This was the second part of the dinner at Nadaman Hong Kong. In the first part we looked at the regular menu item – today we had a sampling of the special seasonal menu.

福岡フェアー Fukuoka Fair Dinner Kaiseki

In additional to the regular menu item, we also ordered the seasonal Kaiseki menu. This time, we were brought to 福岡 Fukuoka to sample its wonderful produce.

お献立 Menu

1. 先付 Appetiser
   1. 和牛湯引き柿包み 胡麻餡 美味酢ゼリー 花穗 Boiled Wagyu rolled with persimmon served with sesame sauce and vinegar jelly
   2. 八女茶豆腐 生雲丹 べっこう餡 山葵 “Yamecha” tofu served with sea urchin
2. 蒸し物 Steamed Dish
   1. スッポンスープ蒸し 胡椒餡 Steamed egg custard with soft-shelled turtle served with pepper sauce
3. 造り Sashimi
   1. 本日の鮮魚盛り合せ4種盛り Fresh from Fukuoka assorted sashimi (four types)
4. 合肴 Side Dish
   1. 和牛鉄鍋餃子 黑酢タレ Grilled Wagyu Gyoza dumpling in iron hot pot served with black vinegar
5. 煮物 Simmered Dish
   1. 小鍋仕立て 水炊き 薬膳スープ はかた地どり 干し椎茸 黒ニンニク 柚子胡椒 Hakata Jidori chicken hot pot with mushroom, black garlic and citrus pepper
6. 焼八寸 Snacks
   1. 棒寿司 Mackerel bosushi
   2. 和牛筍包み燒 Grilled Wagyu rolled with bamboo shoot
   3. 鰤柚子味增燒 Grilled giant yellowtail with citrus miso
   4. 甘干し柿クリームチーズ Dried persimmon served with cream cheese
   5. 筑前クロダマル煮豆 Simmered black bean
   6. かつお菜煮浸し Boiled greens served with dried Katsuo bonito
   7. 九絵煮凍り Kelp grouper jelly
7. 食事 Rice Dish
   1. 八女茶飯釜炊き おかず 博多明太子、あかもく佃煮 “Yamecha” rice casserole served with Hakata spicy cod roe and seaweed
8. デザート Dessert
   1. 苺のグラマラッカ、八女茶のティラミス、あまおう苺 Strawberry Gula Melaka, “Yamecha” tiramisu and “Amaou” strawberry

先付 Appetiser

和牛湯引き柿包み 胡麻餡 美味酢ゼリー 花穗 Boiled Wagyu rolled with persimmon served with sesame sauce and vinegar jelly

First item, we were presented with blob of a mess uncharacteristic of a kaiseki plating. The description mentioned a slice of Japanese wagyu sirloin that was boiled in stock and wrapped around a piece of fresh persimmon. Must be the marbling the made it looked quite revolting.

Hana hojiso 花穂紫蘇 Edible perilla flowers were added for that peppery taste as well as to beautify what was disintegrating very quickly – the ponzu jelly was melting away as the air-conditioning was not blasting away typical of a Hong Kong restaurant.

八女茶豆腐 生雲丹 べっこう餡 山葵 “Yamecha” tofu served with sea urchin

鼈甲餡 (べっこうあん) Bekkoan is a special flavoured bean paste incorporated with tortoise shell. This may sound exotic but it is used as the basis for many Japanese soups and glaze. 八女茶豆腐 “Yamecha” tofu is a special tofu from Fukuoka that has the texture of mochi and can be used to fill with another ingredient to give it added flavours and texture. In this case, the chef has incorporated 生雲丹 raw sea urchin with freshly grated 山葵 wasabi for that unique mix of umami of the uni, sting of the wasabi and refreshing stock from bekkoan.

蒸し物 Steamed Dish

スッポンスープ蒸し 胡椒餡 Steamed egg custard with soft-shelled turtle served with pepper sauce

And for the next course, the same thing that was used to make bekkoan was used as the main ingredient in this chawanmushi. I am referring to the soft-shell turtle. I love turtle soup, but this is the first time I had turtle soup made into an egg custard. The taste was like Chinese pig offal soup 豬雜湯 because of the peppery flavour, but it was distinctly a very Japanese style スッポンスープ supponsupu.

造り Sashimi

本日の鮮魚盛り合せ4種盛り Fresh from Fukuoka assorted sashimi (four types)

Fronting the Korean Strait and Hakata Bay, Fukuoka is a cornucopia of fresh finfish and shellfish year round, but the flavours of such treats as mackerel, deep sea bass, and blowfish are at their most succulent in winter. 

I counted three types of fish in this sashimi moriawase. The pickled ginger was hidden under the glass hood which the was placed on. (From L)

• Karei Engawa 鰈 縁側 Japanese flounder fin, which was crunchy in a very good way;
• Saba 鯖 Mackerel, which is eaten with the ginger mash and ponzu sauce;
• Maguro 鮪 Bluefin Tuna, which is just the normal cut and not the fatty cuts.

合肴 Side Dish

和牛鉄鍋餃子 黑酢タレ Grilled Wagyu Gyoza dumpling in iron hot pot served with black vinegar

Next up, a couple of grilled wagyu gyoza pan fried in a cast iron skillet served with black vinegar.

