[香港 HONG KONG] - Ringing in the New Year at Sushi Ta-Ke 竹壽司 Causeway Bay

Almost 10 months later and I am trying to recall this ridiculous New Year's Eve meal at Sushi Ta-Ke 竹壽司. Shame on me for being a lazy ass and putting this off. So please bear with me.

In doing research for this past trip to Hong Kong, there were only about a handful of really good nigiri sushi restaurants. Sushi Yoshitake had just opened for about 2 to 3 months when I arrived in Hong Kong, immediately received 2 Michelin stars, and of course priced out of reach (although I wouldn't mind actually spending the money and eating in Ginza Tokyo, but not have to pay silly import prices). Sushi Rozan in Wanchai was also newly opened, but had little to no press at the time, and Sushi Sase of course being the more affordable high end option. Sase closed for vacation about a week to two between late December and early January (I believe Sase-san actually went back to Hokkaido to spend with his family) to coincide with Tsukiji Fish Market holiday closures. Thus the only other option was Ta-Ke, and fortunately they were open.

Ta-Ke, like other sushi options in town, find other means to source seafood as needed. While Tsukiji shut down for the holiday, they and other restaurants were still able to get fresh seafood from Hokkaido and Kyushu, and as a result I was able to try quite a few interesting things I had not before (or have not had in a long long time).

Slabs of deliciousness, within plain view at the counter.

 

The sushi counter was not made of wood, but the semi darkened interior and lighting created a nice mood and atmosphere, that was upscale and I suppose "romantic". Naturally in prime real estate, the prices are a lot higher than usual.

 

Since I was on vacation, I decided to kick it up a notch and in some ways daringly (and some might say stupidly) ordered the marked up "New Year's Eve (set) Menu". It is not cheap at all, and came to less than HK$2000 after 10% service charge. But for what I received, I would say it easily outperformed 99% of Japanese restaurants in Northern California.

 



Really beautiful looking Japanese wild prawns, next to the pen shell clam

The head Japanese chef was busy entertaining advanced reservation regulars on the left side, who were Japanese expats. I ended up with a Hong Kong local sous chef who served me, pretty well trained and knowledgeable (and friendly), and sat near the middle section of the counter.

"Ah Do" the chef on the right, who is now at Kishoku in Causeway Bay

 

One of the pleasures of ordering a set menu is that you don't have to worry about what to order. The restaurant simply takes care of everything else. That is, provided that you like the healthy balance (or imbalance) of certain dishes, and don't mind the progressions. Ah Do, who was the sous chef there (now I read that he has moved on and is now a head chef at Kishoku), was very pleasant and quite a fun character, and seemingly had a few loyal followers who are locals. Local Cantonese speaking chefs like him provided the necessary experience and bridging the gap between locals who don't speak Japanese and fear eating with a strict traditional Japanese speaking chef, as I learned from speaking with my neighbors at the counter.  

 

 Black bean appetizer

 

The meal started off with a beautiful dish of "kuromame", large chunks of simmered black beans that is very typical New Year celebration food. The menu listed this originally as "Japanese New Year Salad: Marinated Radish and Carrot with Black Beans", but somehow just evolved into this. No matter...these were delicious, sweet, and perfectly done.

 

Next up was sea urchin with sweet shrimp and caviar. Quite a decadent combination to say the least, and my first time having this combo. If this doesn't impress the spendy raw seafood lover, I'm not sure the rest of the meal will!

 



 

Another first for me, Hokkaido hairy crab (ke-gani). The upper leg meat still in its shell (but fairly easy to extract) with the rest of the meat already de-shelled and arranged in the bowl. At this rate, the high price of the set menu didn't seem so bad after all.



