七月二十九日

曾經自己提過日本料理中最欣賞会席料理那種類型,可以考驗師傅的功力,以不同的材料煮出一件又一件的芸術品,其實當自己未進食前,看那優雅的菜式,腦海早已有種飽肚的感覺.當自己看過日本知名的飲食網站後,有感香港的日本料理相比日本還有一段距離,

因工作所帶來的結果,引致自己即時的興趣想吃一頓日本菜來作為一種享受.以前曾前往道以及宇津木.還欠這間旬菜富日本料理小店.上次來已是二月初,至今記得那懷石便當,
今次和上次不同.晚上和中午的分別.當然價錢有種差別.如是有選擇座位,當然是廚房前面的,可以看到師傅和一眾徒弟.

先給一杯熱茶,一條熱毛巾以及筷子的整齊這三個動作,作為一間高級日本料理店必備的.這裏也不例外.來得這裏,不點任何單品食物了選擇OMAKASE會好一點.這裏分別五百和六百五十元,當然吃得好一點則選擇後者.包括有旬菜,吸物,刺身,燒物,煮物,揚物,,酢物,食事以及甘物.如果以晚市來說,這種形式,這個價錢又不多貴.

旬菜用上蕃茄和無花果配上煙三文魚,師傅把那青菜,蕃茄,無花果以及煙三文魚按次序放好,配放了少許橄欖油,簡單的前菜,蕃茄來得清新,無花果則是甜口,比前者來得更好,煙三文魚幸好不欺場,簡單的味道,簡單的用碟,做得不錯的旬菜.

吸物用上土瓶所裝著.不禁回想在灘萬那個吸物,都是用上土瓶,這回材料有松茸,はも以及三葉,雖然只有三種食材,但松茸和はも都是較高級食材,はも則夏天旬魚,,在最高的位置放了青檸,用青檸汁放進湯內.看都湯水猶如清如水,明如鏡.但其實一向是非常濃味,飲落口反觀比灘萬所飲的淡口一點,但屬濃味之列,還有松茸的香味,但熱力十足,做得不錯的吸物,愈來愈愛上這種吸物.

刺身早在日本料理中不可分割的一部份.因為數款刺身就可以擺放了一幅優美的圖案.今回用上呑拿魚,金目鯛.赤貝,魷魚,甘海老,油甘魚,池魚.單看種類來得多.不是什麼大大件.每件切得幼細,用上蘿白絲,昆布,青瓜等開始砌成令我有驚喜的賣相.雖然是小師傅所切造的刺身,但大師傅在旁邊看管,品質來得有水準.這裏的山葵香而清新.淨吃山葵都不輸給刺身,這裏處理刺身做得不錯.用上三,四個盤盛著.以金目鯛以及池魚最為欣賞.但沒有忽略在旁邊的青瓜.

夏天代表當然不得不及鰻魚.燒物則用上宮崎鰻魚用上蒲燒.燒鰻魚所考的功夫不給天婦羅和壽司為低,當然用上的品質也重要,二片放在碟上,燒的質素還可以,,只因由小師傅來控制火候.肉質來得鬆化,那點汁還用白飯來伴著吃.這款菜式是合格的.

煮物則是帆立貝黃金煮配獅子唐,石川小芋.帆立貝熟食比生吃來得更美味,靠那軟化的肉質早勝過刺身,不過這款菜式略為失望,因為雖然用雞蛋佈上表面,味道雖為清淡,但忽顯不出那種層次感,味道略為單薄,反觀石川小芋比它還吸引,賣相來得好.來得[粉].

揚物單看賣相給煮物為佳,一隻長碟分開四款不同的炸物,由蠔以及蝦混合的炸球,南瓜,青椒各一,南瓜,青椒都不俗,用上蠔和蝦,口感來得多重感覺,吃得出蝦和蠔的鮮美,不過自己略嫌大件過頭,吃得有點狼狽.美味不錯的,但份量可以作出少許調整.

酢物則是用上小青瓜切片,放上酸汁,清新口腔.青瓜來得爽口,令人感到開胃,送啤酒不錯.

吃了多款菜式後,食事作為熟食的最後一站.也是整晚最出色.那就是三文子,海膽炆飯.,一個炆飯有二碗的份量,師傅給我看看內部,對辦後侍應則在旁邊把那海膽.三文子,和飯混合在一起,侍應說三文魚要弄爆,把那汁流中飯內,再品嚐那飯焦,飯內有那三文魚子的咸鮮味.飯的濕控制得非常好.還有那飯焦,海膽當然身在其中,那種感覺後給了一個評價,做得出色.值得再吃一碗.漬物都不錯.飲了最後的麵豉湯.慢慢品嚐雪糕作結.

