人愈大,便愈獨立。以前十八廿二的少女時代,我們總會連羣結隊一起柴娃娃吃一頓飯。進入職場後,經常有臨時的OT,要放友人飛機。我也慢慢習慣一個人獨處的時間,即使沒有人相伴,也很能自娛。最近,吉田成為了我的獨處新寵兒,我幾乎每晚OT也到這兒吃晚飯。原因很簡單,位置方便、景觀屈機、安靜無人、用料上品。人人都說中環日本菜價錢偏高,午市沒有二百元也埋不了單,晚市則要起碼三百以上,當中較為抵食的位於Landmark的Kikusan。Kikusan自然方便(可參考我另一篇食評),但吉田也沒有想像中昂貴。不想「Out Budget」,自然有其叫法。乘搭電梯到達二十九樓,梯門一打開盡入眼簾的便是大大的吉田招牌。旁邊有一道樓梯直上米芝蓮一星的銀座いわ 。以前二十九樓還有著名Whiskey Bar Butler,不過那已結業。聽聞吉田的主廚吉田篤史大有來頭,曾在倫敦Mayfair的米芝蓮懷石料理食府UMU和京都米芝蓮二星「祇園丸山」工作。很是期待。門面旁邊是一個展覽櫃,裡面各種美酒、儀器等等。其中,我發現了這個來自神戶一組織有關神戶牛的指定証,真是神氣!餐廳內分了Bar枱和座位,若要體現「孤獨的美食家」,坐在
It was an honor attending a luncheon at Bishoku Club Yoshida because the governor of Tottori was there.I had the set menu which has dishes made with ingredients from Tottori.Tottori is famous for pears, Pink Curry and Manga.Before the food came, the governor Shinji Hirai showcased products and mascots from Tottori.He showed us three pears: 二十世紀梨 20th Century Pear , 夏姬梨 Natsuhime and 新甘泉 Shinkansen with a cute mascot.Manga is a big thing in Tottori because many cartoonists grew up there so there
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It was an honor attending a luncheon at Bishoku Club Yoshida because the governor of Tottori was there.
I had the set menu which has dishes made with ingredients from Tottori. [Since my visit, there have been changes to the menu]
Tottori is famous for pears, Pink Curry and Manga. Before the food came, the governor Shinji Hirai showcased products and mascots from Tottori. He showed us three pears: 二十世紀梨 20th Century Pear , 夏姬梨 Natsuhime and 新甘泉 Shinkansen with a cute mascot.
Manga is a big thing in Tottori because many cartoonists grew up there so there are lots of museums and bronze manga statues.
The Pink Soy sauce and Pink curry were interesting. The pink curry was on the internet a while ago so I was really lucky it was on the menu. As well as the curry, they also had the 20th Century Pear on the menu.
The vegetables came with sauce but they didn't need it because they were just crisp and sweet. It was my first time trying raw aubergine and it is surprisingly sweet, not to mention the star of the show which are the crisp and sweet pear chunks.
The squids were really nice because they become aromatic and tasty after they were grilled. ★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆ dried rosy seabass with pink soy sauce and cooked vegetables:
The delicate and silky rosy seabass was paired with this stunning pink soy sauce from Tottori. 華貴婦人のピンク醤油, or Hanakifujin no Pink Shoyu, means “Flower Lady’s Pink Soy Sauce”. ★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆ "zuwai" crab leg and crab miso charcoal grill:
I was so glad they had this because it was on the news last year, see link below. Basically it is vegetarian and tastes like Japanese curry with a good degree of spiciness. ブリリアントアソシエイツ株式会社 ★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆ Pear compote:
For drinks we had Nashi liquer which is sweet and addictive because it is almost like drinking pure pear juice with an alcoholic kick to it. ★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆ Here are photos of the governor Shinji Hirai showcasing highlights from Tottori.
For Tottori fans, EGL are doing tours to tottori and you can also learn to make French style pear tarts and pear jam using the 20th Century pear by attending classes at ABC cooking studio, but if you just want to indulge on a sweet and crisp pear which is great for sharing during moon festival you can get them at TASTE, GREAT and AEON supermarkets.
