志魂 Sushi Shikon

Wanted to try out Sushi Shikon for a long time. Been keeping an eye on it when it's still called Sushi Yoshitake. But the steep price tag makes it a place reserved for special occasions.

Called Sushi Shikon to book for a new year dinner and found out that they will be closed from December 29 to January 7, 2014. Later found out from their facebook page that's because the Tsukiji fish market in Tokyo is closed during that time. So booked the first Friday night after they resume business in 2014.

Was a bit worried when a sudden trip come up and have to reschedule the dinner in very short notice. Luckily someone else cancelled on the proposed night I wanted to change to and managed to finished the quest of trying out all Michelin three stars restaurants in Hong Kong.

The have changed their menu from three different price sets to only one omakase menu, which is the same as the three-star served in Tokyo. There's a page about Sushi Etiquette on their website which is quite interesting.

The restaurant is tucked away in a hotel in Sheung Wan. The small place accommodates maximum 8 and we were quite comfortable seated as there's only 6 during the first seating (6pm).


The wood bench made from a single piece of wood.


Chawanmushi (茶碗蒸し)with Shirako (白子), which is steamed savory egg custard with cod milt. This is the first time I tried Shirako after hearing and reading about it for a long time. It's very light, cream and with a delicate taste. But guess it not for everyone as my fellow diner was not too sure about it after finding out it is "fish sperm".


The slow poached octopus or Tako Yawarakani (?) is so tender is not like octopus at all. Chef Yoshiharu said he is very good at massaging the octopus to make it tender.


Flounder (Hirame平目) sashimi

The fish is super fresh and sweet, changing my impression about white fish. We were suggest to eat the little piece of fin at the top last, as it's a bit more oily and chewy.


Special made soy sauce cooked with flounder bones


Execute Chef Yoshiharu Kakinuma


Abalone (Awabi 鮑), with abalone liver sauce

This is their signature dish and the two big piece of abalone is very tasty, especially with the liver sauce. After finished the Abalone, the Chef put a little bit of sushi rice to go with the remaining sauce. It's almost like a risotto.




While eating abalone, the chef prepared the next charcoal grilled fish using Bincho Charcoal. The fish is only slightly grilled and served with scallion. But despite I've rack my brain for hours I could only remember it' delicious but not the name of the fish. It's either a mackerel or a skipjack.






After the appetizers, starts the ten piece of sushi


Squid(Ika いか)


Seabream(Tai 鯛)


Medium tuna belly (Chūtoro中とろ)


Fatty tuna belly (Ōtoro大とろ)


Japanese gizzard shad (Kohada 小鰭)


Barracuda カマス with Shiso


Smoked yellowtail (Hiramasa 平政) instead of (Akagai赤貝)


Sea urchin (Uni雲丹)


Giant tiger prawn (Kuruma-ebi車海老)


Sea eel or Conger eel (Anago穴子):
grilled in between two piece of bamboo(?) leaves

The sushi are just heavenly delicious, very fresh, the seafood with their own distinctive flavor and sweetness.  Never like squid sushi but was pleasantly surprised.  It's also the first time I had Barracuda.  It's a bit funny that I've seen so many while diving and never consider them edible. Needless to say my favorite fatty tuna, sea urchin and conger eel are just perfect.  


Egg castella


Miso soup with crab and spring onion


Strawberry and pear with maple jelly

There's two chefs and two waiters for the 6 patrons in the shop front. Service is attentive and Chef always wait till the conversation paused and cut in at the perfect moment to introduce the dish. Our tea cups were change at least 7-8 times during the evening. Upon leaving the restaurant, had a surreal feeling that we've just stepped out of a restaurant in Tokyo directly onto the street in Hong Kong.

Green T House - 紫雲軒

No photos allowed in the place but it such an interesting place that must be recorded. Came across it on an in-flight magazine and was surprised there's such a place in Hong Kong. More information could be found on their website:

http://www.green-t-house.com/hong.html

Cyberport was desert at night(wonder if it'll be crowded during the day) with no one in the Arcade at about 8pm. The tea house looks more like an Art gallery than a place serving tea/meal/wine.

Had a warm oolong with green apple while pondering over the menu. The oolong tea was very refreshing with green apple and lemon in it.

