Peter Verey

A fun yakitori spot in Chinatown , Kono uses Amish chickens which are grown to up to 3kg resulting in large thighs and good amounts of fat , the chef here can break a chicken down into 52 unique skewers for yakitori. Seasoning is generally quite judicious and cooking is a little lighter than experienced in Osaka .

Favs were the chicken tail skewer which was vastly different to the previous fried tail “nuggets” and the soft kneebone where you bite through the cartilage but the surrounding flesh is ridiculously juicy .

Torigara with sudaichi and matsutake
Tofu and pumpkin custard with shiso and yuzu and oscetra caviar
Bonjiri/ fried chicken tail
Monaka with chicken liver pate and summer truffles

Bonjiri - chicken tail
Chicken heart
Kashiwa - inner chicken thigh
Soft kneebone
Manganji peppers
Harami - chicken belly
Chicken oyster wrapped in skin
Grilled fig with white miso
Kushikatsu with apple compote
Chicken thigh and duck breast Tsukune
Chicken wing
Chicken shoulder
Udon with fortified chicken broth
Black sugar creme brûlée Less

Whilst rooted in Latin America and influenced by Japan , the food @monorestaurant is actually a veritable United Nations of ingredients , ideas and techniques .
@rchaneton showcases his passion for Venezuela and Latin America thru his cooking and Manager Abbi Grace amplifies his vision with service which is both soulful and informative .

Hong Kong is lucky to have this unique restaurant .

A Buri ( yellowtail) tiradito is the ideal beginning . The fish providing a blank canvas to a variety of sauces and textures including pickled oca and a Peruvian chilli sauce .

The bread whose sourdough starter recently celebrated its 5th birthday is a great companion for the next few courses, also served with outstanding olive oil .

Danish Langoustine is a supporting cast member to a study of cacao . The flesh, nibs and powder are all used for sauce, garnish and tea and its versatility is to be commended . The dish does veer a little sweet to me but that does seem to be the current style with langoustine dishes .

A beautiful coriander tortilla wraps around a barely roasted Japanese fruit tomato . Both sweet and savoury , it is a great bite but the accompanying Tomato and basil seed consommé with Yunnan sweet chilli steals the show . It’s phenomenally good .

Meagre fish from Galicia is next , with its primary partner in crime a “shisochurri” . Sauce/condiment work again shines .

Dish of the day for me was Australian Wagyu flap with beef jus , served alongside a rosti made of Costa Rican cassava and a Venezuelan wasakaka sauce which features avocado, parsley , coriander and white vinegar . Did I mention I love the sauces here ?

Pre dessert is a very smashable combination of apricot , Mexican marigold and kampot black pepper whose floral notes really sing .

To finish , cacao returns , this time in sweet form (brownie and ganache ), along with a coulis of Colombian parcha (passion fruit) and an avocado leaf ice cream . This dessert really surprised with the Cacao being by far the most subtle ingredient. Less

The ingredients don’t pop like they did in Japan last week but always enjoy the creativity and flavour combinations at Zuicho .

The A5 satsuma beef chateaubriand is the restaurant signature and is delicious but I really enjoyed the seasonal accompaniment of tempura zucchini flower stuffed with prawn , the yielding texture was outstanding .

Chrysanthemum Turnip with Minced
Chicken in Broth was a feast for the eyes and very soothing

Seasonal Sashimi featured Amadai with finger lime and Katsuo

Black Abalone with Liver Sauce was textbook but after having had amazing product in Japan this month , this didn’t quite match it .

Sea Urchin and Toro Handroll is a crowd pleasing combination even when the Uni is not best of the best

Grilled Blackthroat Sea Perch with
Sea Urchin Sauce - the heat applied to the uni gave it a grainy texture but flavour was there

Simmered Ise Lobster with Burdock , beautiful sweet lobster , this was unexpectedly good .

Satsuma A5 Wagyu Beef Sirloin with Mushroom Sukiyaki Hotpot, also a well deserved signature

“Takikomi” Rice with Kinki - deep savouriness to the rice , had 3 portions !

Pear Monaka with Mochi and Walnut Ice Cream Less

Caprice is one of Hong Kong’s best international restaurants and well deserves all its accolades , but no matter how well regarded a restaurant is from time to time a menu just doesn’t mesh with your individual palate . Sadly for me this was the case this week, the dishes were visually appealing and there was just one dish I disliked but the overall menu composition was too sweet , With the last few savoury courses and dessert all leaning heavily on sugar .
Nonetheless I plan to return next month and as Caprice has a quartet of differing tasting menus , I’m 💯 sure that the next one will blow me away .

