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2015-12-07
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Hong Kong boasts an endless list of Japanese eateries, most of which are less than authentic. This is where Sushi Man attempts to bridge the gap. Located in Yuen Long where it lies on the outskirts of Hong Kong, Sushi Man attempts to revolutionize the Japanese dining scene in the area. It caters to diners that appreciate attention to detail. Specializing in sophisticated Japanese cuisine, they provide diners with an authentic Japanese experience away from the hustle and bustle of Hong Kong.It wa
It was conveniently located next to a garden and is easily reached by MTR and Bus. They operate on 2 shifts daily: 12pm to 2:30pm for lunch and 6pm to 10:30pm for dinner. It's storefront was designed in a classic Japanese theme - wooden sliding door coupled with marble-tile walls.
They also serve a wide variety of around 30 sakes, each being hand-picked to import in by the restaurant from sake houses throughout Japan.
It can accomodate 18 diners, 8 on the high table bar and 10 for those common tables and chairs. Once seated, a cup of warm green tea was served to help to dilute off any remaining taste left on the taste bud. A small towel was placed in front of the dining plate to wipe clean my hand, which needs to hold the sushi later. Lotus root slices and jellyfish was served as cold dishes for a start. It was a good start to a meal as it was very refreshing.
Four types of omakase are available, with prices ranging from $600 to $1300. Omakase is the Japanese phrase for “I leave it to you”. This will depend entirely on the chef's mood on what he decide for individual diners, creating an unique menu from the fresh ingredients he source from the fish markets. In the end, i decided to go for the $1000 chef's menu, which consists of 4 kinds of sashimi, 6 pieces of sushi, 1 hand roll, fish soup, steamed egg and dessert. We arrived immediately once their dinner operating hours commence. We were the first to arrive and was luckily assigned to the long table directly in front of the chef. It was as good as sitting in the VIP area during a concert!
Kitchen front was lay out in a squarish form, with head chef and his assistant holding the show. There were another 3 chef inside the kitchen doing those cleaning of those raw food. Since they need a bit of time to serve us, i began to make some casual chat with the head chef. Initially i was shocked that he was able to become the head chef, deceived by his youthful and playful look. Executive Chef Cupid Leung spent 11 years as an apprentice of Japanese master chefs in Hong Kong before venturing out on his own. He must be incredibly talented for sure! He also mentioned that they were fully booked till Feb 2016 during weekend. As for weekdays, it will be better to call in 1 week in advance. For a place far-flung like Yuen Long and being able to attract so many diners, i was already eagerly anticipating my first dish on plate. They were busy cutting off those meat as Cupid told me that those fish was freshly arrived from Japan daily at 5pm.
When chawanmushi was first served, i was quite surprised to find truffle on top of it. This is the first time i see such combination. It was silky smooth, with a lot of real ingredients in it such as crab meat, gingko, mushroom and pork.
First sashimi served was yellow jack. This mild tasting, slightly oily fish is a little sweeter and marginally leaner than buri. It was really fresh, with a very clean taste. Cupid serve us wasabi by using his bare hands to dip a small bit of them from his own wasabi bowl. It was quite an experience.
Yellowtail is a type of jack fish. They are also commonly known as Hamachi, one of the most popular fish used for sushi and sashimi. Its high fat content results in a perfect buttery texture and a rich flavor, which create an oily effect on my lips.
Before scallop sashimi was served, Cupid even made an attempt to show to us that it was being served raw. He cut one of them into half and throw it on his cutting board. Expectedly, it rebound and rise out. It has a firm and tender texture, sweet and creamy taste. It was really one of the best raw scallops i have tasted.
Fatty tuna sashimi was also known as 'toro'. They were found in the belly portion of the fish and are generally more expensive due to their relative scarcity as a proportion of the entire fish. The marbling patterns of the toro resemble a hanger steak, which is very artful beautiful. It is very soft and practically melts as i put it in my mouth.
Before serving us on our plate, Cupid slightly burn its top for few seconds. It's oily flesh and rich flavour bring out the potential of this fish.
Medium fatty tuna is also known as 'Chutoro'. It is a delicacy made from the upper belly of the tuna. While not as oily as otoro, its texture is still much creamier than your usual tuna sashimi. It tastes yummy with excellent combination of tuna taste and nicely marbled fat.
Mackerel with vinegar are known to spoil very quickly, therefore it is usually cured in salt for 3 to 4 hours and then washed with rice vinegar. Cupid dips a couple of lime juice on it before serving to us. Maybe due to the sourish taste, it was quite refreshing. It has a slight dry aftertaste too.
Cupid smoked this black cod fish for a while too before serving us. It is incredibly silky and was rich in texture and flavor.
Salmon roe sushi - this translucent, bright orange eggs are each about the size of a pea and have a rich, salty flavor that bursts in my mouth as i eat them.
Sea urchin with rice - As one's knew, sea urchin is a particularly prized (and expensive) delicacy in Japan. The yellow to orange colored roe has a rich & buttery texture, with a sweet & briny flavor reminiscent of the ocean. When ate with the rice, it dilutes off the creamy feel of the urchin and make one's does not feel full easily. Even though it was just a small bowl, but sea urchin fill up nearly 2/3 of the cup. It was definitely worth it considering the price of sea urchin.
Medium fatty tuna hand roll - seaweed was definitely one of the best i have eaten. It was incredibly crispy, like eating a biscuit. Chutoro and little amount of rice was wrapped inside the seaweed. It was a nice way to end off the main.
After finishing our main, we were served miso soup. Bean curd, tofu and some veggies were inside the soup. Flavour was quite light in taste, to balance off the heavy taste i have savoured earlier.
This hami melon was flown all the way from Hokkaido. It was very soft and sweet, rivalling those i have tasted in Xinjiang. Staff was thoughtful enough to cut them in slices for us to eat easier. Overall, I enjoyed the whole meal thoroughful. It was more like a culinary exhibition show to me, allowing me 2 hours of non-stop action of chef Cupid showing off his exquisite skills.
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