Prepping the sashimi plate

 

 

Next up were some sashimi mini courses



Hokkaido shrimp

 Geoduck with yuzu zest

 

 Originally kinmedai was on the menu, but the chef swapped it out with kawahagi. This is the liver

 

 Kawahagi

 

Quite enjoyable to have kawahagi as it has been a long long time, but the mushy liquidy liver was rather unusual (shouldn't it be a bit more solid?) Unfortunately the liver was served first, and when I was almost done with it, did the body of the kawahagi sashimi came. Should have waited for both, so the liver sauce could be used as dip.

Amberjack (Kanpachi)

 

 

 

 

Chu toro

 

I believe the chu toro came from a farmed Bluefin tuna via Kyushu. The trapezoidal cut seemed a bit odd.

 





 

 

 

Next up, a signature of Chef Do's (that he took over with him to Kishoku). A piece of otoro

(fairly odd shaped cut) with shiso, some rock salt, on a piece of crispy nori. At this rate I'm feeling a little too much gluttony, and a bit of an imbalance (there is yet a little more toro later). But definitely

getting bang for the buck!

 

 

 Shirako

 

Ridiculously creamy and nice cod milt (sperm sac). This is the way it should be! This was not part of the NY eve menu, so it may have been substituted for another dish. I had this before the meal at Sushi Mori, where the shirako was a lot drier (not my style).

 

 

 Simmered spiny lobster (ise-ebi) with spikenard

 

This appears to have been fried first then simmered in dashi. Another first time for me eating spiny lobster/ise ebi, although I wasn't sure about the frying part.

 

 Ankimo (monkfish liver)

 

I can honestly say that Ino Sushi in San Francisco, as well as Maruya, do not have anything to fear. I did not enjoy this as much, although perhaps by local standards this was decent.

 

 

Grilled sliced Japanese Wagyu A5 Kagoshima beef with spring onion and crispy garlic

 

This was hands down one of the best items of the evening. Although I was a bit wary of the gold flake decoration. I have no idea what was in the dip sauce but that too was just extremely delicious. Restaurants in America really need to learn how to take Japanese beef and cook it like this, instead of a USA style steak on a broiler which totally ruins the flavor (or by searing it on a broiler for that matter). Minimal handling the right way preserves the original flavor and taste!

 

 

A little salad prior to the nigiri course, and the myriad of crunchy vegetable textures and delicate seasoning were a pleasure.

 

 Tsukemono

 

 

Oh yes, pickles! But not the kosher kind. On the left we have takuan and the imbedding of katsuobushi (bonito flakes) was a very nice touch. On the right, simmered burdock (still very crunchy) with sesame seeds. Sushi Mori in Causeway Bay had a similar pickle course, but without the katsuobushi in the takuan. I liked this better.

 

So after the pickles, it was nigiri time.

 

Budo ebi (grape shrimp)

 

 Budo ebi (grape shrimp)

 

 Unfortunately can't remember what this was. Chef Do said "saba" but it's a bit too pink on the inside.

 

 Hon maguro akami (Bluefin dorsal cut)

 

Uni

 

Chef Do holding up a slab of toro

 

More toro

 

This was either barracuda or mutsu/aka mutsu

 

Seared toro sinew, needless to say, incredibly rich

 

The set menu nigiri course was supposed to be Toro, Akami Tuna, Halfbeak (Sayori), Grape Shrimp, Torigai, and Anago....but they didn't have some of them for some reason, and I got different and perhaps extra cuts, and was not charged additional. Guess it pays to get on the chef's good side ;-)

 

 

Toshikoshi soba (hot)

 



 

 End of meal miso shiru

 

 A rich bowl of miso shiru indeed (shrimp, mushroom, tai, clam, yuzu zest)

 

 Dessert: Strawberry Daifuku Mochi

 

 Haha, it looks like a dim sum BBQ pork bun!

 

Yes I actually did crack a joke to my neighbors and Chef Do, that I thought I was getting a dim sum BBQ pork bun for dessert, and they agreed that it did look like it under the dimmer lighting of the restaurant. That would have been funny if it were true!

