影片
更多
2012-10-02
1411 瀏覽
紮根香港30年的大倉師傅主理主打刺身及壽司，晚市套餐性價比很高環境優雅舒適，極專業而又親切有禮的服務比五星級酒店更好誠意推介。More than 30 years in Hong Kong;High quality, old school Japanese restaurant at very reasonable price;Extremely courteous and sincere service;Classy yet comfortable;HIghly Recommended.It's been a while since our last visit. When I clicked "Ginza Okura" to start my draft, I was utterly surprised to see my last comment as the only comment since Christmas 2011! This motivated me to start working on this review a.s.a.p. as it's really a
主打刺身及壽司，晚市套餐性價比很高
環境優雅舒適，極專業而又親切有禮的服務
比五星級酒店更好
誠意推介。
More than 30 years in Hong Kong;
High quality, old school Japanese restaurant at very reasonable price;
Extremely courteous and sincere service;
Classy yet comfortable;
HIghly Recommended.
It's been a while since our last visit. When I clicked "Ginza Okura" to start my draft, I was utterly surprised to see my last comment as the only comment since Christmas 2011! This motivated me to start working on this review a.s.a.p. as it's really a place that's worth a try.
Okura:
After a particularly tiring day, we were walking around Kimberly Road trying to find a place for a relaxing dinner. Korean restaurants were out because we weren't too confident about finishing the usually large portions provided. Takohachi was also vetoed out because of their bad services the last time we went there.
Ginza Okura sprang to mind, so we went there to have a look.
At the retro looking entrance, we saw two dinner sets (for two), one at HK$800 (price is for two) and another at HK$1,200 (also for two). Both were pretty comprehensive. We decided to try it out.
Location:
Since the closure of New World Hotel (now Intercontinental), Okura san relocated his team to this rather quiet location in TST (right next to Ling Kee Hotpot, near St. Mary, across the Science Museum). It's relatively easy to find.
We went up and took a seat at the sushi bar. There were only two other customers in the shop at the time!
As we entered, we were greeted by the whole shop, two ladies in kimono, the owner and head chef Okura san and assistant chef Fung san.
The place was quiet, nice, clean and elegant. A large sushi counter and many tables for two or for four. The large paneled windows showed the Science Museum and the trees along the streets.
It's not as bright as most sushi dokoro (sushi place) I've tried in Japan or in Hong Kong (such as Sushi Toku, Sushi Hiro, Xenri no Tsuge), which I dislike.
The music selection really suited the place. They had calming jazz music as the background, which really made the place classy yet comfy at the same time. This is one thing many restaurants get it wrong (AKB48 doesn't work here.)
Everyone was chilled yet attentive. They'll give you tea and let you order drinks first.
After you've fully settled down, they'll give you the food menu only if you ask for it, instead of flooding you with an avalanche of menus the moment you sit down.
It may seemed like a small detail, but that's old school professionalism.
Food: Other than the two dinner sets, the standard menu consisted of mainly sashimi and sushi (including many aburi, i.e. grilled, version). They also have a limited amount of cooked food like tempura and nabe (hotpots). There was a seasonal recommendation menu which contained items like shirako, cold Wagyu shabu (?! interesting) and many pickled fishes and seaweed. A lot more reasonable that most sushi dokoro on Hong Kong side.Drinks: I don't think they have draft beer, only bottled Sapporo - which we ordered, Asahi and Yebisu. They had about 8 sake including the safe and sweet "Dassai", which we ordered, and three types of sochu by bottle or by glass, which I also ordered.
WIthout further ado, we ordered the HK$1,200 dinner set.
Appetizer - Crab roe salad:
One usually wouldn't have too much expectation about this dish. To our complete surprise, this was excellent!
The cucumbers were cut into extremely thin shreds. This was a nice display of skill. More importantly, the cucumbers were extremely fresh and tasty. It mixed very well with the equally crunchy crab roes and crab meat which had a sweet crab taste. The small amount of salad cream brought everything together.
All in all, excellent quality for such an ordinary looking dish! Possibly the best crab roe salad I've ever had.
Main - selected sashimi:
These were placed one by one, slowly, on the ceramic plate in front of each customer.
I can't remember the exact order but I suppose it's not too important as I'll suggest that you start with the light coloured fishes, then shellfish, and finally the red coloured fishes (e.g. tuna). This is because, generally speaking, light coloured fishes taste more light and red coloured fishes taste more strong.
According to my limited understanding, there are a few notable exceptions to the above, namely, sardine, needle fish and Aji. (There are classified as "Green" coloured fishes. All had metallic looking skin.) Although not that red in colour, the taste of the first two types of fishes are strong. Aji is alsl quite strong and the usual way of eating it is to dip it into a separate type of sauce made of chopped spring onions, possibly garlic, ginger and a bit of ponzu (like the one provided here).
The quality of the sashimi here is decent (particularly when you take the price into account):
Hamachi - Nice and creamy;
Aji - Strong flavoured but fresh. Very important to dip it into the sauce provided. Acquired taste;
Aka Gai - Fresh shellfish; Good texture.
Aka Gai Himo Maki - Made with the "skirt" of the Aka Gai - very interesting. Good Nori.