這裏的師傅對徒弟來得嚴格,不斷話徒弟.在吧枱前便看得一清二楚.當然師傅對食物執著令人佩服,侍應來得專業,清整枱面,介紹食物等,做得十足,但如果小店的服務最好莫過於櫻日本料理店.吃完一頓飯才飲完一支啤酒,埋單七百六十元,單看價錢貴的,但食這類型的,算是便宜了,解開前一晚的痛苦.

During 1 recent night visit, I ordered the following with much anticipation and wasn't disappointed. Most items were confidently executed to an exceptional standard that's rarely experienced in Hong Kong. Starting with an Olive oil, 2 types of unpitted Olives, White Bread and a complimentary small Potato Salad, the salad was a strong marriage of eggy sauce together with a profound taste of the natural potatoes itself. I certainly will not hesitate to re-order this dish but as a larger serving! AMAZING START. The olive oil wasn't plain old olive oil either but intermixed with real olive juice and therefore bordering on murky, I thought the base oil could still be improved however as it lacked depth and aroma! Now onto the real dishes I was here for:
**OK ONLY**
Blood Sausage (Morcilla de Burgos....)
Probably one of my own Top 5 repeatedly ordered Spanish dishes, from my understanding its partially different yet similar to a British blood sausage. Tonight's Morcilla version was really different however. I didn't like tonight's offering much as its a drier version than a fresher moist type, despite the presence of chorizo paste - it lacked the desired bold blood taste and came with really mushy, starchy fillers. Unfortunately this was further spoiled by an overwhelmingly pungent Smoked Paprika taste. This version is probably better served cold than cooked. Tapeo has a better wetter version, though that's served too chopped up.
**RECOMMENDABLE**
Bacalau Croquettes
Completely spot on golden colour externally, the potato mash filling inside was silky smooth - too smooth. Something was missing and it was the highly treasured Bacalau salted-cod taste and stringy textural bite, to be replaced by mainly milky and potato flavours. Its quite contrasting to the rougher and herbed version I tried afterwards in a Macao-Portuguese restaurant. I think Ole could give us a more potent version in thefuture without over-diluting away the bacalau taste. Thank you if you are listening.
Milk Fritter (Leche Frita)
Mainly made up of an eggy and milky taste, perhaps too custardy sweet. This is the house dessert but actually wasn't my 1st preference. I think the surface absorbed a tad too much oil, I'd imagine this was shallow fried rather than deep-fried as per the original 'Frita' definition. On the plus side, this doesn't have a batter coating like some other Spanish interpretationss of Leche Frita, therefore its less filling after a meal and more distinguishable from our Chinese fried milk! Comes with a scoop of Macadamian Ice Cream which magically complimented the main dessert and also slivers of fruit. This was great but can improve with more milk taste... (ironically a contradiction to the above Bacalau Croquette's too milky problem.)
**HIGHLY RECOMMENDED – JUST TOO MANY DISHES!!**
Trio of Jabugo Pork Cold Meats (Embutido Variado de Jabugo)
Ordered this with a Fino sherry. Decided against the Jabugo Jamon de Iberico this time because other Iberico Pork cured cuts are impossible to order in smaller portions in charcuterie shops, let alone finding Black Iberico pork versions. Consisted of thin cuts of lean meaty slices, non-spicy chorizo, and I believe a cured blood sausage. It was slightly too optimistic charging $80 for such an atrocious portion, also I think it can be served warmer via a heat light must like serving Jamons.
Baby Squids (Chopitos en....)
This was just brilliant. A highly viscous and naturally flavoursome squid ink unlike most readily bought packages, the thick sauce and the little squid babies were filled with diced up prawns and almonds. Perhaps I was lucky as mine dish this time was perfectly executed, the sauce was actually deeply flavoured unlike the other 99% of times and its 1 of the best squid ink dishes I have had for a while, perhaps ever! YUMMY with the bread for soaking up the juice! Still dreaming about it after so many weeks.
Baby Anchovies (Boquerones Fritos)
I had really wanted to try the Baby Eel 'Angulas' recommended by GourmetKC but didn't order them as that novelty costs upwards of $550. Perhaps save it for next time when more people chip in and share it, I can wait! My 2nd alternative was anchovies. AFAIK salted Spanish Anchovies are world famous and ultra expensive, the best of the award winning batches costing upwards of $200 for a few strands on the world market and not far off baby eel territory but it has so far proven ELUSIVE to find in Hong Kong, even on tonight's occasion. When I saw a similarly named item at Ole I was initially elated - here, you pick from 2 options, either a Vinegar Marinated Version (like Citysuper or Tapeo version, which I believe are treated locally to tone-down the saltiness) or Fried. The manager answered that the fried version aren't pre-marinated in vinegar, so I ordered this believing its actually 'salted but not vinegar marinated' anchovy not so dissimilar to the Italian version just 'fresher', but instead this turned out to be completely fresh anchovies, fried. This was great, it somehow reminded me of a similar dish in Japanese cuisine. I enjoy this dish a lot, probably more than its sibling the bony sardines and it makes you want to drink more wine! Bring it on!
Baked Suckling Pig Segovia Way (Cochinillo...)
The Plato Principal for every single table within sight, THIS WAS TO DIE FOR AWESOME! SHOCKINGLY GOOD! The complexity of flavour compacted into the fork-tender white meat had surpassed all expectations, also amazingly managed to be deeply infused into the bones and skin. It was a sensory overdrive experience that proves impossible to be coaxed out from any Chinese suckling pig.
The skin on this occasion was perfectly wafer-thin crunchy on each crackly bite, akin to a French suckling pig version but only more satisfying! Although I was told that my 'Babe' wasn't smoked via wood/mesquite enhancement whenever a different Babe travelled past from the kitchen to other tables, it carried a distinctive smokiness and fatty aroma trail in its path... In fact it smelt and in particular the bones tasted almost exactly like a well cooked 樟茶鴨's with its unique penetrating flavours that would excite any human senses. I speculate that there might just be a well guarded, hidden secret in its cooking technique here, otherwise our other Chinese or Western restaurant versions wouldn't be so far off the mark from this dish. ^O*' Its a bit porkily-fatty and won't help alleviate the bad cholesterol clogging the arteries but who cares when its this good! Can't comprehend this getting any better anywhere else. Without exaggeration - this was in a league of its own.

