壽司處森 (已結業)

Dinner. Counter seating 10.Here’s what we had. 金目鯛鰤魚 from Hoikkado 春子鯛Baby Octopus- very tender and refreshing with the grilled tentacles 9條蔥+百合+北寄貝 in misoSardine from Osaka bay. So yummy with the accompanying spring onion. (Mori San noted that the 秋刀魚 that day was no good).Big clams Sawara aged for 5 days淡路島 Uni x white prawn marinated in 昆布漬石門貝白金鯛 with crispy fins complemented by a delightfully bitter 春菜 miso sauce. Shrimp from 九州 poached for 10 seconds; slightly saltedGenerous slice of AnkimoCrab with rice 天草 UniAbalone with very buttery liver sauce- loved it.Tuna from New Zealand; aged for 2 weeks; quite darkToro from 山口、仙崎鰹魚with homemade garlic soy sauce. Loved the fatty texture小肌 (by special request)Pickled rollTamagoMiso soup cooked with shrimp heads, shells and clams In summary: sensational dinner. Can’t wait till the next booking. 繼續閱讀

Sushi Mori – Zinc is the restaurant of the famous Chef Mori Tomoaki, located on Miu Tung Street in Shau Kei Wan, under the helm of Mori San’s apprentice Chef Zinc. Without any signage, but one will not miss the two black doors on the street, the left leading to Mori San’s restaurant, and the right to Chef Zinc’s.Arriving early Chef Zinc has kindly offered us to wait inside while his team continues to clean the space and prepares the ingredients. Soon we are seated on the hinoki counter, which can accommodate 8 customers. The décor has a raw industrial style, neat and comfortable, in particular I like the wooden kumiko table mat.For sake, I start with a serving of くどき上手 播州愛山 純米大吟釀 生詰 ($200).The first course is Ikura 筋子 and the Salmon Roes are just starting to be in season, so relatively smaller in size. Marinated with dashi and soy sauce, rich in umami and savoury flavours, the skin of the fish roes is quite firm, poppy on bite.Next is Azukihata 小豆羽太 Sushi. The Slender Grouper is caught near Lamma Island and have been aged for one week. It got a firm texture, delicate and not strong in flavours. I am pleasantly surprised when Chef Zinc mentioned about the origin of the fish. Clearly, he is a fan of local ingredients.The third course features seabream caught near Lamma Island. On the left is Kurodai 黒鯛, or Blackhead Seabream, while on the right is Madai 真鯛, or Red Seabream, paired with a special sauce, prepared using the remaining parts of the fish, first grilled, then made a broth, before adding soy sauce. The two seabream provides a good contrast, with the former having a bouncier texture, the later a more delicious taste. The soy sauce is a wonderful complement to bring forth umami of both pieces of sashimi.Then comes Sumi-Ika 墨烏賊 Sushi, with Chef Zinc meticulously cutting the locally caught Cuttlefish into small pieces, letting them rest for a while, before taking a bunch to make the sushi. Soft and tender on the bite, it is genius to put plum paste and shiso flowers inside the sushi to bring some acidity and spicy notes to the cuttlefish to replace wasabi.The fifth course is a creative fusion of Japan and Western cuisine. Inside the crispy tart the chef has put Japanese cherry tomatoes and toasted seaweed, with the beautiful and tasty Bafun-Uni 馬糞雲丹 on top, before dusting the Bafun Sea Urchin with roasted tomato powder. Sophisticated on execution, each ingredient plays a part to create a good harmony of complex flavours.Finishing my first sake, I proceed to try くどき上手 ばくれん 吟醸酒 超辛口 ($200).Next is Sanma 秋刀 Sushi. The availability of this fish signifies the beginning of the fall season, with its bright silvery skin clearly indicates how fresh the Pacific Saury is, with Chef Zinc telling us they arrived just before opening. The great flavours, with its nice fat level, brings pure joy on the swallow. This year’s quality and price may also see big improvement because of the ban in China.The seventh course is another creative dish. Taking inspiration from ravioli, Chef Zinc uses spinach to replace the dough, wrapping the stir-fried Hanasaki-Gani 花咲蟹 meat and miso, served on top of Hokkaido white corn mousse. The Hanasaki Crab is very sweet and delicious, with the mousse complemented well on the overall taste. A great dish that scores high marks on all fronts.Then comes Kuruma-Ebi 車海老 Sushi. Instead of the traditional way to cook the local Tiger Prawn in water, Chef Zinc has pan-fried them, then removing the meat from the shell to make the sushi, adding the prawn butter on top as condiment. The prawn has a richer fragrance but on the other hand I think it is less sweet than using the poaching method to cook it. Still very good though.The ninth course features Chairomaruhata 茶色丸羽太. The Green Grouper is caught near Po Toi Island, and then Chef Zinc fillets the fish to lightly poach like Shabu Shabu, and then using the bones to make a clear soup, taking the fatty innards to extract a fish oil to add back to the soup, along with menegi, for flavours. The tender yet firm texture of the fish, with its sweet and umami taste, is memorable.Next is Iwashi 鰯 Sushi. The local Sardines are truly fresh, supplied from a buyer