The rare neighborhood gem offers consistent execution across its all-rounded Japanese fare
Kappo cuisine, a small-plate format of Japanese fare, has been a popular trend recently, from Top 20 Best Restaurant Haku to this year’s newly opened Ryota Kappou Modern. It requires all-rounded consistency applied to a wide variety of dishes and disciplines. New to the game is Kona, a rather hidden Japanese eatery in Tai Hang, tucked away in a quiet part of the neighbourhood. If it’s any help with directions, there is a lit sign for the restaurant under Little Tai Hang, a few steps beside Second Draft.
The restaurant layout is a curvy strip, with an open kitchen set on one side and spacious seating set on the other. A simple cool-toned palate of dark wooden doors and window frames make a contrast against the abundance of natural light streaming through them, while the lighter wood furnishings match well with warm lighting throughout the space.
Kona’s kappo format covers a handful of sashimi, and a much wider selection of cooked food items. We began with sea urchin with lobster broth jelly and egg sabayon, the restaurant’s signature dish. It’s a deceptively simple dish where Hokkaido sea urchin sits atop a crustacean jelly, softly set with agar-agar. The richness matches that of the sea urchin, a cooling start to the dishes to come.