First dish is a great start , Alaskan king crab with crustacean jelly , oysters and Kaviari caviar - this dish really leans into the fresh flavour of the crab and its balance with the caviar . With Robuchon and Ducasse also having iconic starters which use basically the same ingredients, this one certainly meets their level .

A haddock panna cotta with cold potato , daikon and pike petrossian caviar followed , this dish did not hit for me . The panna cotta carried little flavour , the cold potato texture was not appealing and the pike caviar overpowered everything including the matching wine .

Beautiful Norwegian langoustine and a chanterelles tart were delicious , the lemongrass sauce seemed out of place to me , a classic beurre Blanc would have been more successful.

A knuckle of Brittany lobster was paired with roast beet glazed in chocolate , a quenelle of lobster coral and a ruby sauce made of lobster shells , beetroot and raspberry . This dish amplified the sweet notes and I was crying out for some savoury moments .

Roast duck was thinly sliced and beautifully presented alongside carrots , citrus fruits and Sauternes& honey sauce . Also paired with Chateau d’ Yquem which was incredibly generous , but by this stage this was too much of a sweet thing .

Cheese platter followed which was very well curated but I would have preferred to see the available options rather than have a selection brought to me.

Roasted peach from Corsica with a honey oat crumble and white peach sorbet was a refreshing and yes very sweet finale . Less

Yakitori is always a fun time and enjoyed the slick and friendly vibe at Yakitori Ichimatsu in Osaka . The menu doesn’t dig too deep into the “stranger things “ and plays a pretty straight bar with the main cuts . Loved both versions of Tsukune , and the chicken wing tasted as spectacular as it looked .

Ricotta cheese with chicken soup
Chicken breast with wasabi
Chicken shoulder
Quail egg
Chicken prosciutto
Chicken wing
Shine muscat
Chicken pate sando
Smoked pumpkin soup
Tsukune with charcoal and 5 spice powder
Chicken neck
Chicken thigh and breast in ponzu
Chicken gizzard
Japanese omelette
Duck breast with sancho pepper sauce
Chicken heart
Tsukune
Chicken rice Less

First time having Italian-Japanese in Japan and this became one of my favourite meals of the trip . Dishes had tremendous balance and creativity and also some Peruvian elements added which further built on a very individual menu from Chef Ken Sakamoto .

Kicking off with Japanese prosciutto served with a dosa flavoured with cardamon and turmeric and filled with an eggplant cream certainly alerted you that this meal would be different. This was a terrific start .

A tartare of Katsuo with cucumber, almond and raspberry had great harmony , I really enjoy raspberry as the acidic element in crudo dishes.

A savoury trio of bites followed , with Hamo, pressed tofu and cucumber serving as the primary ingredients .

Quinoa , cashew nuts , black rice made up a soothing mixed grains dish .

Well set Beef was almost standing proudly by itself , the minimalist accompaniments were a celeriac fondant and brown rice vinegar relish

Pasta course was delicious , asparagus and grilled sea whelk complimented by a Huacatay sauce which perfectly coated the Taglioni

Porcini Mushroon risotto was lifted with a touch of Mikan .

Desserts hit the mark , firstly jasmine and peach which is certainly the combination of the moment/season .

Then a base of rice pudding littered with interesting textures of Amazo Less

La Cime really surprised me in the best way , more subtle than I am usually drawn to , the dishes and the menu really grew on me , this was a very serious adult menu which clearly had a lot of thought injected into it .
The other obstacle to my personal preferences is that the courses here are broken up into 2-3 presentations in the style popularised by Yannick Alleno , and that is something I have never enjoyed , however this once again largely proved no impediment to enjoyment .

Squid sashimi with , kumquat , herbs , along with squid and fish sauce cold broth was one of the 5 amuses bouches but could have easily been a signature course . Squid was shaved as thin as lardo and simply garnished with gorgeous fresh herbs.

Bonito with bonito and watercress jelly, shiso flower and a watercress bozushi - this is one where the quality of the watercress really shined.

Deep fried Ayu with nasturtium cream and knotweed - classic

Broad bean , green peas and Edamame tofu with green bean tempura - highlighting an array of beans this was a great vegan course

Asparagus and spot prawn , asparagus and pomelo jelly , asparagus tart - only the asparagus tart really sang with asparagus . This highlights my pet peeve of the 3 preparation for 1 course style as it’s hard to come up with 3 great dishes when you automatically compare and contrast each one to the other .