who searches for the fish among the fisherman in Tai Po Market. Arriving at the restaurant they are still in perfect condition, with all scales intact. Putting it in the mouth, a great enjoyment ensues, with the fish much fresher than the Japan ones, and does not need to add grated ginger to repel fishiness. Amazing.The eleventh course is Ise-Ebi 伊勢海老 Chawanmushi. Under the lightly poached Lobster meat is a layer of brown sauce, made from the stir-fried lobster miso, with the bottom layer of egg custard, prepared by mixing the egg with a broth of lobster shell. The sweet taste of the lobster meat, the wonderful umami of the sauce and the silky soft egg custard, when eaten in one go, creates wonders on the palate.Then comes Kiguti 黄花 Sushi. The line-caught local Yellow Croaker is grilled briefly over charcoal, to revitalize the fish oil and making the skin crispy. The sweet taste and very tender texture are simply phenomenal. Chef Zinc also shares that the fisherman needs to drain the blood from the fish in order to keep it fresh and able to be used for sushi, as the fish can quickly deteriorate when it dies. Must try.The thirteenth course features Katsuo 鰹, with Chef Zinc taking inspiration from the classic Italian dish veal tonnato. Cutting the leaner part of smoked Skipjack Tuna into thin slices to resemble veal, it is paired with a thick sauce made from the belly of the fish, with some deep-fried capers, and rocket leaves on the side. I applaud the creativity and making a commonly served dish to another level.Coming to my third sake, くどき上手 虹色 ばくれん 超辛口大吟醸 生詰 ($200) is the driest among the three.Next is Shiro-Uni 白海胆 Sushi. The Hokkaido White Sea Urchin is very creamy and sweet in taste, without any weird notes. How to knead the sea urchin sushi is certainly a testimony to the skills of Chef Zinc, and the quality of this batch of sea urchin, the number 12 on the day’s auction in the market, is apparently expensive and show how he cares about the choice of ingredients.The fifteenth course is Awabi 鮑, with the large Abalone coming from Kanagawa, but probably is re-routed from Chiba. Chef Zinc has just used hot spring water to cook it without any seasoning to bring forth the most authentic flavours. Its very tender texture and the umami that comes seeping out through the bite, is heavenly. A abalone liver sauce on the side, prepared by concentrating the water used to cook the abalone, with mascarpone cheese, is rich and tasty. Fantastic.Then it is Akami 赤身 Sushi. The Lean Tuna comes from an area close to New Zealand, with Chef Zinc having aged it for two weeks. Marinating it in soy sauce briefly before making the sushi, the velvety and tender texture is pleasant and the taste delicious, with a nice acidity on the background to make the flesh vibrant and lively.The seventeenth course continues with Chu-Toro 中とろ. As Chef Zinc thinks it is not fat enough, he pan-fries the Medium Fatty Tuna to make a fish steak, similar to a beef on medium-rare level. Underneath is Japanese sweet potato, together with a black pepper sauce made from the fish bone stock. The overall experience is more akin to enjoying a nice piece of roasted beef.Next is Unagi 鰻 Sushi. The Eel has been grilled on charcoal to great crispness on the skin, while the flesh remains moist and tender. A thoughtful measure from Chef Zinc is evident, when we see that he arranges the sushi to be served on a bowl. As the eel is very hot in temperature, this way will avoid burning customers’ hands. May seem minor, but in fact shows attention to the details.Coming almost to the end, the Soup with Ishigakgai 石垣貝 has plenty of the sweet Bering Sea Cockle, in a flavourful and umami dashi that has been added with seaweed. Warming to the stomach and it is also a luxury to have the shellfish used in the soup. Even though already very full, I am very tempted to ask Chef Zinc for an encore of this soup.The Tamagoyaki 玉子焼 also has a special twist. As every customer wants to enjoy those edges, Chef Zinc makes the Egg Omelette in a flatter, wider circular shape, then cutting a slice for each of us, like a pizza. Rich in umami from the shrimp and other seafood in the egg mixture, there is a vanilla butter and maple syrup as condiment. Very delicious.The final dessert is Hojicha Panna Cotta, with Chef Zinc using caramelized condensed milk to replace normal sugar, adjusting the sweetness level and also making the pudding silkier and smooth. The caramel also complements better with hojicha 焙じ茶. A great finish to a truly amazing and wonderful meal.Service is very good, with Chef Zinc very friendly and willing to share, on his philosophy, ingredients, how he and Mori San work together to showcase their different personality and cuisine. The bill on the night is $6,200 and very reasonable in my opinion considering the quality of the ingredients, innovation in the courses, and its preparations. I have to immediately book for my next visit before leaving, and I am quite sure this will become one of my regular go-to in the future. 繼續閱讀