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2023-05-06
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This Japanese restaurant is located in the newly opened HDH Centre in Causeway Bay, offering teppanyaki and sushi courses. Knowing that they have engaged Chef Okura Masataka, I come on the night to relive some fond memories when I first started my journey on sushi, learning the different ingredients from him back in his sushiya in TST many years ago.The restaurant has a nice, chic design, with red calligraphic brushstroke featuring on the walls. The sushi section is at the far end, adjacent to t
This Japanese restaurant is located in the newly opened HDH Centre in Causeway Bay, offering teppanyaki and sushi courses. Knowing that they have engaged Chef Okura Masataka, I come on the night to relive some fond memories when I first started my journey on sushi, learning the different ingredients from him back in his sushiya in TST many years ago.
The restaurant has a nice, chic design, with red calligraphic brushstroke featuring on the walls. The sushi section is at the far end, adjacent to the balcony, with large windows on the background. Because of a column, the whole counter is separated into two parts, with Chef Okura on one end serving four customers.
We order the Benikaba Omakase Menu ($1,688 each), along with a bottle of sake ($428). The first course is Mozuku 水雲 with Tomato. The sea moss, seeped in vinegar sauce, is refreshing on the palate, while the tomato has a nice sweetness which balance with the sourness of the marinade. The addition of shiso flowers add a bit of spicy touch as well.
The second course is Kegani 毛蟹, with some Nanohana 菜の花 on the side. The horsehair crab meat is delicate and sweet in taste, paired with some ponzu jelly to give a bit of umami and sourness to freshen up the palate. The seasonal vegetable is tender and has a pleasant bitterness. A nice combination of flavours.
The third course features Iwashi 鰯, with Chef Okura rolling the sardine fillets, together with takuan, menegi, myoga, and cucumber in a nori sheet tightly before cutting into pieces, with beautiful presentation and equally tasty flavours, having the rich taste of the sardines balancing with the different texture and flavours of the pickled radish, spring onion sprouts, Japanese ginger and cucumber, with the touch of shoyu to highlight the umami to the next level.
The fourth course is a feast on its own, including Hotaru-Ika 蛍烏賊, Ankimo 鮟肝, and Tako 蛸. The firefly squid is very tasty, with the touch of the sweet miso sauce adding to the amazing flavours. The monkfish liver has a very soft, melting-in-the-mouth texture, together with the narazuke, or pickled watermelon, to give the perfect complement with aged sake savoury elements. The octopus tentacles have been massaged extensively before cooking in the traditional style, breaking the tissue to give a great bite without any difficulty in chewing. A luxury in having three different delicacies in one serving.
The fifth course is Sawara 鰆. The Japanese Spanish mackerel has been smoked over hay fire briefly to infuse the meat with amazing fragrance. Putting a lot of shredded daikon and white onion on top, with a drizzle of olive oil and ginger ponzu to season, the rich fish oil has been vitalized by the heat but the flesh remains soft, with the olive oil giving a smooth texture making the whole experience memorable.
The sixth course is Tempura Seasonal Vegetables with Hotategai 帆立貝. The staff tells us that the assorted spring seasonal vegetable, in Japanese tradition, are good for the health. The tempura batter is very light and thin, and Chef Okura has asked us to use the rock salt to season, as it brings forward the flavours better. The scallop is also good, sweet in taste, but comparatively become the supporting cast in the show.
Coming to the sushi part, first comes Isaki 伊佐木. The chicken grunt has a lighter delicate taste so normally will feature at the start. The lean and sweet taste is pleasant and I am impressed by how Chef Okura has kneaded the shari, with just the perfect degree of firmness.
The second piece is Kohada 小鰭. I can clearly remember my first ever gizzard shad was kneaded by Chef Okura, and he told me its name when I was surprised by how good it was. With the appropriate amount of vinegar to marinate, the flesh is not too sour, with the yuzu shavings giving a touch of citrus to tone down the stronger fish flavours.
The third piece is Ishidai 石鯛. This is one of my favourites in the evening, with the striped beakfish not commonly seen in sushiya, having a nice sweetness and a good amount of fat to give a rounded, silky texture on the bite that is so enjoyable.
The fourth piece is Akami Zuke 本鮪の漬. The lean tuna has been marinated briefly in shoyu, with the very soft texture giving me a sense of contention on the bite. The umami from the infusion of shoyu is great, without being too salty. Very delicious.
The fifth piece is Shima-Ebi 縞海老. The grey prawn is at season right now, very sweet in taste, with a ‘juicy’ texture that are softer than the other prawns. The ones on the night are larger than normal, but the chef still use two to make the sushi. Oishi.
The sixth piece is Kuromutsu 黒鯥. Often compared with akamutsu, another fish of similar name, the prized bluefish has equally high fat level, with the chef using the charcoal to lightly sear to vitalize the fish oil, giving a rich and rewarding mouthfeel on the bite. Very good.
The seventh piece is Hokkigai 北寄貝. The surf clam is very large in size, completely covering the shari, with the chef hitting the clam to tighten the muscle before serving, full of the umami sweetness from the sea with also a crunchy bite that is memorable.
The eighth piece is Chu-Toro 中とろ. My favourite cut of maguro, the medium fatty tuna has been aged and has the right balance of fat but not excessive in the case of o-toro. This one delivers my expectation, and the rich taste of the tuna is really delicious.
The ninth piece is Uni 海胆. A luxurious double-decker of the sea urchin on the gunkan sushi has the creamy texture, but it has still a bit of the weird taste I often find in sea urchin. Not bad but this unfortunately would be the only one I am not fully satisfied in the whole course.
The final piece of sushi is Anago 穴子. The conger eel is simmered in a broth and then brushed with a homemade thick tsume sauce, with nice umami balancing a bit of sweetness, and the melt-in-mouth texture of the eel unbeatable. Fantastic.
For the maki, Chef Okura prepares the Maguro Maki 鮪巻, taking different cuts of the tuna and chopping into pieces, before making the roll together with takuan, shiso, and shari. Tasty and filling, it is the perfect finale to the sushi.
But I cannot resist the temptation to ask Chef Okura to prepare an additional piece of his signature Menegi 芽葱 Sushi for me. A palate cleanser in many ways, some people may find it strange but to me it is another instance how some of the good memories come flooding back.
The Fish Soup is hot and gives the stomach a nice warming sensation, and the intense flavours apparently come from the large amounts of fish heads and parts used to prepare the soup. Interestingly I find that it also helps to clear the head after finishing the whole bottle of sake.
The Tamago 玉子 is made using the traditional style, by mixing the whisked egg with the paste of scallops, shrimps, and yam, before putting to bake. A combination of umami from the seafood and the nice flavours from the egg, and the browned surface is iconic.
Dessert is Melon and Mango, both sweet and juicy. Service is good, with the staff attentive. The bill on the night is $4,184 and very reasonable in my opinion. Happy to have the chance to reconnect with Chef Okura and enjoy his sushi skills and friendly demeanour. Will come back again for sure.
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