Wagyu Takumi Hong Kong

Hong Kong Michelin guide is often perceived as the overrated one (even after 8 years) - many so called pundits especially from Europe believe the inspectors have been too lenient when giving away multiple stars. While I often agree with many of them, I found one of the places that hardly cause any controversy about the restaurant's merit was Wagyu Takumi. The restaurant (owned by the Lai Sun group) may not be that famous yet since it's only established in 2013. In addition, its location is relatively hidden, on a secluded road of the Oakhill area in Wan Chai. The 'founder' chef was Mitsuru Konishi who used to work at Taillevent Paris; he resigned in early October this year. The current executive chef is Daisuke Mori who has been working at Wagyu Takumi for 2 years; he was also working at Taillevent as well as Chateau Robuchon Tokyo. Given his qualification and experience, I felt that I was in good hand even during this 'transition' period and Mori-san just proved that during my dinner here. There's one menu only: 8-course tasting menu (well, 9 dishes in my case since I ordered an extra main course). The meal began with good sourdough bread accompanied by smoked sea salt butter supplied by Bordier.

Amuse Bouche - 3 kinds of seasonal items were:
-Botan ebi tartar with ikura - neither extremely fresh nor sweet; quite average
-Fennel soup with Hokkaido crab & olive oil - tasty with some flavor depth
-Deep fried squid - salty and tasted more like Chinese food

Sanma (Pacific saury) served with Fresh herbs and Sweet bitter sauce - Hidden under the Sanma were: couscous, cucumber and tomato yielding texture and flavor variations. The pan-seared Sanma was fresh and tasty; the sweet sauce was contrasted by the thick, bitter & intense liver. A satisfying dish    

Hokkaido Uni (Sea urchin) served with Lily root and Caviar - Actually, this dish was mainly about the delicate & 'unique' lily root having subdued sweetness & slight nuttiness. It was integrated with creamy uni, salty caviar and light but not-so-smooth lobster jelly at the bottom. A balanced dish with some umami flavor in it

Tako (Octopus) cooked with Red wine and served with Pumpkin espuma/froth and Truffle foam - The tako, also cooked with butter, was massaged for a few hours previously, resulting a 'super' tender flesh of octopus with minimal chewiness. The taste was great. The grapes provided some acidity whereas the fluffy/sweet pumpkin espuma was not too rich thankfully; the foam had a weak truffle flavor. Perhaps, that's why the staff offered some white truffle shaving instead which I politely declined. I think the dish was already good by itself (without the Alba truffle)

Awabi (Abalone) served with Barley risotto, Shimanto seaweed and Lotus root - One of Wagyu Takumi's signature dishes. The (French) barley was prepared al dente; it absorbed the stock perfectly to produce buttery, creamy and fragrant risotto. The rather tender yet pleasantly chewy (New Zealand) abalone was slowly and meticulously seared - really delectable. The celery foam on top was refreshing. Everything went well here except that I wish the abalone's size had been bigger ...

Kinmedai (Golden eye snapper) served with Cabbage compote and Salsify - The lovely kinmedai was carefully cooked until the skin became crisp and golden. It was fatty, a bit oily and yummy. The salsify was versatile, the sour cabbage compote was intense, the olive oil-caviar and truffle-flavored powder were alright. This dish decently kept up as a bridge between the scrumptious abalone and the main course

Brittany Homard (Blue lobster) served with Lemon-grass flavor and Seasonal vegetables - Instead of Alba truffle, I invested my money for an additional main course and it improved my overall impression of the meal here. The live Brittany lobster was perfectly executed: juicy, having the right texture (tender yet a bit firm) and retained its sweet & original flavor. Both the meaty tail and plump claw were excellent. The sauce was superb; a mixture of lemon grass, coriander and lobster bisque. For the side dishes, the turnip, carrot and caramelized onion were quite enjoyable too - an awesome dish!