***The meal was finished off with an alcoholic 'spirit drink' on the house complimentarily. I couldn't catch exactly what it was when it was explained to me as I can't understand the Spanish accent, but I guess it was some kind of Grappas or a similar Digestivo.

*******************
So how about a direct comparison of this night versus a previous dining experience at TAPEO when I had allotted that meal an 'OK - 3' only? Perhaps it wasn't conveyed clearly enough in that particular separate review as it was one of my earliest reviews on Openrice, but my friend and I - the both of us actually spent well over $750 in that venue to try several of their tapas offerings. Not a single one of them were even memorable. The leitmotif of the meal being most dishes overly drenched in oil during the cooking - whether it was the prawn, squid or blood pudding or the mullet fish, not helped by a pork dish that was plain boring, possessed a skin that does not crackle and was even spelt wrong on the menu.. For $800 odd spent, I didn't even get seat backings.
Although both venues were equally stinghy with the small portioning of food versus the price, on a relative basis, by paying merely around $100 more here, I would receive on this night at this venue, a much higher percentage of dishes that tasted more exciting, more authentic and better executed to its true potential. Perhaps with the benefit of hindsight and having attained more experience writing on Openrice and if I'm allowed to alter anything, I would probably re-score my meal at Tapeo around 'OK - 4', as the difference in scoring isn't as big as it literally says. Afterall, Tapas and Suckling Pigs aren't meant to be sophisticated dishes at all, that's why they please the ordinary folks drinking to Sangrias and dancing to Flamenco music but the food's 'nature of simplicity' is also why they ought to be executed perfectly well to be rewarded a higher score, just as most dishes were with my meal at Ole I know which place I would rather choose when given a choice again, and I know just exactly how many points I'm going to score this place tonight. We shall all dream about that little piglet again in due time... !

早前在openrice發現這裡, 感覺不錯, 特來試試 ~

訂位時, 要求幾日後的星期六, 對方表示有位, 估不到 ~

是晚的omakase, 不得了! 極搵笨!
每一道菜, 除了賣相略為可取外,
食材、烹調、味道...全部不合格!
(其實塵埃為相片落標題時, 也盡力嘗試找道菜是值得稱讚的, 可惜, 沒有...)

主理人allen很健談,
說自己在new york教過當地的廚師,
又說鄭裕彤的兒子和李澤楷也常來,
但從他的食物出品中,
塵埃一點也看不出他原來是如此"厲害"的 ~

不管如何, 吃東西不是靠耳朵的 ~
一吃之下, 便可分真假 ~

埋單時才發現要加10%,
算是聽人吹水的附加費吧 ~

在香港, 有水準的日菜並不少,
不介意被搵笨的話, 可來試試不知所謂的omakase ~

(塵埃在openrice是很少給"哭臉"的, 這裡, 我給3個"哭臉")