One of Asia’s most revered Japanese chefs returns from hiatus with ZEST by Konishi, a sophisticated new restaurant inspired by his extensive travels and experience.
Mitsuru Konishi is a household name in many parts of Asia – especially if that house is filled with avid foodies. The Japanese chef has cooked at the likes of two Michelin-starred L’ATELIER de Joël Robuchon in Tokyo, and Taillevent in Paris, where he was the historic restaurant’s first Japanese Sous Chef. Closer to home, Konishi is known for his bold yet elegant culinary style, which combines Japanese precision and French tradition, and which earned Hong Kong’s Wagyu Takumi (now Takumi by Daisuke Mori) two Michelin stars during his tenure.
A Triumphant Return
After almost three years of musing behind the scenes as a consulting chef for Lai Sun Dining, Konishi, a mentor to many in Hong Kong, returns with a Central eatery that’s every bit an extension of his own personality.
Tucked away on On Lan Street, Lai Sun’s newest concept is a culinary hideaway high above the chaos of the city. Guests arrive on the 29th floor where an elegant and intimate lounge features Art Deco-esque accents in turquoise and powder blue, and a spacious terrace populated by rattan lounges. The Lounge officially opens next month and will serve bento boxed power lunches during the day and Nippon-inspired cocktails after dark.
However, the real show takes place down a narrow timber staircase that opens into The Dining Room. This is a stunning space of honey-hued Birch, polished stone, supple leather, carved facades, and an open-faced kitchen, where Konishi explores his undeniable talents while invoking curiosity and excitement with playful flavour and texture combinations. Catering to just 38 guests (including 12 in the private dining room), the restaurant is the perfect canvas on which Konishi presents his philosophy of seasonality and elevated tradition.
Tastes & Textures
Our meal commences with freshly baked pain de campagne and brioche – made by a local bakery to Konishi’s own exacting recipe – which is matched with house-churned butter topped with soy sauce powder, green tea extract and Spanish olive oil. The salty hints of the butter, contrasted by the malty goodness of the bread, set the stage for a spectacular meal ahead.
Three amuse bouches follow; heavenly soft sponge cake is topped with grilled Japanese summer sweet corn, corn puree, and savoury popcorn. In another curious mouthful, chi ayu, a seasonal Japanese moss-fed river fish, is encrusted with crispy rice, wrapped in shiso leaves, and emboldened with umeboshi, fermented and salted Japanese plum. Lastly, sweet Delaware grapes, crispy spring roll skin, and chicken liver are layered on delicate Galette Bretonne biscuits. This is a great start – each mouthful is a journey it itself, a medley of contrasting textures, unexpected flavours, and yet, harmony.
A Sexy Salad?
A true conversation piece, The Green Garden is Konishi’s brow furrower: the dish boasts an impressive 20 types of vegetables and herbs, some more obvious than others. This farrago of flavours includes celery root, fennel jelly, olive crumble, crispy quinoa, edamame, green asparagus tips, fresh dill, marigold and mustard greens, as well as micro herbs sourced from organic farms in the New Territories. The flavours are bound by an earthy yet subtle injection of shiso pesto, a dash of citrus, and a drizzle of clear Australian romaine tomato extraction, which lends sweetness to a visually captivating dish. Whoever thought salads could be sexy?
The next course couldn’t be more different. Konishi braises Australian abalone in sake and Kombu (Japanese kelp) to create an al dente texture and enhanced flavour, before pairing it with boiled pearl barley, slow-cooked Chinese cabbage, and abalone liver foam. Gone is the rubbery texture of the abalone, replaced instead by succulent flesh mellowed by the grain and spiked by the ginger-laced foam, which alleviates the inherent richness of the prized mollusk.
Moving to Mains
Konishi continues to play with texture in the first main dish, black-throated sea perch from the Sea of Japan, a delicate fish revered in Japan, where it is called nodoguro or ‘white toro’. The chef offsets the delicate white fish with semi-dried enoki wrapped in sautéed Chinese spinach, which tops a gooey walnut gyuhi, a mochi-like rice cake. The dish is tied together with an aromatic chicken, fish and clam dashi.
For something more substantial, lamb from the Pyrenees is roasted and presented with homemade eggplant caviar with touches of shallot and garlic. I’m not usually a lamb guy – growing up in New Zealand will do that to you – but this dish is the kind that has you sitting back afterward with a sigh. The lamb is pink and perfectly cooked, the plump meat balanced with a hint of heat and sweetness.
A Sweet Finish
Our final dish is a little more straight forward but no less effective: homemade coconut sorbet, lacking the usual artificial sweetness, counterbalances meringue and passion fruit cream, which in turn is tamed by slices of mandarin and pink grapefruit. Topped with edible flowers, the dish is ambrosial and as good to look at as it is to eat.
As you can imagine, Konishi is using ZEST as a culinary proving ground, a place for experimentation and innovation, so the menu will change regularly – new additions include the Ping Yuen Chicken, the chef’s take on the Cantonese classic Eight Treasure Duck, with locally-sourced chicken, stuffed with lotus-wrapped rice, water chestnuts, and foie gras, and smoked over a fragrant bed of sage rosemary and thyme.
Summary
In a city whose culinary scene has fallen rather flat of late, ZEST by Konishi tells the story of a chef’s own journey, with cuisine that showcases both his learned precision and technique and his playful, understated nature, to perfection. The nine-course degustation menu is priced at HK$1,380++ (US$176) per person, with paired wine for an additional HK$780 (US$99) per person.
28F & 29F, 18 On Lan Street, Central, Hong Kong.
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