Tuna - I'm a bit worried about tuna after my "stomach churning" experience at NOBU, but I had it anyway. Fresh. Texture wasn't as firm as I'd expected it to be. It did not have even a bit of blood taste - which is a rarity in Hong Kong considering the general quality of the akami (the main body of a fish - less expensive). Okura san probably took a lot of time in cleaning and preparing the tuna in order to have this effect.
Aburi Anago:
Very good. The anago was slightly grilled, meaty and the texture was smooth. It had some yuzu and wasabi underneath the anago. It had a notable amount of wasabi inside - so be careful if you can't handle wasabi! Both my wife and I thought the wasabi was very good.
We saw Okura san ggrting the wasabi and then further refining it by chopping the grated wasabi multiple times. Very tasty. Possibly from Izu or Shizuoka, where the best wasabi comes from. FYI, wasabi is not available in Tokyo because the water quality is not as good (that's one of the problems of city life).
Tamago: just a small slice of it. I find it very sweet.
Sweet prawn (Ama Ebi) - Decent, and as the name suggests, pretty sweet shrimp taste.
The rice had sufficient vinegar taste but unfortunately was only suitable if you use your hands as it was too loose for chopsticks. I suggest making the sushi firmer.Tempura: The white fish (taste a bit like cod) was the best. The batter was a bit crispier than "Ana Gura". I have to say the quality was decent but tempura seemed not to be their specialty. The pumpkin and the shiitake were a bit oily. The quality of the prawn was average. Not as tasty as "Ana Gura", "F" or "The Yuu". Average quality. No complaints.
Teapot Soup:
Made with a lot of bonito, another type of fish and possibly some coriander. Remember to squeeze some lime juice in it, which will significantly enhanced the taste!
Udon:
This came in a pretty strong katsuo (bonito) broth. The udon was quite chewy. A lot of vegetables. My wife really appreciated it.
My wife had a yuzu ice cream. She really liked it.
This completed a very satisfying meal.
I ordered a glass of sochu and one portion ika shiokara to go with the sochu. The ika shoikara was very strong. Much stronger than any I've tried in Hong Kong.
Free pickled seaweed kindly provided by Okura San. Pickled vegetables were replenished time and again by Fung San: Gobo, daikon, cucumber and ginger. That's very kind of him.
Professionalism:
Extremely courteous service. Vey attentive but not intrusive. Nice smiling and sincere.
When we finished the meal, the head chef walked us out, said thank you multiple times and bowed to us until the lift door closed.
