6-nen buri

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We still can't believe it's been 6 years since we sent our Asshole across the rainbow bridge. Foursheets and I still go out for dinner each year in his memory, but unfortunately our regular place for this ritual is no longer around. We decided to look for another place where we could enjoy some beef over a bottle of red, and since Miyoshi (肉の匠 三芳) opened a more casual outlet in Hong Kong, we decided to check out Gyu+bar by miyoshi.

We were seated at the counter right in front of the charcoal grills, so we saw all the beef and the seafood being grilled over open flames. We were also not far away from this giant-ass charcoal oven, which was where the protein goes to get finished.

I took the 6-course menu so I could have two main dishes.

We started with a roll and truffle butter, the latter of which was on the salty side.

Hokkaido shiraoi : wagyu bresola, charcoal puff, miso cauliflower purée and toasted sesame - the charcoal puff came filled with the miso and cauliflower purée, although I didn't think much of the miso. The bresola made with wagyu from Hokkaido - maybe from Shiraoi (白老)? but no one explained this - was heavily seasoned as expected. The sprinkle of sesame seeds was really nice, though.

Kampachi : amberjack sashimi, edamame and asparagus salad with avocado emulsion, ponzu soy and shiso oil - the flavors were pretty nice with the combination of avocado emulsion, as the acidity from ponzu worked well with the sesame and perilla oil. Interesting that with the acidity here, it almost feels like one is having ceviche, although the fish was not actually being cured.

It's a shame that they didn't slice all the way through.

Jagaimo : new potato veloute, Japanese sweet onion with wagyu miso, truffle oil and croutons - OK la... Pretty much as I expected, especially with the gratuitous use of truffle oil.

Char shu by Miyoshi : braised Japanese A5 wagyu brisket with firewood lily bulb and arugula in romesco sauce - interesting that the arugula went through some charcoal grilling.

The beef had a pretty firm texture but wasn't overcooked or dry. The lean cut felt more traditional, and the flavors were authentic, but why did I suddenly think I was eating bak kua (肉乾)?!

Wagyu ichibo : Japanese A5 wagyu rump cap, crispy layered potato, firewood asparagus in sauce bordelaise - the potato millefeuille was really nice but for some reason they added some rosemary? They've got bone marrow in the sauce bordelaise, and that's always nice.

I've always loved the bolder flavors from aitchbone (イチボ), and I loooove the bouncy texture. This was so, soooooo tasty!

I also got a taste of Foursheets' Japanese A5 tenderloin, which was really marbled and practically tasted like butter.

Chocolate crémeux : dark chocolate ganache, caramelized hazelnuts, honeycomb crunch and smoked sea salt - this was pretty OK, and I didn't have much expectations for dessert here.

I looked through the restaurant winelist before arriving, and actually picked out a bottle or two for our dinner. The wine pricing here looked very, very reasonable, and I decided that it may not be worthwhile to BYO and pay the corkage. Unfortunately, my first choice had been sold out... apparently about a month after the restaurant opened. So I asked for my second choice.

2005 Grand-Puy-Lacoste - classic Pauillac nose with smoky and earthy notes, and still got the core of sweet fruit like cassis without being too ripe and jammy. Some 40 minutes after decanting the wine was working so well with the char shu. the aromatics were so lovely with notes of cedar. This wine was just drinking beautifully.

Honestly, this was a pretty decent meal. We know the quality of beef that Miyoshi can deliver, and they've done a really good job to make it casual and delicious all at a very good price point. We raised a few glasses to toast our beloeved Asshole, my Bro Bro. We miss him dearly, and not a day goes by that I don't think of him.