As the dine-in ban after 6pm continues to be effective until further notice, many dinner-only restaurants (VEA dining, Tate and Tenku RyuGin just to name a few) are slowly changing their game plans by offering lunch service (obviously, very expensive ones) instead of dinner. Out of this exclusive group of elite restaurants, I decided to check out the special lunch menu presented by Tenku RyuGin (天空龍吟) for no particular reason other than the fact that I have never dined there before. In fact, it’s probably the only two Michelin starred restaurants in town that I haven’t checked off my list.
It’s been a while since I last came to Sky Dining 101 for a meal. Looks like not a lot has changed.
I have requested a table by the window but not only am I getting seated by the window, I was offered the best seat in the house with a magnificent view of Victoria Harbour!
Our Kaiseki meal got off to a perfect start with a trio of nibbles.
First up were two slices of Japanese corn tempura. There was one piece that came with a slightly deeper flavor thanks to the addition of coriander.
It was followed by a monaka topped with foie gras and fig, which was finished off with some Japanese sesame sauce.
The third and final nibble was red bell pepper gazpacho but they called it red bell pepper purée. Like I said, it felt almost like a gazpacho with lobster jelly, basil leaf and edible flowers. There was supposed to be strawberry purée in the mix too but it went totally undetected by my taste buds.
Like any Kaiseki meal, soup was next. This was made with two types of konbu, and finished off with a citrusy kick of yuzu zest.
In the middle of the action was a giant dumpling made with minced scallops and mushroom. Jelloman and I both enjoyed the soup a lot. We both enjoyed its clean flavors, and the light broth was matched nicely with the sweetness of the scallop dumpling.
For our sashimi dish, we were presented with some steamed octopus, along with wet seaweed on top.
But the highlight of the dish came from the smoked “buri”, or amberjack from Toyama (富山). The rich textured amberjack was matched with spicy carrot purée, yam (深薯) and a fennel salad.
We have been waiting to see what the main course would be. I would love to have some Japanese beef but it turned out to be charcoal grilled Lung Guang chicken thigh (龍崗雞).
This was really really tender (and those paper-thin skins which were so crispy, yum!) and for a moment, I thought I was having my favorite Japanese chicken. The sauce made with chicken stock and what I thought was seaweed provided a simple yet powerful finish.
Our last savory dish was steamed rice with Shirasu, or baby sardines.
As usual, it was served with some homemade pickles (this time cucumber and eggplant).
What I love most about this dish was the smoked egg yolk soy sauce.
The savory kick and smoky flavors provided the missing piece of the puzzle here bringing out the mildly sweet and savory flavors of the baby sardines. Very tasty.
Red miso soup. Never been much of a fan.
Dessert was watermelon smoothie which has been blended with orange juice, shiso leaf (紫蘇葉) and lemon (or orange zest). It serves as a dessert as much as a palate cleanser for both of us.
At this point, almost every guest in the house has left the building so we quickly settled the bill and started our journey back home hopefully before the typhoon hits Hong Kong.
Address: 101/F, International Commerce Centre, 1 Austin Road West, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong
Tel: +852 2302-0222
Opening Hours: 6:00pm - 9:30pm (Mon - Sat)
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