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2018-06-29
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Summary: Does not pander to anyone but their core mackerel/tuna-loving customer – love the concept and it's unique in HK. However, some of the dishes miss, and surprisingly, the mackerel (especially the young one) was not as fresh as it should have been. Enough dishes were good however that it’s still worth a try, and it should improveI haven’t been so excited about a new restaurant in HK for ages – it’s a restaurant dedicated to every form of one of my favorite fish, mackerel. They also, in col
I haven’t been so excited about a new restaurant in HK for ages – it’s a restaurant dedicated to every form of one of my favorite fish, mackerel. They also, in collaboration with Doraya (the ricebowl store in Wanchai), carry a ton of tuna dishes if you’re interested. There’s no question however, that the main selling point of the place is Sabar (a chain from Osaka), and their dedication to Saba (Mackerel).
Immediately, from the menu you can tell this isn’t a typical izakaya – essentially every dish continues either Tuna or Mackerel, and unless I missed it, there’s no meat on the menu at all!
This is where a lot of people will probably walk away, but it’s a huge draw for me. The problem is the execution - both in terms of recipe as well as preparation.
Here’s what we tried:
Potato salad with both tuna and mackerel
- I always order potato salad at a new izakaya - you can tell a lot from how they make it. If it's traditional, is it well-executed and delicious? Are they adventurous and add additional ingredients? Sadly, this one wasn't great, though you can see even in this they add mackerel. No mayonnaise which is interesting, and strangely over-sweet. Too much sugar or mirin in the recipe?
Mackerel pate
-Bit too salty, but love the idea – it’s kind of a mackeral paste, to be wrapped in nori and eaten with minced leeks (negi), this will be delicious if they refine the recipe
Kyoto-style Sabazushi (pickled mackerel sushi cured in kelp)
-The free amuse bouche version (pictured) was delicious, but the one we ordered had a bit too much rice (which was also a tad mushy on the ends). It’s def not a bad dish, though, and they get the flavour of the mackerel pretty spot on. Extra points since it’s so rare in HK.
Young Mackerel in 4 styles
-I don’t know what happened here – served 4 ways – plain, pickled, smoked and cured lightly in soy sauce, this should be one of the highlights. Instead however, most of the pieces were perfectly firm and chewy at the top but mushy at the bottom. I’d never tasted sashimi like this so I’m assuming something either went wrong with the defrosting or if the fish were just not fresh. Flavor-wise it was fine, though the smoked mackerel didn’t really pop (unlike the regular mackerel below). Anyway, with sashimi, it’s about the texture as much as flavour. Not good.
Regular Mackerel in 4 styles
-Everything the young mackerel should have been – fish was fresh and chewy and the flavours far more pronounced. Smoked mackerel here was probably the most memorable thing we ate all night – kelp-y and rich, an umami assault on the senses. A must-order if you like raw mackerel.
Grilled Mackerel and Leek skewers
-Where many other things we ate seemed to have something fundamentally faulty with their execution – this was grilled mackerel at its pinnacle. Well-seasoned but not caked in salt, the mackerel skin was blistered and crunchy, while the fish itself retained its juiciness. It’s all-too-easy to overcook grilled fish, where you end up with a tasteless and dry block of chalk. I can’t think of a better best grilled mackerel in HK, and it’s a bargain at HKD 35 for two generous skewers. Regret we didn’t try more of their grilled dishes.
I wanted to love Sabar x Doraya, and I may yet still. It’s quite affordable – we paid just over $500 for two people with all this food (two sashimi platters!). Between its successful mother companies and its commitment to its theme, it has the foundation for satisfying this much-needed (by me) niche in HK. I hope they can fix some of the curious recipes they’re serving, and figure out that young mackerel debacle. I will be definitely be back, but as of now, can’t give it more than an okay.
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