This new addition to the Central Dining Scene has a name which might suggest it’s a Japanese Club of sort, however it’s actually the downstairs space of Michelin 1* Sushi Ginza Iwa. The owner wanted to separate the two levels of dining restaurants, in order not for this more affordable dining space to affect their Michelin status of the Sushi Restaurant.... Currently on offer is the Aichi-Nagoya Menu for $880 - Aperif of sparkling Mikawa Plum Wine with Finger Lime, included in the Set Menu... Is
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This new addition to the Central Dining Scene has a name which might suggest it’s a Japanese Club of sort, however it’s actually the downstairs space of Michelin 1* Sushi Ginza Iwa. The owner wanted to separate the two levels of dining restaurants, in order not for this more affordable dining space to affect their Michelin status of the Sushi Restaurant.
Simmered Sardine marinated in Olive Oil and with Japanese Mustard Spinach, Smoked Kinuhime Trout, Black Moss Seaweed in Ginger Vinegar - All imported from Aichi Prefecture and then cooked or smoked here. Would love to try their other Prefecture items soon, and Gonpachi in Hong Kong also does a similar rotating concept ~ 8/10
Iwate Hakkin Pork Shabu Salad – *$98 Not included in the set but for extra $98. This was quite nice with the amount of different colorful veggies and someone commented on my Instagram, the shiso flowers look a bit like ants. A poor man’s NOMA meal haha! ~ 7.5/10
Sashimi Set – Additional $280 Two cuts of Tai Sea Bream, Chu-toro Tuna, Botan Ebi, Kan-buri Yellowtail, Ikura and Sea Urchin. Actually this is a good price totally worth upgrading the meal. I liked the prawns and ikura the best. The Tai’s two parts do taste vastly different. Actually we ordered only 1 sashimi plate to share between a few of us but surprisingly most people here don’t eat raw fish so I got a fair bit! ~ 7.5/10
Kichimen Flat noodles with Kyoto Kujyo-leek - One of my favourite noodles. They eat them in Aichi/Nagoya/Gifu area with different recipes, this one was in a clearer dashi and with the aromatic and less pungent leek from Kyoto ~ 8/10
Charcoal Grilled Chicken Wings – *Additional $68 from memory Pretty Crispy and aromatic from the grilling, although I seldom see Chicken Wings go really wrong anywhere. Compared to say Beef Tongue or Tsukune at least.. ~ 8/10
Fried Mehikari Greeneyes, Angel Prawn coated in Rice Cracker, Arrowroot Chips - The cheapest way to eat an Angel Prawn is always via Japanese restaurants, because in Japan it couldn’t get hyped up at all, but if you eat it in Michelin Starred restaurants globally it’s sold under the ‘Obsiblue’ label and the price instantly goes up by 15 times, when they are both the same thing from New Caledonia The Arrowroot Chips are eaten in Japan for New Years too, same as us Chinese do during CNY. ~ 8.5/10
Charcoal Grilled Kani-miso and Meat in Carapace, lined with some Tofu at the bottom – *$98 Saw this and it’s surprisingly cheap here. The restaurant is also thoughtful enough to give out a tiny bowl of rice to eat with it. Got to come back for this ! ~ 9/10
Sushi Platter – Additional $680 For some reason we ordered this. I personally prefer the Sashimi Platter above as that only costs $280 more and I liked those seafood a little better. Although this is a good price by itself in Central context for dinner as it has 16 pieces, versus the usual 9 pieces which would cost more elsewhere. ~ 6.9/10
Another Charcoal Grilled Iwate Pork Dish we Ordered – Additional $180 Actually I also like the Pork salad above more. Although this has a good flavour, it was a little dry for me and the ones I tried in Gonpachi and Sho-En were actually grilled much better. ~ 6/10