Japanese Wagyu charcoal-grilled Tenderloin served with Komatsuna puree and Braised wagyu-stuffed onion - The beef was Hida wagyu tenderloin; it's slowly grilled over Wakayama (white) charcoal. The meat was marbling, succulent/juicy and not overly oily (though it still had some of melt-in-the-mouth sensation, I could still comfortably chew and taste the 'beef'). The wagyu had a wonderful flavor indeed and served in the right portion (100-120 grams). For combination or if you feel 'too much beef', there were mildly sweet puree, garlic, onion and nutty endives

(Caramel) Pineapple served with White truffle ice cream and Maple syrup sauce - The pineapple was alright; a bit thin and soft. The ice cream only had a light truffle flavor but not so sweet. For the crunchy part, take it from the caramel walnut. Overall, it's neither bad nor underwhelming.

Petit fours - All items were made in-house:
-Green tea financier - rather weak green tea
-White truffle macaron - sweet flavor still more dominant
-Cepe chocolate - interesting and unusual

I had 2 glasses of wine for this meal: Burgundy white Montrachet and Bordeaux merlot Saint-Emilion. They're not cheap but the manager/sommelier poured me a generous amount. Furthermore, I received a complimentary Masumi sake in tasting portion. The service here was polite and professional. Things might be a bit stiff at the beginning; even Chef Daisuke Mori looked very intense (all of his helpers in the kitchen were locals). However, as the meal progressed and the staffs felt they got a better control of the situation, the service became more relaxed and smooth. Don Kwok, the manager, cordially began talking to me more often in the middle of the meal onward. Mori-san served and explained one of the dishes; we even had a longer conversation near the end of the meal. In a typical Japanese hospitality, the chef escort me out of the restaurant and Don also walked me out and showed me the way to the nearest MTR station. The main drawback of the meal was probably concerning Wagyu Takumi's dining room. The setting was a high-end Teppanyaki style with rather small dining area. The counter was in L-shape that could accommodate up to 14 people. It was a full-house event and the distance between chairs was not that spacious. The positive part was that the restaurant did not turn the table, at least during my dinner. Overall, I had a great meal experience: delicious food, beautiful presentation, professional and friendly service. Wagyu Takumi definitely deserved its status as a 2-star Michelin restaurants and I would not be surprised if it will receive many other awards in the future.

Please visit here for the pictures: Wagyu Takumi Nov '16

Food: 95 pts

Service: 94 pts

Overall: 95/100

Wakuden Kodaiji Kyoto

Besides the famous Kitcho and Kikunoi, Kyoto actually has another less well-known (to foreigners) but equally as reputable as these 2 kaiseki institutions named Wakuden. The establishment, dated back in the late 19th century, began as a hotel in the north of Kyoto. Even then, this country inn already had focus on preparing great seasonal Japanese cuisine. Its hard work has been paid off as currently Wakuden group, focusing only on restaurant business, has 3 branches in Kyoto. In early October last year, we had to opportunity to savor the creations of this famous group at its flagship restaurant - Kodaiji Wakuden, located in the Higashiyama area and as the name suggest, it was not too far from the Kodaiji temple.

Kodaiji Wakuden is an esteemed traditional ryotei whose building had a beautiful architecture and elegant setting. We were greeted by a few staffs around noon as we entered the restaurant and immediately escorted to our private room overlooking a narrow road. We opted to open a bit of the window in order to have more natural lights and fresh air; fortunately the outside street was relatively quiet too. Our private room was spacious with minimal & zen-like interior design. Little did we know that the extra space would be used by the kitchen staff (chef) to prepare and cook some but important dishes during our meal. We started with a cup of Shiso tea as well as in-house sake specialty (Aotake-shu) served in a bamboo bottle and cup. Following this, we had our kaiseki meal:  

Starter: A mixture of tofu and tamago in chilled dashi - The white 'creatures' of bean curd and egg custard was rather plain, but elevated by the tastier broth; a clean dish
Assorted appetizers: Tempura of Hamo, Maitake and Kamasu sushi - The barracuda sushi was well prepared and 'surprisingly' delicious (the rice's vinegar was rather strong); the mushroom and eel (somewhat taste like salmon) were quite good