I can't remember the last time I've seen this, whether in Hong Kong or Japan.
Highly Recommended.
2011 聖誕:
漆咸道一端是Intercontinental Hotel。
另一端便是香港歷史博物館，教堂及「大倉」。
坐車經過漆咸道這一端時經常被「大倉」的大落地玻璃透出來的柔和燈光吸引。
在內從來不會見到太多人。很多時只會見到一名大廚在壽司吧頭專心工作。
有一種很寧靜的感覺。
白子：
在2011年年尾-2012年初左右終於一試。食物，服務及環境一流。相當回味白子。
但因太太在進食時，我忽然指出白子很像一個腦袋，
令不吃腦袋的她大吃一驚 Σ（ﾟдﾟlll）有點創傷後遺症(>_<)， 所以有一段時間沒有來！
在漆咸道一帶想找地方吃晚飯，多幸八因服務不理想所以不考慮，而韓國餐則怕會很大份，於是乎想起大倉。
在門口看到新設的座地日式招牌及兩款頗豐富的二人晚餐。分別為$800 與 $1,200 （即每人$400 或$600。）
我當日雖然不算是衣袗襤褸, 但是衣著隨便，仍決定一試。
（有些標榜高貴優雅，所謂高檔或＂高竇＂的食肆我多數都是穿著全副武裝去應戰 的，但一般都吃得不太自在......）
甫進店內，兩名穿著整齊和服，面帶笑容的待應立即以日語歡迎。
然後，大廚大倉師傅及峰師傅亦熱烈歡迎我們。
因為各位友善的笑容，我們很自然地選擇了壽司吧的座位。
Let's Jazz：店內燈光柔和。坐位舒適，位置寬敞。
從大落地玻璃可以清楚看到街道兩旁的樹木及對面的歷史博物館。
背景播放著Jazz，很有格調。
亦能令人放鬆。
全店只有吧頭一枱客人。相當幽靜。
剛坐下，兩位帥傅報以友善的笑容。
之後兩位侍應同時奉上熱茶給我們。
她們不會立即把餐牌遞給客人。給客人人充份時間喝點茶放鬆。絕不會給客人任何壓力。
這一般是高級日本餐廳才有的貼心服務。見微知著 - 很專業。
看圖識食：
待應們在我們要求後很有禮貌地遞過餐牌及兩張A4 size 晚巿套餐的彩色照片。
主打刺身及壽司。在牆上有很多因應季節性更換的 off-menu 推介（是信得過的）。
有一部分熟食。亦有很多佐酒的日式小食及各類鍋物。
我們點了$1,200 的二人餐。主要分別在刺身多寡和有沒有天婦羅：
前菜：
蟹子青瓜沙律
完全沒有特別的期望，但意想不到的好吃。
青瓜非常新鮮爽口！蟹子每一口都脆卜卜，很甜美！一般的蟹子沙律下得太多沙律醬，但大倉的完全沒有這個問題。
沙律醬份量剛好，能夠將蟹子和青瓜混合起來而不搶去風頭。
應是我吃過最好的蟹子沙律。
漬物：
如坐在吧頭，師傅會將漬物放在大陶碟上。漬物（牛篣，青瓜，大根，薑）。比一般清淡。
刺身：
間八[鱆紅魚]: 不俗。比一般的多一點幼滑Creamy的味道。很特別。
赤貝：爽口之餘不會太硬。質感很不錯。估計是赤貝近中心較珍貴的部位。
赤貝裙 ：新鮮。用巻物的形式包著爽脆的青瓜同吃。效果不錯。很有特式的吃法。我太太亦第一次見！
池魚： 原來不算是「白身魚」而是「青身魚」的一種（例如沙甸魚及針魚）。
魚味很濃郁的，所以大多數餐廳都會提供一碟有薑茸的醬油去腥。
大倉的池魚（及針魚）很鮮，味道很濃郁，亦爽口。但不是人人可接受這些青身魚的味道。
吞拿：
所謂「once bitten, twice shy」。自從在NOBU吃吞拿「瀨嘢」一星期後，對吞拿魚起了戒心。
但是望到這邊的吞拿顏色不太深。魚味應較淡。
幸好，的確是這樣: 魚味不算濃，一點腥味都沒有。
可能多番「飛水」過。質感柔軟沒有筋。
我覺得不錯，但可能有食家會覺得淡。
壽司：
火焯穴子壽司：
峰師傅負責火焯方面的料理。他很有心機的用火槍一層一層地加熱，不求快 - 不像有些火焯用極速把肉焼焦。
效果是既能夠把部分油份逼出來，又能夠把表層烤至微脆，豐富口感但不會燒焦。
在穴子下面有點山葵。質素非常好。應是伊豆或靜岡的。我們看著大倉師傅生磨了山葵之後，再用純熟的刀法把山葵再刴幼滑一點備用。
（東京是種不到山葵的，因為水質不好）。
玉子：
之後師傅放了兩塊很甜的玉子（沒有壽司飯的）在我們的陶碟上。我覺得有點太甜。
甜蝦壽司：
飯有點鬆散。只適合用手拿起來吃
（所以日式餐廳的熱毛巾或消毒濕紙巾是預客人進食前用的。）
醋味足夠。甜蝦亦甘甜。
但壽司不適合用筷子夾。提議揑實一點。
天婦羅（每款有兩件）：
蝦，冬菇，, 白身魚及南瓜
除了白身魚味道鮮美、炸得鬆化不油較突出外，其他天婦羅質素整體只屬一般。主要是大蝦沒有我在 【遊】，【穴藏】，【F】 等鮮，而蔬菜則小油一點較好。
茶壼湯 （每人一壺）：
鰹魚鮮味濃郁，與另一款白身魚，草菇及類似芫茜的香草一同熬煮。
加入青檬汁後令味道的層次提升了很多。烏冬:
偏幼，彈牙。鰹魚湯味道鮮美。
太太很喜歡放在湯內的大量新鮮菠菜。
---送酒物：
雪糕：柚子味（雪䈈類）。我推卻了，太太則十分喜歡。
晚餐相當豐富。每人$600我覺得很值。
雖然很飽但吃得很開心和放鬆，所以再另外點了兩三杯燒酎，獺祭及魷魚塩辛。
這一味比起我在其他日本餐廳吃過的味道濃烈很多。
水雲（ もずく酢 ）：師傅們大方地請我們品嚐的水雲（海澡一種）。幫助消化。
背上的老字號：
此店的大倉師傅原是新世界酒店（拆了之後現為洲際酒店）老牌日本餐廳「銀座」的大廚（即大將）。
因酒店重建而結業。為求延續老字號，大倉大將於是連同原班人馬繼續經營「大倉」。
兩位師傅專業，友善。待應們貼心，有禮。
這裡雖然地方不算很大，但是很骨子和優雅。
我們不是熟客，但離開的時侯，大倉師傅還專程送我們出店外等升降機。
一直90度鞠躬，直至我們進入升降機，門完全關上。
這是比五星級酒店更好的質素。
我並不記得上一次在香港或日本見到這情況。
我雖然沒有去過銀座，但在大倉我確能感受到它那種舊式高級日式餐廳的氣派。
這是人的質素及待客的熱誠。不是金碧輝煌的裝修或無敵景觀能堆砌出來的。
他們原來的大本營「銀座」連同整棟「新世界」消失了，
取而代之的是從美國來的「NOBU」。
對每天都能望到舊址的大倉師傅來說可能百感交集。
但他身為原銀座的大將，仍然堅守著道的另一端，
和一眾弟子和侍者默默地背著銀座的老招牌繼續堅強地走下去 ...
故這裡全名是
『銀座』
【大倉】
張貼
