影片
更多
2014-03-27
1404 瀏覽
It is very very rare that I go back to a restaurant a 2nd time within a short period of time after the first visit. My 12/30/2013 review of Hikari had been published already, and I figure it was time to share my 2nd night's experience on 2013 New Year's Eve.Following the first meal, I was very impressed and thought about coming back the following night...pretty much unheard of even for me. But time was short, I had no NY eve plans, so why not?On the day of the dinner, I dropped by in person arou
It is very very rare that I go back to a restaurant a 2nd time within a short period of time after the first visit. My 12/30/2013 review of Hikari had been published already, and I figure it was time to share my 2nd night's experience on 2013 New Year's Eve.Following the first meal, I was very impressed and thought about coming back the following night...pretty much unheard of even for me. But time was short, I had no NY eve plans, so why not?
On the day of the dinner, I dropped by in person around 2 pm, and asked if it was possible to get one seat at the counter, in front of Numata-san again. Of course they remembered me and happily obliged. I was given two price points for omakase, $800, and the more expensive $1200. The only explanation they had was, the $1200 had more choices and that I would be eating better. Hell I was on vacation, why the F not!
I arrived promptly at the reservation time and was quickly seated. Numata-san and I exchanged greetings again and of course he was extremely pleased to have me over again.
I probably should state at this point that Numata-san understood my tastes and likes completely, so what I was served may not be the same as what you get.
Started off with the house draft beer (which was ironically dispensed from a small machine) but it really hit the spot. Unfortunately I don't remember the brand, but the glass was branded "Suntory, premium malts".
Numata-san surprised me with an appetizer offering of a delicately arranged set of Osechi (osechi-ryori), normally eaten on the day of the New Year. He was originally only going to serve them the next day, but I had the pleasure of trying it out early. The head waitress/manager took some pictures first (for the facebook page) before it got to me. The set consisted of some marinated black beans (kuromame) with gold leaf, a red/orange colored yam jello block (konnyaku), a small piece of delectable herring roe (kazunoko) with a few shavings of bonito flakes (katsuobushi), an elegantly carved flower shaped carrot, to name a few. Very impressive overall, and I had no issues with any of the items. This variety was bigger and greater than the mini set I had at Sushi Mori (with Mori-san at the helm) a year prior.
Next up: kinmedai rolled up with shingiku inside (Chrysanthemum coronarium), with some maitake (JP mushroom) on a separate plate, and a heated mini pot of delectable delicious dashi broth for shabu shabu. On the side was a small portion of ponzu with finely chopped scallions (very high quality ponzu I may add, compared to the stuff in California...). Having had the cod shabu shabu the night before, I dare say this was a step up and more interesting of a concept, that almost reminded me of Urasawa's shabu course in Beverly Hills (although they go a bit crazier with even higher end ingredients). The kinmedai rolls only needed a brief swish in the pot, but no matter how much you cook it, it still tasted sublime. Excellent.
This was followed by three pieces of saba sashimi, each decorated beautifully...but the object was to enjoy each piece that offered a different flavor profile. On the left was the standard ginger and scallion, which worked really great with the Japanese mackeral (in season and very fatty delicious, but not overpowering). The one in the middle had this dark red leaf (whose name I forgot) that provided an interesting taste, but the most fascinating one was to the right, where Numata-san shaved some Japanese bottarga (karasumi/cured mullet roe) on top. Brilliant!
At this point Numata-san apologizes for a significantly smaller than usual raw fish selection, since this week the fish markets are closed, it is holiday season. But whatever he had remaining in stock, was ridiculously good quality. You people living in Hong Kong have it so good you don't realise it...
Next up, two slices of hirame sashimi with yuzu juice and zest. Very delicate and just the right amount of yuzu added so not to overpower the delicate pristine flesh.
The sashimi moriawase plate that came next was also very good. Ama-ebi (I think it was from Canada), Japanese uni, farmed Japanese bluefin and toro (though not as sexcellent as the night before) and stellar shima aji (trevally). The Japanese oyster that came afterwards was smooth, silky, and tastier than the oysters i've had from the Pacific Northwest (Washington State).
Numata-san then presented me a plate of a large deep fried object....but it turns out it was the collar cut of blowfish (fugu karaage), with a sudachi (lime citrus) wedge. Holy F***K this was damn good....imagine a really good Japanese fried chicken, except blowfish, but the inside tasting fatty, juicy. I can't even describe it properly. Having had two pieces of fugu nigiri the night before, I can honestly say that this fugu (collar) karaage was so much better. :-)
A sizeable piece of kinki (shioyaki/salt grilled) came out that included half of the head, as well as the body. This was one of the highlights of the entire dinner. Incredibly fatty, juicy, and just perfectly grilled (regardless if the grill was on the gas range instead of charcoal). Again, HK folks who are willing to spend $ are spoilt to have access to the good stuff. Kinki will never last in this level of freshness if any attempts are made to export this to the USA.
Hands down one of the best Japanese grilled fish I've had in my life (I may need to take a real trip to Japan one of these days).
Next up was a very creative re-take on sukiyaki. Delicious A4 Miyazaki beef slices cooked medium rare, soaking in a light sauce that was almost sukiyaki like, very lightly garnished, and a tempura style onsen tamago on top. Made a cut in the egg and let the golden yolk flow out and caressing the beef on its way down like a waterfall. For those who have eaten sukiyaki and dipped the beef in egg, this is like a nice re-arrangement. Just brilliant!
Then came the ama ebi shrimp head in miso soup. What can I say, something this simple they do so well. Then the nigiri course of hirame, engawa, seared saba (soooo good), toro, more uni, and a very creative "spicy" handroll with ikura, toro, and mentaiko inside.
At this point I was getting pretty darn full, and Numata-san suggested that I end it with a hot soba in soup....and it turned out to be the meanginful Toshikoshi soba (年越し蕎麦) which is a custom to have it in the New Year (the crossing of the new year, rather). Just perfect.
Three desserts followed....a really tasty creme brulee, house made wasabi ice cream (very interesting), and another house made dessert that was a cross between a cheesecake and a chiffon, and egg custard.
The $1200 meal may be considered overpriced and expensive by local standards, but even if I were to pay this amount in the United States, I would not get this level of service, execution, and quality. 2nd meal in a row at Hikari, and I am even more impressed than the first visit. This dinner represented a good fraction of Numata-san's versatility in the kitchen. In addition to being a first rate kappo ryori chef, he is quite fun to engage in conversation, and I had a really good time there.
Your experience may vary, but I definitely recommend Hikari, and hope that they are still around when I visit Hong Kong again.
張貼
