All's well that ends well

I wrapped up the year 2024 with a bang with a fine dinner at Sushi Kumogaku on the last week of December. I have been to the restaurant a few times before but this was my first time coming here for dinner - partly because the restaurant is super popular and kind of hard to book. Chef Kin and his team was making final preparation behind the counter already as we walked in and seated at far end of the L-shaped counter in the main dining room, which could seat up to 12. 

Venturing Up North

Spending the weekend in Shenzhen turned out to be quite a revelation for me. While most people travelled to our neighbor north to the border in the hunt of bargains, we went in search of some finer things with many new restaurants and hotels opening even before and during covid that easily rival those of similar caliber in town. 

Seasonal Get-Together

Felt like we are now doing dinner at Ryota at least once every season - thank to our host C who made the effort to organize - and this time with their winter menu on deck a few weeks ago. We were the only group of diners in that evening so we had the whole place to ourselves with undivided attention from their staff front and back. Chef Ryota was not in that night but I didn't see any change in quality of their dishes in spite of his absence, which is a good thing.  

Sushi Night in Fukuoka

We spent most of our time in Fukuoka exploring the casual food scene but we did have a more serious sushi meal one evening at a restaurant called Sushi Kuma. 

Food Pairing Sake Dinner, the Sequel

There were certainly something special about the food we had that night. And the drink too. And not in particular order. 

With hot summer slowly giving way to the (equally hot) autumn we returned to Ryota Kappou Modern to check out the seasonal menu by Chef Ryota Kanesawa, again, courtesy of our friend C who organized this at this favorite restaurant of his. Last time after an already great line-up of bottles he organized for us we challenged him to show us more, and he did, this time with more jaw-dropping ones. Yes, that’s plural right there. 

Food Pairing Sake Dinner

"Don't worry about the wines - I will take care of it." we realized what our friend C meant when I managed to take a peek at the bottles he brought to the restaurant before our dinner began. Let's just say having any one of them on any given occasion would have been the highlight, but going through all of them in one go was simply beyond remarkable. Better yet, he also went through the menu with chef at his go-to restaurant to make sure the dishes did justice to the outstanding bottles. 

First Night Out

"So, where are you going for dinner on April 21?" became a common question to ask as we were finally allowed back into restaurants for dinner after a long 3-month ban. For us, the choice was Torisho, the yakitori specialist in Central which opened its door about a year ago but we have never been. 

Solid Choice

It felt like not that long ago when we first saw the hoarding in front of what has become the new location for Sushi Wadatsumi. Turned out that's almost one year ago since their old shop in Sheung Wan closed and relocated to K11 Musea across the harbor. 

Winter Solstice Omakase

Our "Mo Duck Shue" dinner series brought us to yet another omakase meal, this time at Masa, on the week right before Christmas (on the night we traditionally celebrate Winter Solstice). This is also our first visit to this "impossible-to-book" sushi-ya since it's relocated to the current Central location in early 2021. 

"Mo Duck Shue"

Some friends and I decided to take turns in hosting dinners at places each of us were (more) familiar with (including here and here), and when it came to my turn, I suggest we convene at Nikushou partly because that’s a place I am confident about and partly because most of us have not been recently so it’s good for a re-visit. So I gave its owner (and a good friend of ours) A a buzz and asked him to help arrange and all I requested was the menu has to be “unbeatable” (or “Mo Duck Shue” 無得輸 as we often say in Canto) as we often said in the previous rounds of dinners. 

Unagi Part 2: Uza x Tatler Dining Kitchen

I have enjoyed quite a few pop-up dinners at the lovely Tatler Dining Kitchen lately, and I got to say the latest installment was the one I anticipated the most with our friend A taking over for a 2-week engagement with his new dining concept Uza and a tasting menu combining Unagi (freshwater eel) and Izakaya (Japanese pub) cuisines (hence the name)

Mian Sequel

I returned to Mian just a few weeks after eating there for the first time, and this time with Chef Shao in residence. Our friend KC has sorted out the menu with the chef and we ended up having a few new dishes along with some of the chef’s signature. 

Birthday Omakase

Eating at Sushi Shikon has always been one of those “serious decisions” we contemplate every now and then – with the tab for its omakase menu comparable to a fancy weekend getaway nearby, it’s somewhere we saved for one of those rare special occasions that we didn’t mind splurging a little. 

Sushi of Good Value

I thought Sushi Ching has a slight resemblance of those hidden sushi-ya in Tokyo when we stepped out of the elevator in a random commercial building in a random neighborhood of Fortress Hill, with nothing but a small sign with the name hanging next to the non-descript wooden door entrance.

Sukiyaki at Home

We discovered this new food delivery service through our friends E and J who posted very nice pictures of their products the other day. These days we are eating at home more often than ever and obviously we are always on the look-out for any decent place that could save us the trouble of having to prep everything by ourselves all the time. 

Fun Hangout

A couple weeks ago I popped by Zuma to check out some of their new dishes after work. With the evenings now much cooled down as we approached winter, their outdoor terrace provided the perfect setting for a pre-meal drink before we sat down inside their dining area for a long meal prepared by their Chef Oscar Luzon de Arcos. Edamame was perhaps the bar snack of choice in every contemporary Japanese-inspired dining places but I particularly like this version here with drizzle of Amalfi lemon juice and shichimi pepper, bringing up a notch of the usual version. 

Back to Normal (Kinda)

We were at our friend A’s restaurant Nikushou on the first night when the "dine-out until 10pm" restriction was lifted. When everyone in town seems to be out and about eating and drinking, we were glad to score a table at this popular restaurant at the last minute - thanks to whoever bailed and freed up the spots.

Fine Dining Takeaway Part 3: Nikushou Bento

When we heard our friend A (aka Meatchelin by his social media handle) started offering dinner bento box deliveries from his restaurant Nikushou in Causeway Bay, we immediately called to order. We have had a few rounds of western and Chinese food deliveries recently but not yet Japanese, and as far as food is concerned, we have little doubt A will deliver at the level we expected. 

Lunch at Ecriture

Last week I finally manged to sit down and check out the dishes created by Chef Maxime Gilbert’s team at his Michelin-starred Ecriture. With my previous visit to the restaurant being a crossover meal with the guest chef from Moscow, I guess I would only count this time as my first.

Dinner During Troubled Times

The other day a few of us dropped by at our friend A’s restaurant Nikushou for dinner and drinks. I felt like I am here more often than I remembered – a few times for a proper sit-down dinner, but more frequently I just stopped by at late night for a quick drink and snacks with our friends. And this time, it’s for a few new dishes that the restaurant is soon launching on its lunch and dinner menu, plus a few seasonal dishes.