Ise ebi served with Komatsuna (mustard spinach) and Namakono (sea cucumber) - All ingredients (including the jelly-like sauce) were fresh, tasty and complemented each other; very refreshing
Suimono containing meaty duck, assorted mushrooms, mitsuba (honewort/parsley), chestnut, taro, and yuzu - It tasted liked a 'healthy' soup but tasty with some hints of bitter flavor. There are too many stuffs that I thought overshadow the clear dashi's flavor

Raw fish: Karei sashimi with Autumn flower, spinach, lime and ponzu sauce - The perfectly sliced raw & fresh righteye flounder had translucent meat; it was slightly sweet with pleasant texture
Grilled item: Abalone with its liver sauce - An outstanding yaki awabi (tender texture and inherently sweet) with its thick and rich but smooth liver was truly delicious. "Simple" dish with perfect execution

Barely seared (medium rare) Tamba beef served with grilled figs & light sauce - Another superb dish with minimal preparation; simply let the ingredients and their combination to shine. The rich & marbled beef was nicely balanced/countered by sweet figs; truly umami. It's recommended to wrap the beef around the fruit
Soba served with daikon and 'caviar' - This palate cleanser was served chilled to ease our appetite. It was refreshing and a bit sour as expected. A good intermezzo

Chargrilled dish: Matsutake rolled in pike conger with lime - A moist, fragrant & tasty Hamo beautifully wrapped the aromatic, meaty & delicious Pine mushroom with some twist from the sudachi. The portion was right, the execution was meticulous; a terrific dish. I like it slightly better here than the one I had at Yukimura 
Vegetable dish: Nasu (aubergine), Myouga (ginger) and Tougan (winter melon/cucurbit) with 'soup' - The Japanese version of these forms of vegetables were generally more superior in flavor and texture than what I usually have at other places 

Claypot rice with mushrooms served with pickles and clam miso soup - Good quality rice served with generous mushrooms. It was tasty and nourishing 
Dessert 1: Peeled muscats served with wine jelly - Sweet and watery grapes with lightly flavored jelly; decent combination
Dessert 2: Yokan with kuri and mochigome - Soft red bean 'jelly' went well with the intense chestnut and contrasted in texture by the more 'robust' glutinous rice. Not as perfect as Matsukawa's yokan but still pretty awesome 

I was pleasantly surprised with the quality of my lunch here. It was not cheap, but really good. There were plenty of outstanding dishes in particular the chargrilled items such as the abalone with its liver sauce and Tamba beef with figs. Moreover, the ingredients were fresh and top notch with (often) flawless execution. The kitchen was able to showcase the natural and inherent flavor of the seasonal produce, display some texture contrast and present the food beautifully. While it might not reach the level of Mizai and Arashiyama Kitcho yet, I would rate this meal above the kaiseki I had at Chihana and Nakamura - despite the fact that these 2 places holding 3-star michelin. The hospitality here was impeccable. Although, most of the time we were served by a junior lady who hardly spoke any english (hence, our communication was somewhat limited), she was sincere, diligent and helpful - get the job done properly. Any questions or requests we had, she would go the distance to ensure that they're fulfilled. Sometimes, the more senior waitresses coming to assist her as well. Shinya Matsumoto-san, the Wakuden's head chef, appeared at the end of the meal to check whether everything was fine, thank us for having a meal with them as well as bid as farewell. Delicious food combined with excellent service and gorgeous setting would guarantee a memorable meal.  One of the places you can find such meal would be at Wakuden Kodaiji. Here are the picture of the dishes: Wakuden Kodaiji Oct '15

Food: 96 pts

Service: 95 pts

Overall: 95.5/100

 


 