Charcoal Grilled Kobe Beef Wagyu Platter – with A5 Sirloin, Zabuton and Momo Leg $680 My favourite is always the Zabuton as it has really great meat and melty fat flavour yet it is also soft, hence the name of the cut called ‘Zabuton’ aka pillow. The Rump was a thin cut and I would have preferred it cooked then sliced the other way around. The Sirloin after re-grilling is eaten with red wine salt which works a treat. Fun way to eat some good Wagyu. ~ 7.5/10
Nagoya Style Oden with Napa Cabbage, Chicken Wing, Octopus, Yuba, etc -
Back to the Aichi-Nagoya tasting menu, this is dipped into a famous red miso paste for eating. The highlight of this dish? The broth underneath mostly as it was sweet! ~ 7/10
Unagi Hitsumabushi - The Aichi way of eating Unagi on rice using 2-3 ways. Originally on rice and then poured in with green tea broth, wasabi and seaweed. The version here remember was Charcoal Grilled so it has a more crispy skin and aroma. Not sure how big the normal portion is, but this tasting portion was good by this stage of the meal as not everyone ordered this Tasting Menu. ~ 7.5/10
Fruits Tomato Jelly ‘Amae-gimi’, with Yellow Fruits Tomato Compote and Sorbet - The finishing dessert course was very refreshing… It was actually quite green to me but surprisingly the people who don’t normally eat tomatoes tried it and liked it. For me I like the concept but it’s pretty intensely tomato ! ~ 9/10
By the End of the Aichi Tasting Meal, all Customers who ordered the Course are given a gift from that prefecture. The key-ring is a little Fireman who is famous in that region. Overall I found many dishes here surprisingly affordable, just like their other sister restaurants Sushi Shoukun. In fact the prices of many dishes here are below OOTOYA and Shirokiya Hong Kong level, although one minor complaint is that there isn’t a large selection in the general menu, so perhaps concentrating on the Tasting Menu’s will get you more fun.
Price: From $300 - $880 + 10% Per Person Food: ♕♕♕♕ - ♕♕♕♕ 1/2
Address: 29/F, Asia Pacific Centre, 8 Wyndham Street, Central (Opposite Magnum Night Club) 中環雲咸街8號亞洲太平洋中心29樓 Ph: 2619 0229
銀座いわ旗下的餐廳。不定時以日本不同縣的特色食材為主題。刺身和熟食質素均很高。物有所價。值得一試。Very good quality Tochigi cuisine;Fresh sashimi and quality cooked food.Classy decor, good service;Recommended. This rather oddly named restaurant is actually part of the Ginza Iwa group. In fact, it has replaced the Ginza Iwa grill and is located right below Ginza Iwa sushi. The place was fairly comfortable and classy, with 4-5 tables widely spaced out and with good use of partitions and pillars - a very private "club" indeed. There is also a t
Very good quality Tochigi cuisine; Fresh sashimi and quality cooked food. Classy decor, good service; Recommended.
This rather oddly named restaurant is actually part of the Ginza Iwa group. In fact, it has replaced the Ginza Iwa grill and is located right below Ginza Iwa sushi.
The place was fairly comfortable and classy, with 4-5 tables widely spaced out and with good use of partitions and pillars - a very private "club" indeed. There is also a teppanyaki area and a sushi counter area.
There are some fixed a la carte items such as sushi, sashimi, tempura, different types of grilled meat, various types of okonomiyaki...etc.
The price range is quite extreme. One the one hand, there is Okonomiyaki at about $70 and 5 pieces of Kyoto ball shaped sushi at $88. On the other hand, they serve grilled Kobe beef at $880 and 16 pieces of assorted sushi at $880 as well.
What's special about this club is that they have specialist menus that rotate between different Japanese prefectures. For the time being, they are doing a Tochigi prefecture menu which appears to include a number of regional signature cuisines. That's what we've ordered. We've also ordered a number of items a la carte.
Lotus root: Crunchy yet not oily at all. The grated tomato powder sprinkled on the lotus roots was an interesting idea.
White kuraage with persimmon: Couldn't really taste much of either ingredients. It's interesting to see persimmon being used in cuisines though.
Assorted vegetable in fish stock: My wife snapped it out rather quickly so I didn't get to try this.
