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. 

We had our fair share of sushi meals recently but since we managed to get another lunch booking at the restaurant on a weekend afternoon, we thought we would give this a try also. The shop was more spacious than before, now with two separate dining areas each can comfortably seat 8 at the counter, though at the time of visit they were only operating at half the capacity, with Chef Kin and his assistant manning our counter. 

Only 2 choices on the lunch menu and both seemed to be reasonably priced. The longer of the two, the Lunch Omakase, started with a few appetizers before moving to the sushi courses. The silky chawanmushi was steamed with the seasonal sansai, with the kogomi (ostrich fern) leaving the unique bitter aftertaste. The small piece of Komochi Yari-ika was grilled then slow simmered in marinate - I love the soft and creamy texture. 

The makaki rock oyster from Saga Prefecture was served raw with just a slight squeeze of lemon. It's plump with a good balance of mineral flavor. Unagi (freshwater eel) was a peculiar choice served at this time of the meal. While I thought the cooking was great - I love the crispy skin with the piece weighed down and seared skin-side against the pan. But I thought it would need a bit more seasoning - sansho peppers or a light brush of kabayaki sauce was all it needed. 

Moving onto sushi courses, with Chef Kin carefully prepared all ingredients for our side of the table and delivered them one by one in turns. We ended up having a selection of mostly usual suspects, starting with the milder pieces like Ishidai (striped beakfish) and Shimaji (striped jack), and then sawara (Spanish Mackeral) grilled with straw for the hint of smokiness. Shimaebi (Morotoge shrimp) is a special species from Hokkaido known for its bright red stripes and came into season during springtime. The whole prawns were presented to us in a tray before Chef Kin turned that into a piece of Nigiri sushi with two pieces of prawns in each.

I enjoyed both the akame and otoro sushi courses, with the former briefly marinated and latter scored and served on its own. I love the fatty texture of the otoro piece, with the fish said to be coming from Shizuoka Prefecture. Aji (Horse Mackerel) was my another favorite of the afternoon with excellent texture. I can't say I am a huge fan of their ways of serving Hotate (Sea Scallops) with the piece cured with soy sauce giving it a firmer texture (I said the same when I visited their old branch) - but this one I thought it was okay. 

We ended our sushi courses on a high note, with Bafun Uni (sea urchins), Torigai (Japanese cockles) and Akamutsu (blackthroat seaperch) all outstanding. At the end it was the negitoro maki (fatty tuna handroll), miso soup and the small piece of wobbly egg castella cake cooked with fish and crustacean broth giving it a strong umami flavor. 

Of course, one may argue Sushi Wadatsumi might not be as "refined" as others given its caliber (and the Michelin star), but for this price range, I thought this is a solid choice in terms of ingredients, techniques and ambiance. 

More photos here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/g4gary/albums/72177720297850806

When? April 3 2022
Where? Shop 607, Level 6, K11 Muesa, 18 Salisbury Road, Tsimshatsui, Kowloon
Drink? Tatenokawa "Seiryu" Junmai Daiginjo - Tatenokawa Shuzo, Yamagata Prefecture
Web: sushi-wadatsumi.com