French, Japanese and Cantonese culinary traditions meet at the upscale sushi bar's second branch in just six months
First opened on Tsim Sha Tsui's Minden Avenue last November, Decree by T's debut location serves an omakase menu by chef Thomas Tam—an alum of Petrus and Sushiyoshi—that isn't afraid of taking risks in combining French-inspired "borderless" dishes with traditional nigiri—and diners are amply rewarded for it. Just a catch: the dark, cave-like venue has none of the same flair exhibited in the cooking; although that's all about to change.
Just six months after its first opening, the second Decree by T is now welcoming diners to a larger, thoroughly more sophisticated space high up in the new FOCO tower beside the Central-Mid Levels escalator. A long sushi bar stretches almost the entire width of the space, behind which is a panoramic view of the city. Lacquered ginkgo motifs abound. Finally, the cuisine meets its match in the dining space.
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Here, Tam and his culinary team serve a total of three omakase menus, ranging from lunch sets of 14 or 17 courses (HK$680 up) to a full-bore, 21-course dinner menu (HK$2,180).
The omakase begins with a volley of dishes that showcase Tam's French culinary training. A tart of smoked gold caviar and toro is followed by a peony shrimp dumpling with a skin of lactic acid gel, which makes way for a cream puff sandwiching a pan-fried Japanese oyster and espuma. The procession of starters continues with playful trompe l'oeil creations: Kanto sea cucumber suspended inside a "crystal ball" of tosazu jelly; a "sunny side up" egg of soy sauce-marinated Akatsuki egg yolk and Hokkaido scallop tartare; a fish maw prepared by way of cold-soaking to retain the maximum amount of collagen, then served in a crab meat broth; and abalone with shrimp paste noodles and caviar.
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