Sushi Iwa – one of the 30 best sushi restaurants in Tokyo rated by Tabelog users – landed in Hong Kong. As expected sushi lovers in Hong Kong are looking forward to it in anticipation. I dropped by Sushi Iwa for lunch during their soft opening in September. Their shop’s located in Central, a prime location in the city.
Being a one-star establishment in Tokyo, I figured it could probably attain another star in Hong Kong – Not because they are already of the standard, but because Hong Kong in general has a lower standard for Japanese food when compared to Japan.
The sushi is decent, but definitely not on par amongst the great ones in Tokyo. It’s hard to lower one’s standard for anyone who has tried fine sushi in Japan. Sushi Iwa’s lunch set is a good value for money, priced at HKD $800 for 15 pieces of sushi. Among the 15, the semi-cooked Tairagai, saba and anago were my favourites.
The competition is heating up between the sushi restaurants in Hong Kong, and the arrival of sushi Iwa adds to it. And we’re hearing about a number of Michelin chefs in Japan expressing an interest in setting up shop here.
Having said that, there’s an underlying catch. Hong Kong people aren’t accustomed to paying too much for fine sushi. If any sushi shop were to price their meals over HKD$3,000, the shop will only end up catering to a niche segment. The trick, is to price things right.
Sushi Iwa (鮨いわ)
Address: 29F, Asia Pacific Centre, 8 Wyndham Street, Central, Hong Kong
Tel: +852 2619-0199
Visited on: 9 Oct, 2013
Price: Lunch $450-1100; Dinner $1000-2000
Hours: Lunch 12:00 – 2:30 pm; Dinner 6:00-11:30pm
K's Luxe Dining Table 