Ki-sho Singapore

In the past 5 years, Singapore is never short of high qualities of top restaurants serving high-end Japanese cuisine. The old school places such as Aoki and Tatsuya still did pretty well while the new kids on the block, mainly franchise from Japan, such as Shinji Kanesaka, Sushi Ichi and Hashida Sushi have grabbed the island's 'market share' pretty significantly. Among the latest wave of Japanese restaurants here, there was one named Ki-sho that's quietly and slowly has become the new jewel of the town. This place apparently opened about three years ago but never under my radar until the 2nd half of last year. Ki-sho is headed by a genial and proficient Japanese chef - Kazuhiro Hamamoto. Despite a relatively young age, Hamamoto-san's culinary craft was established by working at elite sushi and kaiseki places in Kyoto (Kichisen) for 10 years or so. Additionally, four years prior to the opening of Ki-sho, he was working at Waku Ghin, Tetsuya Wakuda's most successful restaurant nowadays. Looking at his tremendous experience, I know that Ki-sho will be a special place in which the executive chef himself will always be in the kitchen/counter serving and preparing dishes for his guests. Furthermore, Hamamoto-san has mastered the culinary skills of traditional Japanese kaiseki & sushi as well as modern European-Japanese fusion - a rare combination.

Apart from Waku Ghin, there's hardly any fine dining restaurants in Singapore that I would visit twice in the span of 12 months (to be fair, a couple of years ago - I did come a few times to Shinji Kanesaka, but there were for business lunch at others' expenses). Kazuhiro Hamamoto's dishes somehow managed to "make" me want to return there voluntarily. Hence, in this review I will share both of my experiences in the past 7-8 months. The main restaurant at Ki-sho is a sushi-bar/counter, designed in contemporary kappo style, seated at most 11 people. Moreover, there are a few private dining rooms upstairs. The omakase menu served here reminded me of the meals at Urasawa Beverly Hills (still my favorite dining place in the entire U.S.), where diners would savor 7-8 kaiseki dishes followed by 10+ sushi pieces and desserts. Perhaps, that's why after two great meals, Ki-sho has probably become my favorite restaurant in the island. Actually, Ki-sho was perhaps the 'culprit' on why I have yet returned to Waku Ghin for more than 2 years now. It's generally better to have a meal at your favorite restaurant when the Chef-patron be present and consistently lead his kitchen.

1st meal - Sep '14

Katsuo no Tataki (Seared Bonito fillets) - The smoke Skipjack (top quality) was served with 'dry grass'. I liked the distinct aroma from the char fragrance; the fish was indeed meaty, delicious and tender. An awesome way to start my Omakase set 
Seasonal Appetizer - A combination of Sayori, Ikura, Matsutake and early Fall vegetables. A refreshing dish with clean flavors; both Salmon roe and Pine mushrooms were decent and served generously

Matsutake Dobin Mushi ("steamed teapot") served with Amadai - The dashi was nourishing and delicate; it successfully brought out the delicious & unique aroma of Matsutake. There was a play of texture contrast between the Pine mushroom and the Tilefish; both items were delicious. I liked this dish a lot
Chef ’s Signature: Uni and Caviar - The creamy & sweet Sea urchin, served in generous portion, was apparently a combination of "Aka (red) + Murasaki (purple) shell" uni. It's served with salty Italian caviar, white vinegar jelly (to tone down the rich taste), shiso flower, sweet corn and fresh fava beans. An excellent dish and very heavenly, especially when you scoop all the 'elements' together. One of the best dishes of the night ..

Char-Grilled Hokkaido King Crab - The lightly grilled crab, served on the salt, was tender (though a little bit spongy for my taste) and well-seasoned. Simple and tasty; it's almost as good as Waku Ghin's Alaskan crab leg
Seasonal Sashimi - It consisted of Anago (light & a bit smoky), Shima Aji (clean taste), Tako (chewy & average), Ika (crunchy), Karei (fresh & light), Hotate (slightly sweet), O-Toro (good but not that flavorful), and Akami (lean & nice). Overall, they're good qualities but nothing memorable

Seasonal Dish - King crab wrapped in winter melon served with Matsutake mushroom. The broth revealed a combination flavor from the crab and matsutake. This dish was not too bad with generally rather 'weak' taste
Wagyu Dish: Charcoal grilled Toriyama beef - The succulent beef, coming from Gunma prefecture, was served with tomato, fried garlic and wasabi. The crust was smokey, the meat was very tender despite lacking its 'oily juice'. It's delicious as expected, but unfortunately the portion was too small

