Friday, December 14, 2018

Sushi Saito (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★★☆

I've been quietly looking forward to this meal since the booking was made more than a month ago. Legendary Chef Takashi Saito's eponymous sushi restaurant is one of the most sought-after restaurants in the world. For years, I have tried to get myself a table at their flagship restaurant in Tokyo but no cigar. So, these two seats at his Hong Kong branch is probably the best consolation prize I could ever get.



Our omakase lunch ($1680) got off to a quick start with a small bowl of fresh salmon roes. What a great way to kick off this meal!



Next up was Kobako-gani which is definitely in-season at the moment. Hidden underneath the layer of crab legs was a bed of fresh crab meat and roes!



This was almost like a mille feuille (of crab) with different flavors and textures coming out of each layer. I'm no crab lover but I could eat this all day.



Here comes my long anticipated parade of sushi from Sushi Saito.

Kinmedai (金目鯛) - The texture was very soft and delicate. There was some lovely acidity there to back things up (citrus?).



Japanese glass shrimp (白海老) - One of my favorite sushi of the afternoon. The glass shrimp was really light and sweet. Some nikkiri shoyu on top already made it so heavenly. 



Before I took it down, a nice snapshot of my glass shrimp sushi with young (and handsome) Kobayashi-san in the background.



Horse mackerel - This was paired with a dab of puréed Japanese chives and ginger on top. The texture was nice and firm, which was a nice contrast to the previous glass shrimp.



Lean Tuna - Very soft and tender but certainly didn't expect to see this here.



Chutoro - Well seasoned with silky smooth texture. Not bad.



Otoro or Fatty tuna - The usual melt-in-the-mouth texture. Very fresh and tender.



Squid - I'm usually not a fan of squid sushi but this was pretty good. Surprisingly tender.



Clam shell - Probably the best clam sushi I've ever had. Very umami rich and I love that slightly chewy texture.



Japanese sea urchin - Oh, I have been waiting for this since I sat down. It was no fun watching others enjoy their uni sushi while we waited for our turn. This was so creamy and I thought the seaweed and vinegared rice complemented it really well.



Conger eel - Much softer than any conger eel I had before and the warm eel sauce was perfect. Rich but not too flavorful or sweet.



Sweet Egg - At first glance, I thought it was a pair of square shaped tamagoyaki but they turned out to be Sushi Saito’s signature sweet egg, which was in fact rich pudding made with eggs from Nagasaki. It's very soft and sweet, which would make a really good dessert.



Some Japanese melon rounded out this impressive lunch at the now two Michelin starred Sushi Saito.








Food Rating: 7/10
Price: $$$$$
Address: 45/F Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong, 8 Financial Street, Central, Hong Kong
Closest Metro Station: Hong Kong Station
Tel: +852 2527-0811
Website: www.fourseasons.com/hongkong/dining/restaurants/sushi-saito/


Post a Comment

Please tell us what you think