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Hanabi

An Omakase dining experience is always an occasion to look forward to, partly for the anticipated pleasure of being served something unknown but special, and partly for the close interaction with the chef, engendering a sense of intimacy not always present in other dining outings. Such is the case with our visit to Hanabi, a cosy and neatly decorated Japanese restaurant tucked away on a upper floor of a building in Knutsford Terrace in Tsim Sha Tsui. 
 
Hanabi is named after beautiful fireworks, symbolic of the burst of creative interpretation of the Japanese food culture served by Perry Lau, the friendly sushi chef. Lau apprenticed under a renowned Japanese chef and honed his skills at several quality Japanese restaurants and wears his passion for Japanese cuisine on his sleeve. His patience and helpfulness greatly enhanced our dining experience, including learning about the intricate process by which the fish are flown in daily from Tokyo’s famous Tsukiji Market, fresh and ready to serve. 
 
We began our omakase adventure with a few vegetarian starters that include Lotus Root Preserved in Vinegar, Spinach with Sesame Sauce, Sakura Jelly, Kanimiso Tofu,and Okinawa Seaweed, which together whet our appetite for what was to come. 
 
Our first delicacy was an absolute winner – Seared Tuna topped with Caviar and Hokkaido Oyster with Smoked Applewood; the slightly smoky flavour leaves quite a lingering taste. This was quickly followed by a sashimi combo of Houbou Fish Sashimi, Yellowtail Sashimiand Toro Sashimi, all of which meat tasted fresh and tender, and was all too quickly eaten. Next came the sushi selections: we started with Minced Shrimp with Ikura Sushi and Seared Flounder Sushiwhich, garnished with ginger slices and freshly made wasabi bring out the underlying flavours. We were advised to go easy on additional seasoning and quickly learned to trust the chef’s 
judgement, much to our delight.
 
The Angel Bomb, Hanabi’s signature dish, came next, and it can be aptly described as the mother of all sushi pieces. The dish is layered with seared otoro, chutoro, uni and negitoro, and the taste is simply superb. We really can’t think of a better way to indulge in sushi-gorging than this delightful dish, a fitting finale to the sushi part of our meal.
 
Rounding out our dining experience was the Saikyo Miso Grilled Cod, in which the slightly flamed fish practically melts in the mouth.
 
It goes without saying that a delicate meal such as ours must be accompanied by a nice bottle of sake, of which Hanabi boasts a fine selection. 
 
The beauty of Hong Kong’s amazing dining scene is that there are culinary pleasures waiting practically at every corner. Hanabi is a worthy addition to the already large selection of Japanese omakase sushi outlets and we recommend it wholeheartedly and without hesitation. And at $1,200 per person, the dinner set is reasonable value for money indeed.
 
 
 
Hanabi
4/F, 6 Knutsford Terrace, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong
2723 2568

 

 

 

(Edited on Jun 2017)

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