Kinmedai (Splendid Alfonsino) - sublime and smooth, nearly melt immediately in my mouth
Aji (Horse Mackerel) - The marinated fish was succulent and silky
Uni (Sea Urchin) - Velvety and sweet; a different presentation of uni nigiri sushi. It's very hard to go wrong with this creamy creature
Botan Ebi ('Botan' Prawn) - Clear, sweet and juicy with excellent texture. Among the best morsel in my nigiri sushi pieces

Saba (Mackerel) - A big piece of fish; it's fresh and oily with a slight acidity & fishy flavor. I thought the presentation was interesting
Otoro (Fatty Tuna) - The Otoro has been aged for 2 weeks to bring out its optimum flavor. The luxurious fish was soft, fatty and heavenly. Awesome!
Kama Toro ("Collar" fatty tuna) - The fatty toro was lightly seared. It's also very 'marbling' with high concentrated & intensive taste. It's as good if not better than the previous Otoro
Wagyu roll served with Uni and egg yolk - This was ethereal. The fatty Toriyama beef was lightly grilled and combined with the buttery Sea urchin, sushi rice & wasabi and intense yolk creating a burst of umami flavor. A perfect example of a well-done & creative "nigiri sushi"

Uni Gohan served with Ikura, Chutoro and Shiro ebi - What more can I say for such 'perfect' combination; arguably my favorite dish at Ki-sho. The creamy and sweet Sea urchin nicely mixed with the 'al dente' rice. Then come the flavor and texture display from the bursting of Salmon roe, sweet shrimp and fatty tuna. The wasabi balanced this rich & heavenly dish; I must have it again when I re-visit this restaurant in the future
Seasonal Fruit - There were sweet & watery musk melon and pear with granite; comforting and refreshing. Some sweets - Warabi mochi, velvety Matcha chocolate and Hojicha Monaka ice cream; they're Ok

2nd meal - Apr '15   

Komochi yari ika served with takenoko and wakame - A wonderful opening representing Spring season. The pregnant spear squid (with its egg) was simply soft and sweet while both the aromatic white bamboo shoot and the seaweed were fresh and delicious. A delightful beginning ..
Tairagi served with akagai, ikura and white & green asparagus - The pen shell, similar to scallop, as well as the ark shell were of top qualities, tasty and in great textures (some contrast). The asparagus was fine and the salmon roes were fresh and salty in a good way. Another way to whet our palate early in an omakase meal

Baby anago served in steamed custard and warabi sauce - The baby conger eel was a pleasant delicacy; the experienced was enhanced by warm custard and 'simmered' of earthy bracken fern that's quite tasty
Noresore served with yuzu sauce and ginger - The conger eel whitebait (usually only available in Spring at limited period) was clean and light. It went nicely with the sauce above. Without serious attention, noresore could be mistaken as 'clear noodles'  

Seasonal Sashimi - It consisted of Chu-toro, Anago (lightly grill), Saba (delicious), Tako (in 2 ways) with sea salt, and Kawahagi with its liver (the liver in particular was heavenly). Sashimi might not be Ki-sho's main strength but they're still very good in general
Uni served with caviar, edamame and vinegared jelly - This time, the sea urchin was 100% of Bafun uni (sport spine from North Hokkaido). The uni was dense, rich and delicious. Chef Hamamoto displayed plenty of flavor contrasts here such as tart vinegar, briny caviar, mild soybean and 'creamy' sea urchin. Thus, it's recommended that each scoop would contain all of the ingredients if possible. Excellent as always!

