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Item: Chiso Tomiki
Rating: 5
Author: noralein

Chiso Tomiki

205

Central

Above $801

Japanese Theme Restaurant

noralein

Level4

193

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Tonight was the opening of Chiso Tomiki, run by chef Tomita Kohei—previously the head chef behind Sara in Causeway Bay. We used to be such regulars there that we couldn’t possibly miss out on getting a taste of Chiso Tomiki. So we booked ourselves a place at 5pm on the day of their opening.

Sara, a casual izakaya, used to source almost all of their produce from little-known Saga or elsewhere in Kyushu. Even a piece of onion would come from Japan, as Tomita-san didn’t want to compromise on quality. Sara was truly a little gem, as it’s not every day that Kyushu dishes as brilliantly assembled as Sara’s appears in Hong Kong, serving sumptuous takes from soft-shelled turtle sashimi and whole Yobuko squid sashimi to the most flavorful Mitsuse chicken and Saga beef dishes that we can have again and again, all executed in the form of homely dishes.

A brief look at the menu would suggest that this has continued to be the case—with most produce coming from Kyushu. We were slightly disappointed not to see our favorite mitsusedori though, but looked forward to the meal anyway.

Most omakase-style restaurants in Hong Kong are highly specialized, be it in sushi, tempura, or teppanyaki dishes. Tomita-san brings with him a strength in diversity of ideas and techniques, mingling both cooked and raw, ocean and land, and a range of cooking styles. It almost seems like a kaiseki, except it isn’t. It’s much more down to earth, much more kappo style.

The menu looks exactly like my kind of ideal meal for Japanese cuisine—I’m in love with all kinds of fresh sashimi, but I also love hot food, not just from the ocean, but also the two-legged and four-legged ones that roam the countrysides of Japan. And I like a good balance of seasonal vegetables and meat.

Did the meal live up to our expectations? Well, yes and no. We came with a fond memory of ordering à la carte and getting spoiled for a lot of choice, including a seasonal menu that changes often, back in the days of Sara. We could order a little more, or a little less, depending on our mood. At Chiso Tomiki, the food was finer and more small-portioned. And with that context you might be expecting a much bigger wow factor to keep you returning. We did have that for some dishes, but others were less memorable, though still more than solid. Our favourites were the Shijimi clam soup that kickstarted the meal and the ayu rice that ended it.

We hope this is just a soft start, and look forward to many more pleasant and interesting meals here.

Let’s dive into today’s menu rundown.

Shijimi clam from Shimane’s Lake Shinji

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An apparently humble start to the meal ended up being a star dish. While simple, it was so packed with umami. We wish there was more, but we also wished there wasn’t, so we didn’t overindulge in something so fine, and could look forward to the next visit. (Not photographed)

Seasonal sashimi: Kinmedai; Sawara

Kinmedai is one of my least favourite kinds of sashimi, but the way it was presented today—julienned with some konbu—made it quite a treat. Sawara was briefly smoked and reasonably fatty, though I imagine it would taste even better as we approach winter.

Akauni sea urchin from Hirado, Nagasaki with yam

Again, slightly disappointed with this one. I liked the mouthfeel and the pairing of yam, seaweed and sea urchin, but somehow the balance was off.

Hamo (Oita) soup with matsutake mushroom

Unluckily enough for me, hamo (conger eel) is again one of my least favourite kinds of fish, no matter how it is prepared. But I have to say that the Katsuo soup it was in was amazing. And so were the Matsutake mushroom. It would be even better if it wasn’t 31 degrees outside, as it felt like a late autumn or early winter dish.

Beef tenderloin from Miyazaki with chestnut purée

Two great bites of melt-in-the-mouth tenderloin with an unusual pairing of a highly prized seaweed from Kyushu’s Ariake. Another bite would have been appreciated.

Turnip from Hokkaido

The turnip, or kabu, was crisp and fresh. I loved the little dip that went with kabu. The server introduced it as a miso paste, but my taste buds tell me that it’s a fish nukazuke made from nukadoko, a kind of rice bran pickling bed that creates a distinctive flavor of fermented rice bran.

Unagi from Amakusa, Kumamoto with wasabi

This was a lovely take on the typical eel that is soggy and made teriyaki-style—it was grilled to such crisp perfection. The outer skin was as crunchy as tempura, with an inner skin layer that stayed gelatinous. The flesh was still beautifully fluffy. I also loved that it was paired with freshly grated wasabi.

Madako

Very succulent and tender octopus. The topping was explained by the server as the “ovaries of sea cucumber”. I’ve never had “ovaries of sea cucumber” so I really cannot comment, but I felt like it was more probably octopus roe. Either way, I enjoyed a first taste of something unusual. It was pretty salty though.

Steamed abalone; Abalone liver sauce with sticky rice

Awabi, liver sauce, sticky rice

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Abalone was quite standard—nothing much to write home about. But liver sauce with sticky rice caught us by surprise, as sushi restaurants usually just give us some shari to soak up the liver sauce. I thought that sticky rice was much, much more delicious.

Kue from Fukuoka

Not sure what happened with this dish, but I didn’t think the egg went particularly well with grouper. Perhaps mitsuse chicken with omelette soup would have been nicer.

Ayu rice

Gloriously hearty. Every bite was super. Also loved the roe and the okoge—the scorched rice at the bottom of the claypot.

Persimmon, red muscat; Pumpkin purée, red muscat, matcha mousse; Freshly made kuzukiri