Sushi Mori Tomoaki

Yes a very nice meal and exotic, toro from wild Tuna, some damn fine sea urchin and fishes flown across from Japan in the morning.
You sit down and you are committed to whatever chef has to offer you. 8 sashimi and 8 sushi and a tab of $ 2k per head drinks not included. Don’t get me wrong, food was amazing and finely prepared and given status of chef, justified.
My only complaint and 2star is that I would expect the decorations and ambience to be so much better than basic setup, over the counter sushi bar, I see chef’s mobile on the charge, screwdriver and small tools in the corner (unless they tell me there is a reason to use these during preparation of our meal). An enjoyable meal is not just about the food, it’s the ‘feeling special’ the minute you step in, the x-factor…I just feel there is a lack of that. Maybe next time I should go blind folded maybe this place will get a 4star.

Two years ago I had a very memorable experience at Sushi Mori 鮨森日本料理 in Causeway Bay, right in front of Mori-​san himself. It was my one and only visit, and it was extremely memorable.
You can read that experience directly here
Last year back in HK I tried looking for Mori-​san, but he left the restaurant. 2 years ish later he resurfaces in North Point (closer to Fortress Hill) at Sushi Mori Tomoaki where he has more business decision power, and his loyal local fans managed to find him.
Mori-​san is an interesting fellow. Half Kansai Japanese, half Hong Konger (he’s also a local!). And he speaks both fluently. His father is trained classically in kaiseki, though he chose the route of sushi. Made a reservation at the bar in front of him the day before, and it was like reconnecting with an old friend. Non stop conversation with delectable solid bites in between. As it was my last lunch in town, I did a pretty much full blown omakase and went to YOLO town, despite the fact that two days prior I went to the 2^nd best nigiri joint in Osaka.
The entrance is just a wall with an electronic sliding door, and a set of noren with a Japanese symbol. If you do not look for this, you will miss it. Then again this is the only JP restaurant on Shell street.
The restaurant expanded in the past 8 months to include two sushi bars side by side. All of the staff are well trained, but you want to sit in front of Mori-​san himself.
To start, a spectacularl gorgeous authentic chanwanmushi with Matsuba snow crab, mushroom, yuzu zest (grated from fresh imported Japanese yuzu). Silky smooth, intense, delicious just like the one I had in Kyoto.
Thick pickled ginger slices (akin to daikon) placed on the earthenware dish. No excess moisture and very pleasant with a crisp.
Nigiri time!
Shima aji — a prime specimen with delectable garnish and knife strokes
Buri (wild JP yellowtail) — a light brush of nikiri seals the deal
Kawahagi (filefish) with raw liver on top — Two places in SF Bay Area used to offer this seasonally and now they don’t get them anymore. Such a pleasure. The liver is soft and runny, guess it is advantageous for JP/​HK to be within 4+ hours of air travel.
Aji — So delicate, with very light garnish! This lunch is getting good!
Applewood smoked Nagasaki oyster — fecking incredible
Seko gani kani miso (香箱蟹) — the tomalley/​inside of the female JP crab head. Looks like ankimo had a one night stand with mustard seeds. Very interesting
Aka mutsu — look at the knifework on that!
Kohada — it’s not a tip top prime specimen, but Mori-​san puts in the necessary skill (and fusion touches) to make it complete. First he marinates it in apple vinegar which is already very unusual. Then he puts a thin layer of kelp on top, akin to Osaka style saba sushi (battera). His reasoning: you can find Edo style sushi easily in HK, the dare to be different and doing it right, makes you stand out. And I have to agree.
Kuruma ebi (imperial shrimp) — Last time I had this was Akiko’s San Francisco before chef Ricky left last year. Here this specimen is more crisp and spectacular.
Chu-​toro — it’s excellent, can’t complain
Shirako (cold milt) — look at the picture, it’s so fecking CUTE! Seared and prior to that, smoked with apple wood. Genius and creamy!
Seared meiji maguro (baby bluefin) — Ridiculous hard to procure. He sourced this cut to a katsuo (bonito) specialist vendor in Japan. Sometimes baby bluefin are caught in the nets meant for bonito, and thus a rare treat.
Otoro — sublime
Japanese uni — nuff said, looks a bit like aka uni. From 888 Ogawa Company.
This one is interesting… blue fin tuna meat from the top of the head! A very unusual cut, and after searing almost looks like JP beef. Super interesting texture and taste!
Hokkaido scallop with shaved yuzu zest — tried and always true. Meaty with the right balance
Unagi senbei — Mori san doesn’t screw around. The traditional approach is to steam, grill, then steam again. To achieve the crispy «rice cracker» effect, he doesn’t do the final steam, but instead just heats it up more. This mofo is not deep fried like a jive ass roll. Great job Mori-​san!
Steamed abalone — Kuro awabi must be darn expensive to get to HK, and whatever he used is good. Loved that extra nikiri/​brushed sauce on top!
Tamagoyaki — this is his signature castella /​Katsutera pound cake style tamagoyaki. Good stuff indeed.
Mori-​san continues to season his sushi rice with aged red vinegar, and the color is far darker (once applied to the sushi rice), yet it does not taste terribly sour. I didn’t even see this kind of colored sushi rice in Osaka. It’s yet another attention to detail and skill that elevates the experience.
Had to run and passed up on offer for free dessert and coffee (coffee in a JP restaurant? Haha nice). Half the price of 3 Michelin star Sushi Shikon.
Until next time!