Steamed water eggplant with kegani - The eggplant was truly the star here. It was well cooked and flavorful while the horsehair crab was surprisingly only alright
Wagyu Dish: Charcoal grilled Toriyama beef - The delicious beef was coming from Gunma prefecture and fried garlic and wasabi. Unlike earlier visit, Chef Hamamoto prepared the beef in "roll" form - a collection of several thin layers beef. It was melting, moist and flavorful   

Shiro ebi (White shrimp) - Pretty, fresh and tasty
Ika (Squid) - A bit crunchy, silky and rather sweet with a pinch of salt. A wonderful morsel
Sayori (Half beak) - Elegant, clean and delicious
Kinmedai (Splendid alfonsino) - Tender, 'fatty', and really tasty 

Nodo-guro (Rosy seabass) - This 'black throat' white fish was (somewhat) oily/moist and fatty but in a good way
Aji (Horse mackerel) - Fresh, and flavorful; often underrated
Akami (lean Tuna) - Tender with good texture and flavor

Murasaki uni ('Violet' sea urchin) - smooth and sumptuous
Bafun uni ('Green' sea urchin) - sweet and creamy. I can eat this anytime, any day ..
Awabi (Abolone) confit - The luxurious clam was "crispy" with delicate/subtle taste. Chew it slowly and savor its 'rubbery' texture
Engawa (Karei's fin) - First time eating this Flounder's edge and it's really tasty. It had distinctive succulent flavor and chewy/concentrated texture. One of the best pieces during this dinner  

Kama toro no aburi (Seared tuna collar) - Concentrated rich taste and very umami
Otoro no aburi (Seared fatty tuna) - Buttery, melting, and heavenly
Saba (Mackerel) with ginger - A little bit fishy, but tasty with distinct aroma

Char grilled Anago (Saltwater eel) with barely any sauce - Smokey and fragrant with soft texture and natural sweetness   
Kohada (Gizzard shad) - Robust flavor. Spring is probably the best time to enjoy it
Tsubugai (Sea whelk) - Inherently sweet with crunchy texture, ocean flavor and refreshing 'meat'
Akagai (Surf/Red ark shell clam) - Like its chewy texture, 'unique' sweetness and fine taste
Tamago with hotate - Decent 'egg custard' with relatively light flavor

Miso soup with hamaguri and goma tofu - A nice traditional soup with good quality of clam and sesame tofu. The end is near ...
White strawberries with sake jelly - Spring season strawberry. They might look pale, but they're sweet, rich and refreshing. The sweetness was balanced with the light jelly

I only had ocha for the first meal and during the second visit, Kazuhiro Hamamoto-san generously gave me a few glasses of in-house sake to try and savor. The first sake was having junmai daiginjo "profile" - fragrant, strong, a bit sweet with soft acidity; the second one was junmai ginjo "type" - lighter than the 'daiginjo' and more delicate. Both were good. I was thinking to buy a carafe size of the house brand sake, but cancelled it after knowing it cost 3-digit for such a small amount (out of my budget). Chef Hamamoto laughed and knowing me perplexed, he gave me an additional glass of it instead. I felt a bit embarrassed yet grateful at the same time for his kindness and understanding. 

By now, you should have clear ideas that I love the food at Ki-sho a lot. However, what makes it a special place is that Ki-sho also excelled in its service and the place has an elegant interior design. The hospitality rendered by both local or Japanese staffs was excellent in both occasions. They're polite, friendly and sincere. Staffs and sometimes the chef would escort me on the way out. The tea was always re-filled, even often replaced with new ones when the tea was not hot anymore. The ultimate experience here is actually the chance to have direct interaction with Chef Kazuhiro Hamamoto himself. He had a good command of English (thus able to patiently and clearly explain every dish if necessary), knowledgeable and cared with guests' overall dining experience. This could not be more obvious during my 2nd visit when I happened to be the only customer that night seating at the sushi counter. The ambiance at Ki-sho is calm with minimal decoration while the main counter was spacious and zen. The restaurant's building is a grand bungalow in colonial style with lavish entrance - a rare and (hardly) imitable combination.    

You're welcome to see the pictures of both meals below. Note that during the 2nd visit, I unfortunately forgot to take several pictures because I was too excited with the food and immediately consumed those delicious dishes
Part 1: First meal
Part 2: Second meal 

Food (and Wine): 95 pts

Service (and Ambiance): 95 pts

Overall: 95/100