Was aiming to have a light dinner and would like to sample more dishes, so ordered the tasting menu to share:

1. chopped walnuts with mustard sauce and goat cheese on slices of pear - this dish came with a tall vase and a even taller "silver willow(銀柳)" as decoration. Have to remove that from the plate to avoid knocking it over while eating.

2. strawberry champagne - more like a strawberry puree but it's nice and refreshing

3. lobster clear soup - simple and nice, and interestingly with a bit of tea in it

4. Simple green salad - butter lettuce with a bit of sea salt and a piece of apple/pear

5. Seared scallops - very nicely done succulent seared scallops with a Thai dressing

6. Crispy chicken with Szechuan pepper - luckily it's not spicy, the chicken pieces were tender, served with fried tea leaves, cashew nuts and of course, Szechuan pepper

7. Lobster mushroom emotions(that's what it's called on the menu) - lobster with very rich mushroom sauce on the side, a lovely combination

8. Venison loin with raisin red wine sauce - served with some chopped green apple/pear?, beans and raisins

9. Flower tea prepared in front you and served in a bowl

10. Tea-ramisu - well, it's nice but nothing like the conventional tirimisu

11. Dark chocolate and white chocolate - the white chocolate had rose and Jasmin tea sprinkled on top, which gave it a very pleasant taste, but a bit too sweet, while the dark chocolate had oolong tea leaves in it, makes it a bit strange.

Though each portion was small, there's a lot of courses and was quite full afterwards. Each dish was beautifully presented and the best of all was all the dishes were delicious.

Nobu

Heard mixed comment about Nobu, some good and some think it doesn't live up to the fame.

It opens for lunch since April and it's a good way to try out an expensive place and see what the food is like.

The lunch Omikase is $588, and here it goes:
Yellow tail sashimi - the fish was very fresh and the tangy dressing helped to bring out the sweetness of the fresh flash.
Seared tuna with pepper sauce - the tuna was again of very good quality, and the pepper sauce gave it an interesting twist. Pity it's a bit spicy for me.

Grilled yellow tail collar with teriyaki sauce. This was wonderful, the fish was juicy and the sweet teriyaki souse with lemon was just lovely. The huge piece was reduced to a few pieces of bones in no time.

Tenderloin with chili sauce - not sure whether they've marinated the beef for too long, the texture of it was strange. An anti-climax after the three wonderful fish dishes. We told the waiter that we what we thought about the beef and the manager quickly offered to prepare an replacement.
Grilled shrimp with OX sauce and mushroom tempura. The shrimp with the fried dried scallops shreds and thinly sliced chillies was done just right, the shrimp was crisp and fresh and the OX sauce not too strong so it compliments the shrimp.

An separate order of Cod fish Saikyoyaki lunch set. It came with rice, pickles and miso soup. The serving is very generous and though the cod was a very thick piece, the miso could be tasted in every bite of the succulent fish.

Back to the last dish from Omikase, salmon, white fish(?), yellow tail and toro sushi. The toro simply melt in the mouth and each of the white fish sushi were prepared with a little twist, either with Shiso or with ginger and spring onion. Though the sushi rice is a bit sweet, think it's at least as good as the best ones I've had in town.

The four layered dessert - milk foam, Whisky ice cream, chocolate crunch cake and coffee moose. Lovely dessert if you don't mind a bit of alcohol.

Was very impressed as I don't usually like fish, yet love all the fish dishes that day. Great food plus attentive service always make a lovely dining experience. No wonder the place was full during lunch time.

Chesa

Like the cosy and friendly ambiance, also the wonderful food.
Foie gra with Figs. The sweetness of the figs was simply lovely with the goose liver.
Lamb tarter - from the lamb promotion menu. Interesting but well, the lamb tarter was smaller than a bite..
Lamb loin with white asparagus. The lamb was tender and with a rich sauce.
Cannolini with crayfish - a rich and hearty dish.
Souffle - the all time favorite, insubstantial yet satisfying.

This is a lovely place to go with family, friends or lover to spend a leisurely evening.

Lunch at Harakan

Yes, it's probably high cholesterol and fat but also extremely delicious. The grilled good liver rice from the lunch menu is a big bowl of rice generously covered with four big pieces of goose liver. Sinfully yummy...

Lawry's, Lee Garden

Managed to have a table on Saturday night at around 7pm without reservation and agreed to return the table at 8:15 pm.