Ayu: The ayu was probably simmered in a mixture of sweet soy sauce and dashi. The meat was firm and the taste was on the sweet side. An interesting start for the meal.
We ordered one oyster sashimi and one grilled oyster. The oyster was big and fresh. It's on the creamy side. The seawater taste was light. Mixed well with ponzu. Fans of Kumamoto oysters might like this.
The taste of the grilled oyster was far more intense. I find it slightly salty though. The timing was good as it was still juicy but I still prefer the sashimi version.
Buri and Chu Toro: Both of those were excellent. The buri was fresh and the texture of the meat was very firm. The chu toro was had excellent umami which lasted for a long while. The quality of the sushi was even better than Ginza Iwa and Sushi Sase.
Two different types of shoyu were served. The one depicted in the photo above was made by monks in an ancient temple. The temple itself is a world heritage and the shoyu was used as offerings to emperors in the old days.
This was rather sweet and was bursting with umami - the taste was remotely similar to a type of premium double fermented soy sauce. The other one is sashimi shoyu. The taste of the latter soy sauce is much deeper and saltier than the former.
This is a regional specialty of Kyoto. It resembled normal Edomae sushis other than the shape and condiments (uni, ikura, lime and herbs) placed above the piece of fish. The netas were scallop with lime, salmon with ikura, hamachi with herbs, one white bodies fish with uni and akami with herbs. Worth a try.
The clear broth, dashi, was excellent. The clean aftertaste was exceptional. The white item in the middle was yuba, i.e tofu skin. I didn't try it but my wife seemed happy with it.
Grilled essence of crab with crab meat and sesame tofu. The essence of crab was rich and the crab meat was sweet. There was also a thick slice of chewy sesame tofu beneath the crab miso. Recommended.
Seiro means steamed basket. This came in a stone pot intead. Anyway, it meant that the Tochigi beef and the vegetables were steamed. The flavour of the rich dashi entered the smooth silk tofu and assorted vegetables nicely. Simply dip the beef into the ponzu sour sauce or the red wine salt provided.
This is a Kyoto style pancake. The texture was similar to a Chinese "Bok Chaan" - i.e. Chinese Pan Cake. There was some egg and plenty of chopped spring onions inside the pancake. I find this a simple and wholesome food. Worth a try.
Ususally Hanami-dori (a branded chicken from Fukuoka) has a mild but noticable chicken aroma and the texture is usually good. However, this tatsudaage was fairly normal stuff. The batter wasn't too crunchy and the meat wasn't that juicy as well. The oba in the salad was a nice touch though.
A very authentic type of hotpot - only that the pot is a piece of paper. Assorted vegetables with two large pieces of fish similar to Buri with fragrant citrus aftertaste (because of the dashi with yuzu). The carrot is also worth a mention. It's called "Kin toki Ninjin". The carrot was bursting with natural sweetness. I've never had anything like that. Definitely worth a try.
The balance between lean meat and fat was great. The flavour was on the rich side with a lot of umami. Some may find it slightly salty though. I enjoyed it. Worth a try.
I don't eat beef nowadays so what I'm telling you now is just hearsay.
The Tochiki beef was fattier when compared to the Kobe beef. There is no suji (tendon) so it will melt in your mouth. The Kobe beef was also soft but with some tendon in it which gives a different texture. It was even fresher than the Tochigi one. My wife prefers Kobe beef.
A small stove was provided so you could heat up the beef to your desired level, which I think is a very nice touch.
A number of condiments were provided, namely, ponzu, sesame sauce, red wine salt, shoyu and wasabi.
Yuzu ramen : chewy ramen. Dashi, yuzu , shoyu broth . Japanese rice : above average. Not as good as hyped. With gobo, gyoza sauce. Gyoza sauce: similar to Yu Heung ke zi.
Dessert: famous tachigi strawberry cheesecake. I'm not a big fan of it so I can't give you an objective opinion. The strawberry Ice cream was very good according to my wife.
Conclusion:
The bill came down to about HK$1,300 per person, which I think is exceptional value for money.
Great food quality, private setting and dedicated service.