27 August, 2012
Eat & Drink

Masu Robatayaki & Sushi – classy Japanese fare in Central

27 August, 2012

The excitement of a new sushi restaurant will never ever get old, despite how many our beautiful city is loaded with – so when I heard about the arrival of Privé Group’s newest baby Masu Robatayaki & Sushi, I was as keen as wasabi to put it to the test.

The cream and grey décor is very minimalistic, resulting in a somewhat boring and drab ambience. Thankfully, however, the food completely makes up for any lack of atmosphere; as the name suggests, Masu serves up everything from scrumptious sushi to incredible robatayaki, with endless choices in between.

In fact, endless is exactly what the menu is, almost to the point of being overwhelming! Unsure where to begin, I asked manager Rabina to order us the restaurant’s signature dishes.

After a failsafe bowl of salted edamame, we were served a beautiful selection of assorted sashimi including sweet shrimp, yellow tail, salmon, scallops and tuna, served on a mound of ice. Each piece of seafood was incredibly fresh and wonderfully tender, melting like butter in the mouth.

A Japanese fruit salad followed: a lovely combination of gorgeously juicy sliced tomatoes and soft smoked aubergine, paired with a delicious garlicky sauce. It certainly contradicted my belief that salads are inexorably boring!

The signature Masu deluxe rolls that came next were possibly some of the best sushi I have had the pleasure of eating. Wrapped inside the rice was egg, crab and finely sliced cucumber, while delicious seared Wagyu beef, toro, Hokkaido uni and salmon roe sat neatly on top, all drizzled in a sweet ‘secret sauce’. Although it was rather difficult to eat in one go, the flavours all complemented each other perfectly.

Onto the robatayaki, with some beautifully cooked asparagus that was impossible to fault. However, the grilled ox tongue marinated in delicious spices could have been amazing, yet was so tough that I could barely sink my teeth into it, which left me rather disappointed.

Nevertheless, the succulent chicken wings made up for it. I am usually hesitant about ordering chicken wings, as there’s more skin and fat than meat, but these chickens had definitely been well fed!

Even better was the minced chicken meatball, served alongside a soy and egg yolk dipping sauce. The meat was spectacularly juicy, not dry in the slightest, and simply packed full of flavour. I rather wish we’d each had our own meatball rather than having to share…

Next came a plate of cute little beef croquettes. Tender chunks of beef and slightly pickled veggies were encased in very fluffy and flaky batter that was far from greasy and dangerously more-ish.

Last but by no means least (of the savouries) came a bowl of steaming Inaniwa udon noodles. The broth was rich and comforting and the noodles had a perfect chewy texture; although we were struggling to eat another mouthful, it was near impossible to refrain from finishing the whole bowl!

The delicious meal ended with a scoop of sesame ice cream, which was exactly what we needed to cleanse the palate and send us into a comfortable food coma.

Service started off a little hesitantly, but they made up for it as the meal progressed, making sure to change our plates after each and every dish – I seriously hope they have a dishwasher! As you can imagine, being part of the Privé Group, a meal at Masu Robatayaki & Sushi doesn’t come cheap and a hearty meal without drinks would likely cost between $400 and $700 per person minimum. If, however, you’re after some commendably fresh and delicious Japanese fare where setting (and cost!) isn’t important, then definitely give Masu Robatayaki & Sushi a try.

MASU Robatayaki & Sushi. Shop A, UG/F, On Hing Building, 1 On Hing Terrace, Central
2537 7787 www.facebook.com/masuhk

Check out more from Ale on her fab blog, The Dim Sum Diaries!

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