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2015-08-01
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Gin Sai is one of a small but growing handful of Japanese restaurants in Hong Kong that serve Kyoto-style kaiseki cuisine, which is the Japanese equivalent for haute cuisine, where traditionally a multi-course dinner features almost a dozen cooking styles and spans two to three hours or more. Housed in a modern establishment that stands out in an old neighborhood in Wanchai, the restaurant looks upscale and modern and the entry way tries hard to impress. Deep in the rear, the open kitchen showca
Gin Sai is one of a small but growing handful of Japanese restaurants in Hong Kong that serve Kyoto-style kaiseki cuisine, which is the Japanese equivalent for haute cuisine, where traditionally a multi-course dinner features almost a dozen cooking styles and spans two to three hours or more. Housed in a modern establishment that stands out in an old neighborhood in Wanchai, the restaurant looks upscale and modern and the entry way tries hard to impress. Deep in the rear, the open kitchen showcases unusual cookware, a handful of chefs in white uniform waiting to receive orders, and several bright blue aquariums with live seafood. Despite the spaciousness and designer-class fittings, the overall décor looks rather tawdry to say the least. But ultimately that comes down to personal preference and tasty fare was what we were after.
The visit here was for their taster menu that runs for ten days. We were able to sample four appetizers, sashimi, grilled skewers, braised wagyu beef cheek, grilled eel on rice, prawn tempura, miso soup, pickles and their homemade castella cake. Our unanimous verdict for the taster menu: do not waste your money and time. Food quality was underwhelming and service was highly inconsistent depending on the wait staff. Unfortunate as well that they were unable to include any highlights from their seiromushi repertoire.
I love kaiseki for its art and subtlety. But the ambition to serve kaiseki with a modern and occasional western twist seemed miscarried. If the meal tonight was served in a humbly furnished ryokan or ryotei, with honest service au Japonais and price tags that reflected costs and quality, it could well have been an enjoyable one, even if not a memorable one. Otherwise, for this price category, your money would easily have yielded a far better experience.
Food Rundown
Chilled Sweet Corn Soup
Intense and refreshing. The ground black pepper highlights the sweet summer corn.Marinated Cod
Bite-size codfish pieces – a little bit sweet. Very tender, bordering on mushy. Not spectacular.Steamed Pork Meatball
An unusual item for a Japanese meal, but this was unexpectedly good.Potato Salad
An ordinary potato salad.Sashimi
Not remarkable, but sashimi has never been impressive when served as part of a multi-course kaiseki meal anywhere in Japan.Yakitori
One of them was chicken cartilage, the other was ordinary white chicken meat. Sadly this was not particularly different from grilled chicken skewers anywhere else and there was nothing special about the teriyaki sauce either.Braised Wagyu Beef Cheek with Beef Consommé
The beef cheeks were well-braised and the consommé was rich and clear.Chopped Prawn Trefoil Tempura on Rice
The highlight of the taster menu. The crisp batter was crunchy, a little bit sweet and not too heavy. The small bits of chopped prawns were fresh, juicy and crispy.Grilled Eel on Rice
A most unremarkable bowl of grilled eel on rice.Castella Sponge Cake
Sorbet would have made a better dessert. I love sponge cake, but this was truly disappointing.
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