 

So a few comments:

 

The quality of the seafood is top notch....unfortunately during the nigiri progression the seafood overpowered the rice, where I couldn't taste it much. Not sure who was behind the sushi rice seasoning, but it was lacking, and did not appear to have red vinegar in it, like Sushi Mori and other high end places.

 

Having more toro than usual for an expensive meal is nice, but I would have preferred a bit more of a balance, perhaps more of something I did not have. It is easy for local chefs to stereotype and assume that the customer base prefers toro, uni, maybe salmon, or that their palettes are limited to just that...but no sir, there are a few of us out there who want a broader spectrum of flavors :-)

 

The vegetable mini course perhaps could have been placed nearer the front (the thin julienne cut salad).

 

This was otherwise a very memorable meal, as I had litte to nothing to compare the experience with locally, and then went to Sushi Mori 5 days later.

 

Is it the best in town? My pulse says "no" to this day, but provides a nice option to those who want to dine in the area, want something with a semi exclusive feel, laid back, yet elegant. And obviously, for those who don't want to pay $5000+ at Yoshitake, or $3000+ at Rozan per person. Given the fact they were open on New Year's Eve, this could yet be an option for visitors and locals who want high end sushi and set courses, when some of the competition around town may be closed on vacation or break during this timeframe.

 

 

Sushi Ta-Ke 竹壽司

12/F, Cubus, 1 Hoi Ping Road, Causeway Bay

銅鑼灣開平道一號Cubus 12樓

 

Tel (852)-2577 0611

[香港 HONG KONG] - Getting my sticks on at 肥姐小食店 Fei Jie Snack Shop (Mongkok)

 

 Those who have watched Anthony Bourdain's "No Reservations: Hong Kong" that aired in 2007, may remember a scene where blogger Josh Tse (ChaXiuBao) took Anthony Bourdain to an eatery that essentially specialized in "meat and parts on a stick". The auntie was obviously not fond of cameras and people filming. So Tony and Josh had to stand in the building entrance to the right, aka the Hung Tat Building gateway, to enjoy their conquests.

 

As it turns out, the name of the store was never officially revealed, but locals know this to be Fat Sis's Snack Shop 肥姐小食店 (Fei Jie) in Mongkok.

 

This visit was sometime January 2013, so I am 9+ months late to posting. However a few things have not changed throughout the years, and that is the recipe used to marinate (and simmer) the meat and meat parts for skewers, that have won the hearts and minds of locals.

 

 

 

The view from across the street. Don't worry about the line, it moves a lot faster than Food Truck Festivals in America. 

 

 

There are quite a few choices here. Pork gizzards, sausages, cuttlefish, squid, octopus, pork tongue, pork large intestines, to name a few that I remember.

Actually, photography is prohibited, but they were either too busy or stopped caring :-)

From left to right: pork tongue, pork intestines, squid. All AWESOME. 

It's very simple. You line up until you get to the counter, and ask what skewers you want (in Cantonese) and they will ask you if you want mustard squirted on. Do say yes! Have your bills or exact change ready, and you essentially do the Seinfeld "soup nazi" routine. Order, then move out the way, pay, pick up your skewers and move on.

This is true street food. All standing room. All I can say is that if this is not your thing, then don't bother. But if you can appreciate the subtleties of the complex marinade used to season and flavor the meats, meat parts, and seafood, you will be absolutely delighted.

Those who grew up in Hong Kong during the 70s and 80s will surely remember push cart vendors selling snacks like this outside movie theaters. This was well before the age of craptacular popcorns, big sodas, and the like. So obviously those vendors have long gone, and independent movie theaters have been converted into multiplexes. Which leaves places like Fat Sis to carry the torch to preserve the original flavor, or whatever is left of it.

Mongkok has a plethora of street food vendors selling random snacks. Of the numerous snack vendors and drink shops (including boba milk tea chains from Taiwan that are forgettable), I suppose this is the best we have. While it cannot compare to night market food culture in SE Asia or Taiwan, let alone hawker food stalls in Singapore and Malaysia, it is better than nothing, and still a symbol of grassroots Hong Kong food.

