Sushi Ta-ke

12/F Cubus, 1 Hoi Ping Road, Causeway Bay
Tel: 2577 0611
Open: noon-2.30pm, 6pm-10.30pm
Cuisine: Japanese

Price: about HK$1,000 without drinks and the service charge.

Ambience: a long sushi counter is the focus of the room. On the fairly busy night that we visited, many of the customers were seated there. We sat at a window table that gave us a view of a quiet Causeway Bay street.

Pros: the manager was helpful and knowledgeable, and the staff were attentive. We appreciated the limited menu, which concentrated almost solely on fish, and which was divided into sections of sashimi, sushi, appetisers, simmered dishes and grilled dishes.

Cons: the menu boasts that it's the 'art of sushi by renowned [Mamoru] Sugiyama of Ginza Sushiko Honten', but it's surprising that a place specialising in sashimi and sushi - and an expensive restaurant at that - doesn't automatically serve freshly grated wasabi, which is mild compared to pastes and powders. While the rice in the sushi was delicately textured and nicely seasoned, the toppings weren't as good. Uni sushi (HK$180 per piece) looked a mess: while it was a generous portion, the sea urchin 'tongues' weren't whole; instead they looked like scraps. We've had better anago (sea eel, HK$100 per piece) elsewhere.

Recommended dishes: botan ebi sashimi (HK$130 each) were large and sweet, but even better - for my guest, anyway - were the grilled heads, served later in the meal (hers had a lot more head 'innards' than mine). Lightly vinegared mackerel sashimi (HK$200), eaten with finely minced spring onion and grated ginger, was excellent, with a soft but meaty texture. An appetiser of matsuba crab with egg yolk vinegar (HK$98) had a generous amount of sweet crab meat. Our favourite dish of the evening was a cooked one: grilled ling cod with saikyo miso (HK$180), which was moist and lightly charred.

What else? Don't come here expecting to order meat: the menu listed only a couple of beef dishes.