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2016-10-05
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Located in Wanchai and near where my secondary school is, this Michelin 2-star Japanese French restaurant may take you a while to find. Fortunately(?) we saw some mainland tourists taking photos with the restaurant sign so could readily tell where it is.Once inside, you would find it is only a small restaurant with seating around the open kitchen, maybe around 14 in total. Immediately we were greeted by Chef Mori and his team and seated at one end of the counter, which was more private. Honest s
Located in Wanchai and near where my secondary school is, this Michelin 2-star Japanese French restaurant may take you a while to find. Fortunately(?) we saw some mainland tourists taking photos with the restaurant sign so could readily tell where it is.Once inside, you would find it is only a small restaurant with seating around the open kitchen, maybe around 14 in total. Immediately we were greeted by Chef Mori and his team and seated at one end of the counter, which was more private. Honest speaking the decoration might not have a big wow factor, but the close proximity to the chef and kitchen allows you to have a first-hand close-up experience on the cooking and delicate preparation of the dishes which is also a great experience on its own.
We had decided to go for the tasting menu, which has 8 courses and I also opted for the wine pairing. To begin with, we have the Amuse Bouche, comprising three seasonal items. The first is a beef tartar on rice cracker, which is seasoned perfectly and giving a nice contrast on texture with the cracker. The second is a fennel soup with some crab meat, full of flavors and delicate, and the last is a deep fried scallop ball which got a puffy outside, with the scallop soft and melting inside. The presentation is also impeccable. This certainly reminded me of some similar experience from Amber and L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon. The wine paired is a Blanc de Blancs from Champagne.
Second course is Sanma, which is Bourghour with Fresh Herbs and Sweet Bitter Sauce. The fish is very fresh and tasty, having been marinated and slightly pan-fried, with some onion, cucumber and tomato chopped very finely underneath. A fantastic dish and is one of my favorite on the night. The sauce is also phenomenal, made by the fish reduction to provide a anchovy notes to further enhance the taste. The wine paired is a Sancerre.
Third is Uni, which is Hokkaido Sea Urchin with Lily Root and Caviar. Once again the presentation is very beautiful, with the sea urchin fresh and complemented by the caviar. There are also some shrimp with the lily root jelly to give a different bite to the enjoyment. Probably because we had experienced some of the best sea urchin back in Hokkaido, this one is a bit short of expectation, but it is still a very good one. The wine paired is a Chablis Grand Cru.
Fourth is Japanese Octopus, which is cooked with red wine, pumpkin espuma and truffle foam. The octopus has the right texture and can easily be cut by the knife, and got a bit of chew to offer, and the red wine sauce added a nice note on the finish. To pair with this sauce, the chef has a grape on the side which got some spice sprinkled which added an extra dimension to the palate, and the pumpkin espuma and truffle foam further increased the complexity on the flavors. The wine paired is a Pinot Noir from Alsace.Fifth course is Barley Risotto, with Abalone and Shimanto Seaweed and Lotus Root. This is a signature dish of the restaurant, and looking at how the risotto is being prepared throughout you would further be amazed by the skills of the chef, in not only cooking the risotto with the perfect bite, flavor and creaminess, the lotus root further adding a crunchiness to it, the abalone is simply out of this world with a very tender texture, perfect marination which I couldn't stop eating. This dish is my favorite on the night and certainly warrants one to return. The wine paired is an older vintage Gewurztraminer from Alsace.
Sixth comes Ayu, a Crispy Japanese Sweetfish with Komatsuna Puree and Water Eggplant. The fish is prepared so that it could be eaten whole, with bones and tail and everything, wrapped in a thin rice paper to deep fry, but there is no any oily feeling at all. There is a aioli sauce on the side to pair with the fish, and the finely chopped vegetable giving a good balance to the sweetfish. The wine paired is a Junmai Daiginjo, a Japanese sake.
Seventh is the main course which got a choice of three to choose. I have decided to go for French Blue Lobster, while Ivy decided to try the Japanese Wagyu. My lobster is cooked with lemon-grass flavor, gnocchi and seasonal vegetables, and there is also a lobster sauce poured on top to bombard my taste buds. Such intensity on the sauce did not mask the lobster taste, a good sign that the lobster is fresh and good quality. The wine paired is a Cote-Rotie from Rhone.
Last came the dessert, which is Rhubarb, with Ricotta Lemon Ice Cream with Tonka Bean Mousse. Different parts of the rhubarb had been used to prepare this dish, and overall it was such a nice wrap up to the meal with the stem providing good acidity to balance the sweetness of the ice cream and the mousse. There is no wine paired for this but by then I think I also got enough alcohol in me to go for more.There is some explanation for each dish when they are served, but it is a bit too superficial and I would probably expect more elaboration on how it was cooked and prepared apart from what the ingredients are included. But nevertheless the service is still good, and I have a few words with Chef Mori to say thanks for such a wonderful meal and everything is so tasty. This connection between the chef and the customer is a key element for the restaurant in my opinion and Wagyu Takumi can certainly deliver that well.
The price is quite expensive, with the tasting menu at $2080 and the wine pairing an additional $1080. Overall on the night the bill was $5861. Still I would recommend you to sample their signature dishes and really appreciate the skills and attention the chef put in each dishes.
My overall rating is 68/100.
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