Very rich filling using minced wagyu beef. Because of the juiciness of the beef, the filling was piping hot.

煮物 Simmered Dish

小鍋仕立て 水炊き 薬膳スープ はかた地どり 干し椎茸 黒ニンニク 柚子胡椒 Hakata Jidori chicken hot pot with mushroom, black garlic and citrus pepper

There are three varieties of chicken depending on the age of the chickens and their quality, namely “wakadori” (ready for consumption seven to eight weeks after birth), “meigara-dori”, and “jidori” (at least 75 days). Due to the strict agricultural conditions, only 1% of the chickens in Japan meet the requirement of “jidori” 地鶏. Bred to complement the taste of local cuisine in Fukuoka, Hakata jidori 博多地鶏 has the chewiness unique to free-range chicken and the umami that increases with each bite.

Indeed, the chicken was quite chewy but very flavourful. Serve with complimentary leeks, mizuna, and an assortment of mushrooms. the hotpot was quite delicious. The cooking time was cut short by half-cooking the ingredients in the kitchen before serving, so you just need to boil it at the table and it’s ready to eat.

焼八寸 Snacks

The first plate consisted of four items, three of which were quite heavy tasting.

棒寿司 Mackerel bosushi

The first one I tried was the oshizushi 押し寿司 as it was the only light items on this plate. It was topped with cured and marinated mackerel Shime Saba しめ鯖, I liked that only so lightly cure and marinate the fatty saba.

和牛筍包み燒 Grilled Wagyu rolled with bamboo shoot

Next up, a wonderful piece of Hakata wagyu beef cooked sukiyaki style and wrapped around a piece of braised bamboo shoot. Hakata wagyu beef is raised for around 20 months by farmers in Fukuoka Prefecture. The meat is soft and is known for its juice when chewed as it is raised on high-quality feed made from rice straw produced within the prefecture as its staple food.

鰤柚子味增燒 Grilled giant yellowtail with citrus miso

Miso glazed cod is the specialty of Nobu and here Nadaman has recreated the taste using buri 鰤 with a 柚子味增 yuzu miso glaze.  In Fukuoka, the groom sends buri to his wife’s family with the hope that he has a successful career and that their daughter will become a good wife. 

甘干し柿クリームチーズ Dried persimmon served with cream cheese

Finally I ate the dried persimmon with cream cheese. Hoshigaki 干し柿 or dried persimmon has a delicate sweet taste and smooth texture that spreads in the mouth like no other dried fruit; in recent years, it has become a favourite among fine dining chefs as an ingredient for desserts and appetisers, often paired with cream cheese.

筑前クロダマル煮豆 Simmered black bean

Origin of the name “kurodamaru” comes from “black, round soybeans that grow in rice fields”. These shiny Sweet Black Soybeans or Kuromame are an important part of the symbolic Osechi Ryori meal of traditional Japanese New Year foods. Eating this dish is considered good for your health in the new year. The taste of the boiled beans made with great care was exquisite.

かつお菜煮浸し Boiled greens served with dried Katsuo bonito

Ohitashi お浸し refers to a dish in which vegetables are steeped in a dashi-based sauce. It’s a common Japanese cooking technique we use for preparing vegetable dishes. This method infuses the ingredients with dashi’s umami and subtle flavor but still retains its natural taste.

九絵煮凍り Kelp grouper jelly

こごり Kogori is jellied fish broth similar to the Teochew pig skin or fish skin jelly.

Kue 九絵 (クエ) Longtooth grouper meat has been added to the jelly. Nikogori is often made with the natural jellies that emerge from the fish bones; but these taste a bit firmer, which probably means that some gelatin has been added.

食事 Rice Dish

八女茶飯釜炊き おかず 博多明太子、あかもく佃煮 “Yamecha” rice casserole served with Hakata spicy cod roe and seaweed

The final course before the dessert consisted of three standard components – gohan (御飯 rice dish made with seasonal ingredients), kōnomono (香の物 seasonal pickled vegetables) and tomewan (止椀 miso or vegetable soup served with the rice). The Yamecha-infused rice 八女茶飯 was cooked in a cast iron pot called 釜炊 using matcha tea from Yame City in Fukuoka. Came with side dishes of Hakata mentaiko (spicy cod roe) and Akamoku tsukudani (simmered kombu seaweed) with konomono. All wasted down with red miso soup.

デザート Dessert

苺のグラマラッカ、八女茶のティラミス、あまおう苺 Strawberry Gula Melaka, “Yamecha” tiramisu and “Amaou” strawberry

The best time for Amaou strawberries is from December to May and are consistently round, large, and sweet.. in Japan, the variety is called the “King of Strawberries”, and they are not only famous within the Japanese borders — they are also frequently exported to Hong Kong and Taiwan as a luxury product.

Afterthoughts

While this meal was much better than the regular menu, the sequence of the kaiseki was quite strange; the Hassun came after the Shiizakana (nabe). The Fukuoka ingredients were featured in every item. A good eat but since it’s seasonal, I guess this is the only time I would have the chance to try it.

Nadaman なだ万 at Island Shangri-La
7/F, Island Shangri-La Hong Kong, Pacific Place, Supreme Court Road, Hong Kong
Tel : +852 2820 8570

Visited Mar 2023

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