Ari Lee checks out Hong Kong’s newest high-end sushi experience, Minato, and discovers a polished and consistent culinary encounter.
With all the openings in Central Hong Kong of late, Wan Chai’s Great Eagle Centre might be a curious location for a new, high-profile Japanese restaurant. Minato, like its neighbour Ming Court, is owned by The Great Eagle Group, operators of the luxury Langham and Cordis hotel brands, so it should come as no surprise that the vibe of the city’s newest sushi and teppanyaki enclave is comparable to that of any found in a five-star hotel – crisp, professional service, lavish, voluminous interiors and delicious but not particularly inspired cuisine.
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Also, not uncommon to hotel restaurants, Minato has multiple culinary facets – teppanyaki, omakase, and kaiseki – which it delivers diligently, offering the gastronomically indecisive a fairly broad spectrum of Japanese cuisine.
On the weekday evening of our visit, the restaurant was busy, but the elegance of its minimalist interiors, guided by the Japanese aesthetic philosophy of “Ma”, the art of purposeful empty space – think high ceilings, Shoji screens, touches of warm wood and soothing green tones – ensured it an intimate charm. Diners looking for a little more privacy can also opt for one of five themed teppanyaki rooms or a private dining room catering to eight guests.
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To get a sense of all three culinary disciplines, our dinner involved moving from station to station, at each of which, clearly professional (though dare I say it, not Japanese) chefs diligently went about their art, turning top-notch ingredients, from abalone, lobster, and scallop to top-grade cuts of well-marbled beef, into dishes that enjoyed subtle contemporary twists that showcased both flavour and texture combinations.
Grill fans have a choice of the nine-course Hama Teppanyaki dinner menu (HK$2,808 for two people), featuring local lobster, cod and coveted three-head South African abalone; or the Minato Teppanyaki menu (HK$2,808 for two), which includes sea bream, Australian abalone, and duck liver, one of several touches you’re more likely to see on a Hong Kong hotel menu than in the streets of Ginza (the sea urchin with black truffle baked rice was another). Both menus also showcase U.S. Prime Beef, with an upgrade option to A5 Miyazaki Wagyu Beef.
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The sushi counter also features two Omakase dinner sets (traditional for HK$1,188 per person and premium for HK$1,588 per person). Here, a favourite for us was the smoky teppanyaki lobster, with its natural sweetness offset by the flame’s char; and the seared tuna belly, the fattiness of which left a silkiness that’s rather addictive.
Finally, applying his experience in the timeless art of multi-course preparation, chef Alex Ho at the Kaiseki section served a tantalising selection of dishes (nine-course menus start from HK$1,388 per person) ranging from simmered hand-caught wild kinki; and tuna collar grilled robatayaki style; to rice crisps in a rich and silky fish broth, with dishes expertly paired with extensive sake and wine selections by a dedicated sommelier.
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Overall, the experience is what you would expect at that price point: the elegant interiors, high-quality ingredients and informed service of a Hong Kong five-star hotel eatery, and for many, that trumps the in-your-face intimacy and museum-like reverence expected at other new arrivals on the dining scene.
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