JANUARY 2013 UPDATE- VENUE CLOSED ON DECEMBER 31ST, 2012

January 10th, 2012

In recent years the Japanese style of dining where food is cooked in front of customers over open grills- “robatayaki” -has become increasingly popular in Western cities with a refined dining culture, such as London and New York. This trend has also extended through the major urban capitals of Asia outside of Japan- and has been readily adopted in Hong Kong. “Robata” is traditionally a rustic style of cooking over charcoal grills using fresh ingredients such as meats, seafood, chicken and vegetables- typically served on bamboo sticks. The contemporary versions of robatayaki feature open cooking with a dynamic accent as the chefs work amongst the charcoal flames and smoke to grill the premium quality ingredients into simple but exquisite dishes. When coupled with a buzzing bar environment, the result is a boisterous, exuberant atmosphere of social dining and drinking.

In Hong Kong the opening of SAKESAN in December 2010 captured this dining zeitgeist perfectly, and the restaurant-bar became an immediate hit within the bustling Hong Kong nightlife scene. Located in a busy stretch of the rapidly expanding SOHO nightlife area of Hong Kong, SAKESAN continues to pack in a crowd of diners and drinkers on a nightly basis. With an open facade to the pavement and the Mid-Levels Escalator, the boisterous energy exudes an alluring attraction to passing pedestrians. SAKESAN is the creation of the ever expanding hospitality operators- the Cafe Deco Group , with the robata grill and cuisine under the direction of Executive Chef Andre L’Herminier; and the beverages and bar the domain of the Toby Paul Crowder – the group mixologist and bar operations manager.

The open facade to bustling Shelley Street and Mid-Levels Escalator

The main bar and counter

The contemporary interior design of SAKESAN incorporates the open bar area at the front of the space, and the robata grill and dining areas to the centre and rear of the interior. The front bar area features a voluminous space with a double height ceiling and large illuminated graphics of Tokyo street scenes cover the walls with a huge projection screen across the entire upper front wall. A large timber bar counter extends down one wall with the back bar displaying the many varieties of sake, shochus and awamoris that are a specialty of the bar. Prominently placed in the centre of the floor space is the large “L” shaped robata counter that wraps around the open grill kitchen. The robata counter seats 11 diners, with further dining seats at tables and booths adjacent to the grill area. Upstairs there is a private dining room and karoake lounge that can seat a further 14 guests. Colorful sake barrels add thematic decorative elements to the semi-private dining booths and also behind the bar. The interior incorporates natural tones from the predominant wood and timber materials, with highlights of black and gold to add lustre and elegance to the essentially casual space.

The bar area with large wall-mounted and illuminated Japanese urban scenes

The robata counter and grill

Executive Chef Andre L’Herminier tends the robata grill

The robata grill menu includes many of the staple dishes of the traditional Japanese robatayaki cuisine- flame grilled prime cuts of beef, chicken, seafood and pork. Highlights include Gyu Niku– grilled beef sorloin with spicy coriander sauce; Kiri Tempo– crispy rice and eel skewers with BBQ sauce; and Kyojin Ebi Yaki– Giant Tiger Prawn with mild spicy lemongrass paste. In addition to the robata grills, the menu features selections of maki– with Spider Maki– soft shell crab with kimchi and spciy mayonnaise; and Negri Toro- Semi Fatty Tuna with scallions, two of the more popular options.Other dishes include selections of tempura; gyoza and salads. And “sweets” are also a specialty with pastry chef Tracy Wei creating a number of tempting desserts such as  Chokoreto Burauni– Adzuki Chocolate Brownie with mixed berries, almond sand and blueberry sorbet; and Chizukeki– steamed Passion Fruit Cheescake with caramel fruit gelee, strawberry salad and sake kasu ice cream.

Private dining booths along one wall- with shelves of sake barrels separating the booths

Upstairs Private Dining Room- with table for 14, lounge area and karaoke

Looking down from the Private Dining Room

The extensive beverages menu specialises in sakes, shochus and awamoris (distilled  from Thai rice in Okinawa)). The special range of creative cocktails are concocted using  exclusively Japanese spirits and ingredients. Two of the Gourmet Cocktails are featured below. Signature cocktails include The Sakesan– martini style- shochu, cointreau, with yuzu juice and cranberry juice; and Gingertini- ginger infused shochu, sake, with sweet & sour mix; plus a 11 different varieties of Fruit Saketinis. All Day Cocktails include the Shochu Mary– shochu, fresh tomato juice and homemade mary mix. The menu also has Classic Cocktails, Mocktails, and selections of wines, and champagnes and sparkling wines. A full range of premium spirits compliment the extensive selection of Japanese spirits- sakes, shochus, and awamoris, plus aged Japanese whiskys. And finally selections of Japanese beers are served on tap and by the bottle.

SAKESAN have daily Happy Hour promotions on drinks, plus promotions for Set Lunch on weekdays; Bento Brunches on weekends; and Sakesan Wagashi (Japanese Afternoon tea) on Saturdays and Public Holidays.

With only limited seats available at the robata grill counter, reservations are always a good idea to guarantee a place at the counter.

Rock Star Martini– sake with vanilla, rock & rolled with fresh passion fruit and liqueur. Served with homemade Shiso infused sake

Wasabitini– fresh wasabi carefully mixed with sake, shaken with Nori and spices according to individual taste, splashed with pineapple juice for a spicy sweet finish, and served with three types of Jello

Buta Niku- Braised and grilled pork belly glazed in honey sansho pepper sauce

Hotate– Grilled scallops with sweet soy sauce and apple wasabi relish

SAKESAN- Robatayakibar

Address: G/F 18 Shelley Street,  Soho, Central. Hong Kong
MTR: Central station –  10 minutes walk
Reservations: +852. 2525 1660
Website: http://www.cafedecogroup.com
Opening hours:
Monday to Saturday: 12:00 noon  ~ 02:00 am
Robata Grill Operating all day- last orders at 10:30 pm
Promotions:
Happy Hour: Daily from 3:00 pm ~ 8:00 pm    30% off all house cocktails, beers, mocktails, spirits & selected sakes and wines by the glass
Set Lunch: Monday to Friday  12:00 pm ~ 2:30 pm
Bento Brunch: Every Saturday  11:30 am ~ 2:30 pm
Sakesan Wagashi : Every Saturday & public holidays 2:30 pm ~ 6:00 pm   Japanese style Afternoon Tea