Lobster bisque was rich and delicious, but as everything is in American size, was quite full after the soup. The salad itself was refreshing and with just the right amount of dressing. Love the sprinkles of hard boil egg in it. However, the presentation is really funny. Can't really tell the purpose of spinning the huge metal bowl on the crushed ice while mixing??
The "famous" Lawry's seasoning.

Ordered a traditional cut to share. The roast beef is juicy, tender and full of flavor.
The Yorkshire pudding goes well with the gravy. The side order mushroom is alright but nothing special.

Had a bit confusion when we ordered one to share. We were told that they'll charge about $200 for another salad and mash potato. We were left with the impression it's their "policy" to charge for that if you order to share, even after explaining that we won't need any additional salad and mash potato. Finally we settled on telling the waitress we'll just need to order one portion and the other person will not be eating. Maybe a bit of miscommunication there?

Ichikawa, Taikoo

Haven't been to the this one for a while and picked it as an alternative to the original Korean restaurant. All decided on ordering the $135 dinner set, which you can choose a starter, a soup, a main, noodles/rice and dessert.

When everything arrived:
There were: 4 fried dumplings and one cold spinach; 2 miso soup, 2 pumpkin soup & 1 mushroom soup; 3 teriyaki beef, 1 grilled cod, 1 seafood hot pot; 2 rice, 1 rice with soup(茶漬飯), 1 soba & 1 Udon.
The Cod was nice with a hint of sweetness from the miso. Though it sounds like a strange combination, it also went very well with the sesame dressing left over from the spinach. Also tried the teriyaki beef, it's a bit too salty for me and a bit too much onion...

The food in general was better than I remembered, or maybe just because spend most of the time talking instead of focusing on the food?

Jean Georges - Three on the Bund

Saw the ad of their brunch after having lunch at Whompoa Club (the two restaurants are in the same building), made a booking immediately to try it out.
Croissant and chocolate croissant with the brunch set arrived with three dipping (think they are chocolate, coffee and jam). The reason for forgetting the dipping is the croissants are simply wonderful. They arrived cold yet it's crispy outside and soft and fluffy inside. You can smell the salty buttery aroma when held it close. (Wonder how much butter goes into it...)

Mom and I both encountered our "unforgettable" croissant when we were in Paris. Coincidentally, both were bought near Paris train station. (But there's at least 20 years in between...) For unknown reason, we've rarely have croissant like that again (you'd think you can find anything in HK, Taiwan and China nowadays), until now...

Foie gras brule, dried sour cherries and candied pistachio. This was from the lunch set, which is RMB198, includes 2 dishes plus a dessert. You can choose anything thing from the menu. The sour taste of the cherries balanced well with the richness of the foie gras. Needless to say, I stole most of this dish.

Slow baked salmon, steamed wild mushrooms, sake ginger dressing. Uhm...this is one of the best fish dishes cooked in Western style I've every tried.

This is the brunch set - clockwise from the top left - brioche french toast, caramelized apple; buttermilk pancakes, warm maple syrup; smoked salmon, potato-horseradish gallettes, creme fraiche and eggs Benedict. The french toast is almost like a sponge cake and the eggs Benedict is just right with the centre running. It's nice to have a small portion of each type. The set also include juice and coffee besides the croissants, at RMB$168. No wonder the place is full and you can see the set on most tables.
Veal tenderloin and shank, potato cannelloni, Liquid Parmesan. The veal tenderloin and shank are just perfect. Not too keen on the potato cannelloni though.Roast organic chicken breast, kumquat-lemongrass chutney, mandarin sauce. This was a very nice surprise. Never expect to fin the chicken so tender and juicy, and taste so nice with the olive paste and orange dipping.
Warm chocolate cake. Rich, not too sweet and lovely with ice cream.Petite fours - the chocolates were nice but the best was the marshmallows!!(Macaroons are just so so.)
Originally asked about buying some croissants as take away(that's how good they are), and was told that the croissants were made especially for the brunch sets and not for sale. Luckily, later the very helpful and friendly General Manager, Mr. Godard, said he would go to the kitchen and find a few for us as Easter present! The two bars of Chocolates were Easter treats for ladies.

Enjoyed a lovely brunch and most important thing is finally convinced my parents that western food can be tasty too.

Will definitely go again when in Shanghai again and highly recommended to all visiting Shanghai.