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2014-06-30
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Possibly the best Modern Japanese food I've had in Hong Kong, and possibly the worst trained waitstaff I've experienced (at least at this price point).First, the food. Simply outstanding - the only issues were probably not the fault of the kitchen, but I'll get to that later.We had a party of 4 and ordered sets. We also had a small bottle (300ml) of ginjo namasake:1. Sushi set (1280) x22. Teppanyaki set (880) 3. Teppanyaki set (1080)AppetizerA delicate pot of sesame tofu and abalone with some
First, the food. Simply outstanding - the only issues were probably not the fault of the kitchen, but I'll get to that later.
We had a party of 4 and ordered sets. We also had a small bottle (300ml) of ginjo namasake:
1. Sushi set (1280) x2
2. Teppanyaki set (880)
3. Teppanyaki set (1080)
Appetizer
A delicate pot of sesame tofu and abalone with some morels at the bottom coated in some sort of jelly. This was very refreshing and had just the right amount of bite to the abalone.
Salad
The two teppanyaki sets had salad - one was a mushroom and spinach salad (which wasn't really a spinach salad as it only had one spinach leaf) and a salad with onsen egg. Both were delicious.
Cooked Dishes
There was a slow cooked pork which was unbelievably tender with lots of fat (part of the sushi set). It came with a thick slice of daikon which was so full of juice it must have been cooked for hours. My Set had a whole cooked abalone which had lots of "modern" garnishes which just worked. The other Teppanyaki set had a seared scallop which was a bit gimmicky with a crackling fire underneath. Still, it was cooked perfectly and came in a salted seaweed soup with salmon roe floating in it. It was a great touch and complemented the unseasoned scallop very well.
Another was king crab legs cooked in a plastic bag. Due to waitstaff problems it was overcooked.
Sushi and Sashimi
We didn't have the fancy modern sushi on the a la carte menu, so there's not much to write about the sushi/sashimi. Great temperature, rice kneaded together just right and at room temperature, fresh fish, etc.
Teppanyaki beef
Other restaurants could definitely learn from this place. No idea how they managed to pack the thin sliced beef rolls so tightly with dried sakura shrimp / burdock root (880 and 1080 set respectively). The thick cut beef was also very good by itself and with the sauce.
Rice
Could be hotter given that it was teppanyaki, but I guess ferrying it from the teppanyaki area to our table took a while.
Dessert
Their modern take on tiramisu (white sesame) was very nice. It didn't have the chocolate powder that one always chokes on. The green tea panna cotta was a surprise - didn't expect the very intense macha flavor. Possibly a bit too big though.
Verdict: Outstanding, A++, would eat again, and I didn't think I'd ever say this about a $1000 per head restaurant, but the food is WELL worth the money. 90% of what you might call gimmicks on traditional Japanese food do work great, and I'm looking forward to returning to try the designer sushi at a later date.
Can the restaurant do no wrong? ....
SERVICE
A list of the errors I can remember:
1. Serving the 4th course of the 880 teppanyaki menu (the wonderful scallop) before ANYTHING else, and placing it in the middle of the table.
2. Serving ONE salad next, and when we asked the waiter whose salad it was, he couldn't identify the salad. He called the manager and they flipped through the set menu for a while, and then finally they gave up and took back the salad. They apparently went back to the kitchen to ask the chef what kind of salad it was, and finally told us it was the mushroom and spinach salad. This is why you should put more than one spinach leaf on the salad, because the waiter and manager won't be able to identify what it is otherwise.
3. Constantly placing dishes in the middle of the table even though the waiter asked us in the beginning if we were sharing, and we said no.
4. Serving both seafood courses in the 1080 teppanyaki menu (the abalone and the crab legs) at the same time. This is why the crab legs were severely overcooked, because they kept simmering in their plastic bag.
5. Serving new courses when dinnerware from previous courses still on the table.
6. Noticeable crack in the bowl used for the green tea pannacotta.
etc, etc.
I wouldn't mind this level of service if I were eating at a hawker market somewhere, at a cooked food stall on top of a wet market, or even at Japanese restaurants in Kowloon City. But at a restaurant fronted by one of the biggest names on the HK dining scene, in one of the hottest new properties in Causeway Bay? A severe disappointment and it is a testament to the quality of the kitchen that the food shone through at all.
Verdict on service: Please send all staff, including the manager who should know his own menu better, back to training.
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