Weekday Japanese Lunch 1: Sushi Kamosu

When my friend (and a sushi restaurant expert) J mentioned on his facebook page that he went to this new sushi joint twice in as many months, that got me curious enough to check it out. My temporary hiatus from work afforded me to book into one of the lunch spots on weekdays, which is obviously the easier option. 

The shop of Sushi Kamosu was located in a small building with the entrance tucked behind in a dark alley near to the Midlevels elevator, not far from Tai Kwun. The long sushi counter can seat 10 and Chef Nam was the lone chef working behind the counter. Somehow he did manage to keep the pace reasonably well for everyone. Separate omakase menu was served for lunch and dinner services. I started off with a small bowl of chawanmushi with scallops – there’s a distinct aroma in it and I liked the smooth and silky texture. 

Totally 14 courses were served, including the soup and dessert at the end – certainly on the generous side in terms of lunch omakase. Right after chawanmushi, three nigiri sushi pieces were served in quick succession, starting with Sumi Ika (Squid), then Kinmedai (goldeneye snapper) and Shimaji (striped jack). Chef explained that the piece of shimeji was aged for 3 days before serving, and it showed with excellent texture and the slightly richer flavor. 

A few non-sushi dishes were served in between – I guess that’s the way of alleviating the workload of Chef Nam having to keep up the pace for a large group of customers. The poached Kuruma Ebi (giant prawn) was lovely, served with seasonal vegetables and clam juice. We moved on with more sushi, this time stepped up in richness. Hotate (scallop) was done in the more traditional way – I wasn’t the fan of the style of Hotate sushi served at Sushi Kami (where Chef Nam used to work) but this version is much more pleasant with nice texture and taste. The Aji was mildly marinated with a dab of scallon paste on top and it was refreshing. The sawara (Spanish mackerel) was smoked and the flavor was obvious.

Then it was a piece of Amadai (tilefish) grilled and served with grated daikon and lime on the side – thank God it’s not done with the scales on like everyone else, and it was perfectly done with the crispy (but not hard) skin. Moving back to the sushi courses I was served a couple of tuna – first the otoro (fatty tuna) aged for 6 days and then akami-zuke. I love the fatty texture of the otoro piece. Uni (sea urchins) was the last sushi course (before the rolls) and surprisingly it’s served nigiri style, which I like as that highlighted the rich flavor and soft texture of the sea urchins. After the rolls (cucumber and kanpyo), it was the red miso soup with lobsters, egg castella cake and ginger ice-cream for dessert.

Overall I am impressed with the quality of the dishes and I had a good time. The shari (rice) was on the rich side and served slightly warm and it’s of the right acidity that I like. The non sushi dishes were a nice touch, offering something slightly different, and I even enjoyed their tea, served warm, not hot with a cleaner taste than one brewed with the conventional sencha leaves. 

That's the place I would go back for sure. 

When? May 26 2022
Where? Sushi Kamosu, 15/F FOCO, 48 Cochrane Street, Central
Menu Highlights? Kuruma Ebi with Seasonal Vegetables and Clam Juice
Web: (Openrice) https://www.openrice.com/en/hongkong/r-sushi-kamosu-central-japanese-fine-dining-r733772