肥姐小食店 Fei Jie Snack Shop
旺角登打士街55號4A舖
Shop 4A, 55 Dundas Street, Mong Kok

[香港 HONG KONG] - Cold milk tea in a Schweppes soda glass bottle? SWANK! 瑞記咖啡 Shui Kee Coffee, Sheung Wan

Unsuspecting goodies await us in the Muncipal Services Building, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong

It's pretty amazing how much fun local affordable food (at times not necessarily the healthiest) can be found if you carefully search and dig around. No foreign tourist will actively seek something like this out, because it doesn't look interesting, appetizing, or even worthy of Michelin's time...but to lonesome expats living abroad, the thrill of the hunt alone is worth the while.

Not too far from the MTR station of Sheung Wan, find your way to the Municipal Services Building, where the wet market is housed. Head to the top floor and you will find the cooked food center.

There is absolutely no English on the menu or signage, and to make things more interesting, the name "Shui Kee" 瑞記 is listed from right to left (the old style traditional way of reading Chinese), so it shows up as 記瑞. The sign is high above near the ceiling, and the shop is in one of the corners.

Look for the red menu near the window, and the calendar near the door

 

So this looks like your average run of the mill cooked for stall. What's so special about it, you might ask? Well, it's actually a combination of food culture, what locals eat and where some might hang out during certain times of day, and doing something simple enough at a very high level that very few competitors can emulate (and in some cases absolutely cannot).

 



The prices can be a challenge to read, particularly if you are not familiar with old style methods by vendors.

 

Ahh...why bother reading the menu. I'm here for a breakfast. Cold milk tea and HK old style French toast!



 

 To the left is the small kitchen, where a legendary 80+ year old man works

 

 

This is what I came here to eat, old style French toast

 

 

This is the weirdest looking HK style French toast I've had. Perhaps I've lived overseas far too long and am used to peanut butter sandwiches deep fried. But this one is a classic style of egg mix over white bread/toast, with the crust removed. Then some sweet condensed milk on top. It's pretty decadent and obviously only a once in a blue moon kind of treat once you are over a certain age, but damn delicious.



 

But this is REALLY why I came here.

Now Shui Kee 瑞記 is actually most famous for THIS. It is certainly weird to see a cream soda bottle being used as a carrier for a Hong Kong milk tea beverage, but I believe there are a few reasons behind this.

The obvious one is environmental, why wash an additional cup?

The next one is packaging...it's cutesy in a sense, and practically everyone in HK has grown up drinking a glass bottle soda, or a glass bottle Vitasoy, one of numerous childhood memories.

It's probably easier to keep these cool, so the milk tea can be kept at a cold temperature and served without ice (which dilutes the drink).

But the most important thing is that this was probably the best cold HK milk tea I had during my entire trip, and the most memorable. Everything about the drink was flawless...the refreshing cold temperature, the degree of sweetness (just right), as well as the depth of flavors and texture from the tea brewing. As simple as this drink seems, it is actually very difficult to get it right. And this 80+ year old man figured it out years ago.

In a day and age where real estate and bling jewelry is king in Hong Kong, and no younger generation of folk are willing to take over these mom and food shops or to get into food business to keep the traditions alive, one can only lament that some day food culture like this will just slowly fade away.

I hate to say this, but please enjoy while you still can.

May the chef and his food continue to thrive until at least my next trip, and yours.


Shui Kee 瑞記咖啡
Shop 17, 2/F, Sheung Wan Municipal Services Building, Sheung Wan
上環市政大廈2樓17號舖

[香港 HONG KONG] - Sushi Mori 鮨森日本料理 Causeway Bay - Birthday Extravaganza!

Causeway Bay seems to be the place on Hong Kong Island these days if you want choices with regards to Japanese cuisine. It's a busy shopping area first and foremost, packed with people most times of the day, and quite frankly real estate is king, along with those carrying unmarked bags of money across the border...

