Nadaman

Address: 7/F, Island Shangri-La, Pacific Place, Supreme Court Road, Central
Tel :2820 8570

Known for refined Japanese dining, Nadaman was first founded in 1830 in Osaka as a restaurant exclusively catering to the noble class. Today Nadaman is a familiar name, and the Nadaman at the Island Shangri-La is slick and chic. Sun-red lamps hang from the ceiling and accentuate the circle theme played throughout the space. Sunset and sunrise chairs add touches of character, as do the silk walling. Here, traditions amicably meet the present day.

At Nadaman, food is an art. Four seasons of "food furniture" heighten the creativity used throughout the menu to appease not only the palate but also the entire sensory dining experience. To the chef, a dish is like a painting, with a top, bottom and front, laid out carefully for each diner.

The restaurant provides choices for each of its dining areas: teppanyaki, sushi and a la carte. Set lunches and dinners are also available, such as the Lady's Sushi Set and the Teppanyaki Beef Set, each with rotating specialties and high-quality ingredients sourced from the top producers. After tasting both, it seems every choice is a pleaser.

Take my advice: Do not dine at Nadaman without ordering one of the signature Kaiseki sets. A relative of the traditional tea ceremony, Kaiseki is a full course menu including an appetiser, soup, sashimi, simmered dish, broiled dish, rice dish, and dessert. Chief Chef Harutoshi Suzuki explains that Kaiseki "is thr art of transforming the blessings of nature into food." This principle rings true at Nadaman.

Zuma

Address: Levels 5 an 6, The Landmark, Central
Tel: 3657 6388

The opening of Zuma, an awardwinning London restaurant, has been surrounded by a tremendous amount of buzz in Hong Kong. CityLife decided to see what all the excitement was about.

Zuma is described as dining with "a sophisticated twist on the Japanese izakaya style". When you first enter the 10,000 square foot space, you immediately see what they mean by a 'twist' - a free standing, taller-than-life winding staircase leading up to the restaurant's lounge bar. Through the lower space, minimal design draws in natural elements using circles and squares, and everything is open, from clear glass dividers to three open kitchens: The Main Kitchen, The Sushi Counter and The Robata Counter.

The impressive menu presents a plethora of options. If you don't know what to choose, opt for the Set Lunch at $290 or the Tasting Menu at $680. Zuma also has its own label sake to complement its dishes. Appetizers run the gamut. The glimmering, thinly sliced seabass with yuzu, truffle oil and salmon roe, stands out as a star, while the Age Watarigani ($85), fresh softshell crab, comes with an outstanding wasabi mayonnaise.

Zuma has a wide range of fresh fish on hand. Try the chef's sashimi platter for a nice sampling of soft, tender fish upon a bed of ice. The salmon and hamichi sashimi are absolutely delectable. Arjun's Chu Toro Roll, with prime tuna and finely diced spring onions, is cut into perfect circles of simple bites that melt in the mouth.

The great thing about Zuma's dishes is that they interrupt old stereotypes of Japanese cuisine. When a baby chicken appeared at the table to be eaten with chopsticks, it broke the mould. The French chicken, marinated in barley miso for a day and then oven roasted on cedar wood, is a must-try and a chef's favourite. Another good meat dish is the spicy beef tenderloin with sesame red chilli and sweet soy.

As with all new restaurants, the final question remains: Does it live up to the hype? At Zuma, the answer is an adamant yes.

Rei Sushi Japanese Restaurant

Address: Shop 1103, IFC Mall, Central
Tel: 3188 1900

Located on the first level of the IFC Mall, Rei Sushi remains discreet, with a simple Japanese sign and curtain. Despite its location in a pristine shopping centre, the restaurant is a small, intimate venue with low lighting and clean lines. Its wall of windows overlooks the harbour and back onto the bright lights of Central.

"Rei" means "courtesy" in Japanese, and the staff at Rei Sushi reflect its name. After warm greetings by the entire restaurant, from the servers to the sushi chefs, you are guided to your seat and offered something to drink. A house speciality is the plum wine, served with soda or on the rocks.

The menu is ideal for sampling. Most items are served as small portions, so you can try an array of dishes. The warm, boiled spinach is cooked in a Japanese style and is a good way to start the meal. The roasted duck is spectacular, thinly sliced and served with a sweet homemade sauce and seedy mustard, which gives the dish a good balance of flavours.

The hardier dishes on the menu may be its best - the grilled beef roll with eggplant is a must try. Presented on a bed of onions and rocket, this seasonal dish of warm beef wrapped around tender eggplant is marvellous. Also, the deep fried eggplant dumplings take the traditional pork dumplings to another level, by wrapping them in eggplant tempura.

And you cannot forget Rei Sushi's sashimi and sushi options. The Rei Roll, combining tuna, spring onion and spicy sauce and topped with crab roe arrives in the shape of a flower and is gone in seconds. The Soft Shell Crab sushi is delicious, as well as the Fatty Tuna and Scallop sashimi.

Rei Sushi carries through with good service and lots tasty options.