Scallop gnocchi , with sake lees beurre Blanc and sea grapes - classic French

Grouper from Nagasaki with wild spinach , taco shell made from fish bone and seaweed, filled with passion fruit and dill - loved the taco here , ingenious.

Turnip filled with duck confit , turnip broth - turnip was essentially transformed into bao dough , this had great deep flavour .

Wagyu from Kumamoto with a variety of vegetable puree , the beef was brilliantly cooked , almost gave NYC smoked brisket vibes , loved this .

Rice cream and jasmine flower ice cream

Peach ravioli with rose sauce , peach and almond cobbler . Both desserts played to familiar and classic flavours very well Less

Final meal in Tokyo was @aca_kyoto_tokyo , an addition to the itinerary due to a late invite from @jtfoodcation 🙏.
I was thrilled to obtain the opportunity to visit a legendary restaurant where bookings are close to impossible.

It was the best meal of the trip .

Spanish cuisine thru a Japanese lens and Japanese ingredients , only 2 ingredients are from Spain ( Serrano ham and saffron ) . Cooking largely over fire is precise , service is warm and Chef was happy to have a long chat at the conclusion of the meal .

Teleport me back !

Spanish mackerel with sherry vinegar and nasturtium - Sawara is perfectly opaque , glazed with sherry vinegar , the sharpness balances the fatty fish .

Kohada, tomato bread , oba leaf - signature dish , the Kohada is cured less than in Sushiyas , the tomato bread and oba bring the freshness .

Squid ink paella with aka uni - as mentioned am loving Aka uni season , this was a great contrast of creamy and sweet with earthy and saline .

Kinome leaf , leek , ayu , crepe - ayu “wraps” seem to be a thing , and I subscribe to that trend .

Fig , with almond and garlic sauce - this one blew me away , fig with a crema from white gazpacho ingredients, amazing marriage .

Garlic Prawn and shark fin - the traditional gambas fish has the addition of sharks fin which really took on the flavours of the sauce .

Serrano ham consommé with Yunnan matautake . Salty and balanced .

Beef fillet from shirame with togarashi peppers - choice of two beef options and we all chose both . I rarely order fillet but this was brilliant with the charcoal flavour .

Matsusaka Sirloin with sancho pepper - again perfect simplicity .

Kegani crab paella with sancho aioli - the sancho aioli was a crowd pleaser , signature dish for a reason .

Goat milk ice cream and olive oil - loved this , local olive oil that the ACA team picks and makes themselves with deeply creamy ice cream . Less

Have had a lot of fine dining meals in Japan now and still haven’t had Tempura !! . This was the closest available option on a public holiday Monday , a Kaiseki/ tempura hybrid. Armed with a Michelin ⭐️ Ginza Kitagawa is from the lineage of Ginza Shinohara but has a greater focus on Tempura .
I ended up enjoying the non-tempura courses more but did enjoy the creativity across the meal .

Hassun - consisted of preparations of shin ika , hamo , tubogai and akigai .
Kuruma ebi tempura
Kyoto eggplant tempura
Matsutake and Suppon soup
Kashiage with green onion
Katsuo with mayonnaise and alium sauce
Black pepper hida beef
Amadai tempura with dashi
Tenbara rice
Matsutake rice
Egg tempura rice
Tempura sweet potato with lemon sherbet ice Less

Impressively at just 32 years of age Chef Maiewa runs a standout sushi shop in Tokyo . @sushiakira1104 mixes tradition with creative unexpected touches , including influences from Chinese cuisine .

Highlight pieces were the firm texture of the awabi abductor muscle , Katsuo both sashimi and nigiri were outstanding , ankimo with sudaichi was deliciously sweet.

For nigiri , both Mahata and Issaki were welcome surprises , and loved the aka uni with salt and the Aburi Nodogoro .

Awabi
Bafun Uni in Awabi broth
Awabi abductor muscle
Katsuo
Saba no bushi
Ankimo with sudaichi
Botan ebi
Clam broth with preserved sea cucumber ovary

Chutoro
Otoro
Shin- Ika
Mahata
Sawara
Issaki
Oni Aji
Steamed Kegani sushi
Kohada
Kegani Shabu Shabu Suppon broth
Akami
Aka uni
Ikura
Anago Omelette
Katsuo belly
Aburi Nodogoro
Tamago with scallop Less