But anyways I was in town, and I needed a treat. After some very basic research, Sushi Mori 鮨森日本料理 showed great promise. And it was time to celebrate! That was 7 months ago, and a memorable meal.

Sushi Mori is located on the 16th floor of a building that has quite a few Japanese restaurants (including an all you can eat buffet style on the way up) and Izakaya Mori is in the same building, owned by the same people.

As you come out the elevator the signage greets you. Walk through the curtain (noren) and you are inside the dining area with a bar and a few table seats.

Make a reservation for optimal results. For me I asked to be seated in front of the head chef.



Waited patiently as I asked for hot tea, and a few minutes later, Mori-san came over to take my order.

It was pretty simple...."nigiri omakase, shimasu".

The chef with the glasses is Mori-san

Mori-san is quite an interesting fellow. He speaks fluent Japanese, looks Japanese....but his Cantonese is flawless. I was puzzled. He then later told me his father is Japanese (also trained in Kyoto ryori / kaiseki), his mother is Chinese, and he grew up in Hong Kong.

Appetizer trio of black beans (kuromame), a square block of layered konbu (kelp) and a fluffy egg cake, like an osechi お節料理 sampler, to celebrate the New Year. 



It was 5 days after the new year, but nothing quite beats having some osechi early in the meal. The black beans were deliciously sweet and very plump, probably my favorite of the trio. The konbu was simmered in dashi and served at room temperature, and was delightful. The egg sponge cake was elegantly carved, as if I was having a work of art and an afternoon tea snack at the same time. A very impressive intro.

Tokyo Ginza Edo style ginger and fresh grated wasabi, not the kind you see from jars.

Next, the chef placed some ginger and wasabi on the plate. The ginger was nothing like I had before...and I'm used to seeing thin flimsy slices of what is more common as the jarred stuff. These were delicately pickled, crispy (like daikon). I've only seen this in a youtube video (Sushi Nakamura in Tokyo). It's pretty nice to see this level of detail in Hong Kong.

Couldn't wait to get the nigiri started.

Kodai 小鯛 with ume (sour plum paste) 

This was a winning combination. A little sour plum paste with a small shiso leaf, on top of kodai.

There are a few things of note with this meal. Sushi Sase was closed during my visit to Sushi Mori (to coincide with the Tsukiji Fish Market holidays and closure) but many other sushi restaurants in town continued to source material from Kyushu and Hokkaido, and Sushi Mori was no exception. The next thing is that Mori-san uses a special aged red vinegar and generously mixes it with his sushi rice, thus some photos may look like brown rice is being used, but is actually darkened "aka-shari". The rice still ends up being delicately seasoned with a slightly sweet and clean finish, without a vinegary sour presence as one might expect.

Kinmedai 金目鯛 with the fin muscle (engawa) on top

 

If I remember correctly, the Kinmedai was lightly seared. The fin muscle (engawa) which I've never seen before from Kinmedai (more common from hirame or karei) was served on top.

Ma-Kajiki 真梶木 (Blue Marlin)

 

Otherwise known as "swordfish". This is very common to be eaten raw in various parts of Taiwan (particularly the North where swordfish is harvested and sold off fish markets). 

 



Shiro ebi 白蝦

First time I ever had shiro ebi. Couldn't tell how many pieces were used for one nigiri, but these were very tasty.

Hokkaido scallop 北海道扇貝

 

Some shaved yuzu zest was added.

 

Kinki 喜知次



A little shaved yuzu zest on this one as well.

Seiko Gani (Hokkaido) 香箱蟹

Suddenly Mori-san had to help fulfill some customer orders and did a change of pace. Then a plate of Seiko Gani 香箱蟹 showed up. The crab's carapace had roe and leg meat, and the side of dipping sauce would be what is called "crab vinegar". Another first for me! This is such a luxury.

Kanburi 寒鰤

 

Pretty good, although a little off putting that near the tip was some red...blood?

