Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Hong Kong Omnomnom Vol. 2

This is a belated food post but I'm about to tell you about the best Japanese restaurant I've been to. Yes, not just in Hong Kong, but the best Japanese restaurant outside of Japan that I've been to and trust me, I've been to many supposedly good ones but Oedo Japanese Restaurant at North Point, Hong Kong (aka my childhood's "hood") rocks the world.

In the somewhat sleepy suburban shopping mall basement in North Point is this amazing hidden gem that serves up high-end, top quality, authentic Japanese haute cuisine. Mind you, Oedo isn't any fly-by-night restaurant as they have over 15 years of history under their belt. While most restaurants in Hong Kong struggle to survive and often experience pretty high turnover where they can simply disappear and close down the next day, Oedo has a constant stream of die hard fans who can never get enough of their amazing food. First time customers often come back for more gastronomical orgasm after their first visit and that's a fact.


The entire sushi bar was booked out by my clan the night I was there so we'll get the freshest sashimi while getting a visual treat of seeing the chefs whip up some sashimi magic with their super sharp sashimi knives which have apparently sent a couple of stubborn rookie chefs to the Emergency Room with missing flesh on their fingers.


First up, the booze of course. Top grade sake is aplenty these days but Oedo has a special personal "Sake Fountain" with a frozen chore to keep your poison chilly. Three of these babies lined our sushi bar and to refill, simply push the oh-so-pretty sake cup up its glass nozzle to dispense. How clever!

Now food. Honestly, I don't even know where to start because it was too amazing! I noticed a big slab of premium Tuna Toro laying at the sushi chef display bar fridge and I knew I'm in for a good treat. Oedo serves the freshest sashimi and they have a good variety including the rare but very tasty "Needle Fish" that looks translucent (didn't manage to take a picture of it though).


With the super succulent tuna toro in focus (right), it's clear we only have eyes for the best stuff. Freshly cut sashimi on the left includes top shell, abalone and other fishes. 

The amazing marble beef sushi on the left and Oedo Tuna Toro Roll on the right

Then came their signature dish -- the f@#king amazing Oedo Roll, which has Tuna Toro tartar wrapped with crispy nori seaweed sheet and some seasoning. It's my all time favourite!  But before you order, each piece cost about $80HKD (about $13 SGD), so go easy on that and savour every morsel of it. I was lucky enough to have quite a few that night.

Next up is their marbled beef sushi that is lightly seared by a hand torch. Only premium grade beef that's perfectly marbled made it here and you have the option to have it raw or lightly torched. I picked the torched option and it's so damn tender and juicy it simply melts in your mouth! Again, it doesn't grow on tree, so go easy on the ordering (not sure how much cos my generous cousin just ordered up a feast).

Another thing not to miss is their clear soup (not shown here). It's fantastic with a savory broth of nori and bonito fish, some mushroom and a hint of yuzu for a refreshing twist, I simply couldn't get enough of that and I honestly can have that everyday cos it's just totally delicious!


Dessert was a must to finish up everything and Oedo's signature fresh fruit sorbet is a must try. They use whole fruits to make it by carving out all the flesh of the fruit, pureeing them into perfection and pouring it back into the fruit before freezing them. I had this oh-so pretty and yummy Fuji apple sorbet that was my favorite among the choices of Apple, Yuzu, Coconut and Pineapple.

My foodie of a cousin has been going to Oedo for the last decade or so and I'm rather peeved that she only took me there 2 trips ago. I guess now, it would be a regular thing every time I visit, and since I'm back to Singapore, there isn't a day (okay, maybe a week) that I don't think of Oedo. That's how much I love their food because you can never get Japanese food this quality in Singapore even in super high end places like Yoshida Sushi (where 5 slices of fish/beef costs you about 150 bucks SGD)! It's very much the closest thing to going to Japan for some good, authentic Japanese cuisine! So if you're itching for some Japanese Haute Gastronomy and you're in Hong Kong, Oedo is not to be missed! There, I warn you!

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