Whether you're craving omurice or omakase, yakitori or kaiseki, Hong Kong's newest Japanese restaurants are here to satiate you in the absence of travel to Japan
Over the course of the pandemic, one of the coping mechanisms that Hongkongers have resorted to when faced with a travel ban to Japan has been to eat Japanese food—and lots of it. As a result, omakase restaurants across the city have found their reservations snapped up for months ahead, with nary a seat to be found at some venues until mid-2022.
Against this backdrop, Hong Kong's dining scene welcomes four new Japanese restaurants covering a wide variety of cuisines—from omurice and omakase, to yakitori and kaiseki—each hoping to make a dent in the city's Japan-specific wanderlust. Keep reading and book swiftly, dear reader, to avoid disappointment.
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1. Kushiro
Tucked away in the basement of The Peninsula is new sushi restaurant, Kushiro. The low-ceilinged venue was designed with a lunar theme in mind, and is helmed by a team of six chefs, including ex-The Aubrey chef Yukihito Tomiyama and Nobu veteran Jason Au, who split their expertise between French-inspired Japanese cooking and traditional Edomae sushi.
Reflecting this approach, the tasting menus (HK$1,980 up) are almost evenly split between the two disciplines: a typical progression might include French blue lobster with pumpkin purée and anglerfish liver sauce, and the signature Matsuba crab gelée with Hokkaido uni, pressed caviar and sturgeon gold caviar; before proceeding onto the sushi courses made using seasonal seafood flown from Japan, and rice steamed using natural water from the top of Mount Fuji. Kushiro also boasts a sake sommelier to handle extensive pairings for each tasting menu.
Kushiro, Shop BW1, BW3 & BW5, B1/F, The Peninsula Hotel, Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong; kushiro.com.hk
