I have explored quite a bit of restaurants in Wan Chai but rarely restaurants in commerical buildings that are higher than the first floor.
Ironically, this place used to be S.A.E which was a place I wanted to try.
I was recommended this place by expats and when I got there, the restaurant was filled with Japanese expats and Western expats.
It was encouraging to see blue_balu review this because she only reviews places that are worth visiting.
The food was quite pricey but they had some interesting dishes that were on the seasonal menu.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆
Started with three appetizers:
Sharks bones which have been cut into small pieces and had a texture like hard cartilage. The sauce was appetizing and they had an interesting chew.
The Sea cucumber in vinegar which I was expecting to be soft had a texture like raw squid but the acidity of the vinegar was nice
Whelk slices in wasabi sauce were nicely spiked with a powerful mustard kick.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆
Here was what we had for the mains:
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆
Kinki fish:
The fish was salted and dried but the fish was still delicate and moist with a lovely crispy skin.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆
Noodle salad:
The portion was huge and it was ramen tossed in sesame sauce topped with fish roe.
The noodles reminded me of Chinese chilled noodles called "jung wah lang min".
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆
Sushi platter:
striped jack, kinmedai (金目鯛), fatty tuna, botan shrimp, sea urchin, salmon roe, tuna.
The sushi was fresh and neatly made.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆
Beef cubes with crispy garlic:
The beef was juicy and lean enhanced by the crispy garlic slices and the side of mash was delicious with bits of vegetables in it.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆
Red miso soup:
Compared to white miso, this had a stronger soy bean taste balanced by the sweet shimeji mushrooms.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆
Purple sweet potato dessert from Wasakuraya.
The dessert was velvety and smooth with a natural purple sweet potato taste that was sweet with a savoury aftertaste.