Food review: Gin Sai offers rare Japanese delights with a stylish backdrop
Susan Jung
High-end Japanese restaurants in Hong Kong - the ones with extensive menus, rather than those that focus on just one speciality of the varied cuisine - have much of a sameness about them. The menu always lists raw fish, tempura and grilled dishes. But steamed dishes? Not so much. And oden? That's even rarer.
So I was immediately pleased with the menu at Gin Sai. The Japanese restaurant is on a small street in Wan Chai that seems quiet and isolated, but is actually only a couple of blocks away from bustling Johnston Road.
Once you get past the tall, imposing door, the interior is impressive. To the right of the entrance are steps leading up to the private dining rooms, and directly in front is a long room with a high ceiling and a large sushi counter with a tank holding fresh seafood.
We were seated in a semi-private room that had a large group of Japanese businessmen who seemed to be having a great time.
The waitress pushed us gently to have sashimi, but we were focused on the unusual items. Almost everything we ordered had a "signature item" symbol by it. Apart from the too-dry chicken meatballs (HK$45 each) and the ordinary-tasting Hokkaido Inkanomezame potato salad (HK$78), it was an enjoyable meal.
The wagyu shabu shabu salad (HK$238) was lovely. The thin slices of tender meat had been very gently poached before being laid over vegetables that included tomato and different types of lettuce, then drizzled with a little too much sesame dressing. The ingredients in the assorted tempura (HK$178 for five kinds) had been skilfully fried so the light batter was delicately crisp and not too oily.
The oden was fantastic. I've been to a restaurant in Osaka that specialises in this dish, in which ingredients are simmered in a broth, but the version at Gin Sai was far more refined and delicate.
We ordered it with radish (HK$25 each), steamed squid and meatball dumplings (HK$35) and deep-fried bean curd mixed with chopped vegetables and ground fish (HK$45). All were delicious, as was the subtle broth. The radish was a revelation - who knew this humble vegetable could be so sweet and delicate?
We also couldn't pass up the (steamed ingredients) section. The dish is cooked at the table on an induction heater; the waitress presents the ingredients (we had Japanese kurobuta pork with seasonal vegetables, HK$380), which are beautifully laid out, and then places them in the square wooden steamer.
When the thin slices of pork were ready (it only took a few minutes), she rolled them around the cooked vegetables, which included assorted mushrooms, bak choi and shredded cabbage, and we dipped the rolls in one of the two sauces.
Gin Sai offers an extensive sake selection, as well as high-end wines.