 



Seared A4 Wagyu from Kagoshima 鹿児島和牛

 

Made the mistake of going to Ta-Ke (also in Causeway Bay) a few days before, and one of the multi course items was a plate of seared A5 Kagoshima Wagyu with gold flakes on top. This one was less interesting and much less flavorful in comparison. Would pass on it next time. 

 



Japanese karasumi からすみ / 烏魚子

I recognized this the moment the chef took it out, and confirmed that it was the Japanese one which I have never seen or had before. But having been to Taipei a few times, it is hard to resist a good salted cured mullet roe 烏魚子. This piece of karasumi though, blew everything I've had before. A thin crunchy slice on top of a thin rectangular piece of raw daikon, was one of the best things all evening.

Shirako 白子

 

Not a good example of the product. The chef seared it with a blowtorch but when eating it, it was very dry, and not the kind I was used to eating (moist, disturbingly creamy...after all it's "fish spooge"/"fish sperm sacs"). The shirako I had at Ta-ke was leagues above this one. 

 



Uni 雲丹

Decent, but not mind blowing. I think this was the kind from a box that looked like unprocessed urchin stored in seawater.  

 

Next came Bluefin tuna (marinated dorsal meat) and a seared toro, both were quite decent.

 



Hon maguro akami zuke - 本鮪赤身漬け

 



Seared otoro

At this point Chef Mori said he's do a live eel for me. Before he sends the eel off to his doom, he brought it over to show that it was alive.

Chef Mori-san holding up a live unagi. It was moving!

If only more Japanese sushi chefs did that. Kind of like Cantonese seafood restaurants that scoop up live fish from the tank, show it to you (also to feed your ego haha) before cooking it. Hopefully no swapping goes behind the scenes! Would have been funny if the eel did some twerking...

Gobo (burdock) with sesame seeds

So while I am waiting, I get a mini appetizer dish to nibble on, burdock with sesame seeds. Again I wish I didn't go to Ta-Ke a few days before, because they had something similar, except they added some katsubushi (bonito flakes) on top that made for a winning combination of flavors.

Fresh unagi

 

I spoke with Chef Mori about having eaten unagi in Taipei, where they adopt a similar approach of steaming the unagi first, then grilling. He apologized that the kitchen doesn't have the right grills for it (binchotan grilling apparently is a no no in many places), and in the interest of time, decided to do straight grilling and ended up with a crispy skin unagi. Super delicious by the way.

 

Before the unagi came over, the thought immediately came to mind for me to ask Chef Mori to harvest the liver and grill those things on a stick. I guess he doesn't get requests like this often, and was happy to oblige. Although looking back, I think he would have saved the liver for himself as his after work snack! 

 



Unagi liver skewer



Really tasty fresh eel liver. A pity these couldn't be charcoal grilled, and not having a tsume/sauce reduced down from boiling unagi bones on it. But still a very commendable effort they made to being accommodating!

Tamagoyaki 卵焼き / 玉子焼

And finally the reason why I came....because I saw they offered Edo style tamagoyaki (or should I say Jiro Ono style). This came out piping hot. A remarkable specimen that is really hard to describe properly... you just have to try this out for yourself!

Yuzu sorbet

And yuzu sorbet closed the deal. I wish I could take buckets of this home with me.

Chef Mori and his team were very accommodating to this rather picky eater, and a blast to chat with. He directly solicited for feedback from me, and looking back I should have remarked on the wagyu, the shirako for example, but felt all the others were very pleasing.

The fun thing was that I was celebrating my birthday, and learned that a guy next to me was also celebrating his!

What a truly fun evening. The meal seemed like it lasted 2.5 to 3 hours, and I was probably one of the last customers to leave....but not before snapping more pictures of what he had left in his case.

Would love to return someday.


Sushi Mori 鮨森日本料理
Tung Lung Street #28 Wing Kwong Building 16th floor
銅鑼灣 登龍街28號永光中心16樓全層
2898 3399