Restaurant review: Godenya in Central - great food, sake even better

It was a long time before we managed to get a booking at Godenya: more than two months, in fact. And I had to ask a friend who had eaten there before to make the reservation, you can only book online and for that, you need the password. (A hint for those of you who don’t have such nice friends: the password is on their Facebook page.) This same friend advised me on how to find the place, sending me a photo of the shop front: although the address says it’s on Wellington Street, it’s actually down a small, dark alley.

It was worth the effort, and it’s understandable why you have to go to that much trouble: the place has only eight seats – six at the counter and a table for two, and it is booked out two months in advance.

What sets Godenya apart from most other Japanese restaurants is the sake pairing with the set menu: owner and sake master Goshima Shinya insists on serving the drink at precise temperatures, which he says brings out different flavours and aromas.

The food (cooked by Goshima’s younger brother) and sake are presented on beautiful Japanese pottery. Our menu was HK$1,500; the price changes slightly, depending on the ingredients used.

A light, cooling appetiser of oyster with dashi jelly and physalis was paired with Chotin junmai-ginjo namazake 2015 at 18 degrees Celsius, served in a clear glass so you can see the cloudiness of the drink.