Sushi Hisayoshi

We went for sushi once again a few weekends ago at a new restaurant in TST. Saw my friend’s IG story about this place earlier and learned that this is the outpost for Tokyo’s Ginza Iwa in their second attempt to open a branch in this part of the world. This sushi-ya took up the space formerly occupied by a high-end ramen joint at the quieter section of Harbour City. The décor was classic with the pale wooden tones with a spacious U-shaped counter which can seat 15+ comfortably and another counter/private room at the back if they were able to operate in full capacity.

With such a spacious counter and kitchen it mean 3 sushi chefs can work at the same time, and customers from each side can have the up-close-and-personal dining experience and view all the chef actions as the food was prepared. That said, they did give us the seat right in the middle, which arguably has the best view of all. While Chef Hisayoshi Iwa lends his name to this new restaurant, the day-to-day running was handled by Chef Tsukasa Kaneko, who served us during our lunch. Two different menus were offered during the lunch service, differed by the courses offered and price, and one could also opt for the even longer omakase menu that they normally has in the evening (when they were allowed to open)

We went for the Setsugekka menu which was the longer of the two lunch options with 19 courses including 12 piece of sushi. We began with the appetizers. The chawanmushi was served in an antique lidded porcelain tea-cup, with the soft and silky egg custard topped with the sumptuous snow-crab in an umami-packed sauce. A piece of meiji-maguro (baby tuna) was then served as sashimi with a dab of apple ponzu sauce, combining the fatty taste with a hint of acidity as balance.

Chef Kaneko-san then brought out a huge ceramics bowl and showed us the large piece of octopus tenacle which has been “swimming” in the marinate for some time. The Tako (octopus) from Hokkaido was slow-cooked and marinated, then served as thick slices with wasabi and yuzu-kosho on the side. I thought it’s best without any additional seasoning – the infused marinated flavor worked just fine with the super tender piece. Wrapping up our appetizer courses was Gintara (black cod) char-grilled with the slightly sweet soy glaze. I loved its fatty and flaky texture and the perfectly balanced flavor.

Then it was the sushi courses. The selection was based on seasonal catch and this time, we got more mild-flavored fish then the richer ones or shellfish. We started with a few pieces with firm texture – Shimaji (striped jack), Kasugo-dai (baby sea bream) and Ishigaki-dai (spotted knifejaw). Kasugo-dai was my favorite among the three, served slightly grilled with the skin-on with a gentle brush of ponzu on top and the slightly warm shari. A hint of smokiness and sweetness and everything in great balance.

The Kohada (gizzard shad) was another star of the afternoon, came in good portion and from the fattier part of the fish, and served with the skin carefully scored and a brush of nikiri. We were served two additional courses of tuna this afternoon with one coming immediately after the Kohada. The piece of akame came from the catch from Miyagi Prefecture, carved upon arriving at the restaurant and was marinated for 10 minutes before served. I loved its firm texture and rich flavor.

Season of spring was prime for Shiro-ebi (white shrimp) from Toyama and it’s served nigiri style with a brush of nikiri on top after the piece of Kinmedai (goldeneye snapper). I remembered I wasn’t a fan of the Hotate (sea scallops) served at Ginza Iwa – I thought the style was too overaged for me – but this time the piece was great, served fresh with a brush of yuzu zest on top. Our second piece of tuna came in the form of otoro which has been aged for 14 days. It has excellent flavor.

Wrapping up was Hokkaido Bafun Uni (sea urchins) served gunkan style, Ikura (salmon roes) served in a small porcelain bowl mini-chirashi style, and Anago (saltwater eel) grilled with a comparatively mild flavor. Dessert was another interesting one – wasabi-flavored with a nice kick served open-sandwich style on top of a piece of monaka.

When? March 20 2022
Where? Sushi Hisayoshi, Shop G111, The Gateway Harbour City, 3-27 Canton Road, Tsimshatsui
Menu Highlights? Tako (Octopus), Otoro (Fatty Tuna)
Drinks? Houou Biden Tsurugi Karakuchi Junmai - Kobayashi Shuzo, Tochigi Prefecture
鳳凰美田 剱 辛口純米 瓶燗火入 - 栃木県 小林酒造
Web: https://www.facebook.com/sushi.hisayoshi.hk/