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Luxury Japanese Spot Kurogi Will Blow Your Mind

2018-05-01 ShanghaiWOWeng


Shanghai food lovers are always spoiled with options, and in the case of renowned Japanese Kurogi, very spoiled. Opening last month, this incredible spot joins the likes of Kaiseki at Yifeng Galleria and Ginza Street at Bund 18 as the latest luxury Japanese restaurants in our fair city. Here's what you can expect there...

 

Introducing Kurogi

 


Known to be one of the hardest Tokyo restaurants to get a table in, diners at the original restaurant expect to wait up to a year to dine at Kurogi. Featured for 2 years in the Michelin Guide Tokyo, their head chef was even the youngest “Iron Chef” award recipient ever. Great food and plenty to look at, the restaurant’s interior was designed by renowned Japanese architecture Kengo Kuma.

 

 

We stopped by and were lucky enough to try their spring season Omakase meal, which costs RMB 3,500/pax. It was a once in a lifetime food experience and it lived up to all the expectations! 

 

About the chef

 

Chef Kurogi 

 

Born in 1978 into a Miyazaki family, Jun Kurogi became a legend in the Tokyo culinary scene at just 18 years old. He left for Tokyo to hone his skills and talent, and in 2010, at the age of 32, opened Kurogi.

 

Entrance to Kurogi 

 

In 2012, Kurogi took part in the world famous Iron Chef challenge, where he broke the record and scored 99 points.

 

Tokyo’s new “IT” spot for the upper class

 

Following his record-breaking victory, the restaurant became the new “IT” spot and reservations began flooding in.

 

Combining the beauty of the season with food

 

In his 20 years of experience, Chef Kurogi places great emphasis and details on the seasoning, ingredients and cooking methods of his dishes. His detailed and diligent nature contributed greatly to his success and the launch of his first overseas restaurant on The Bund.

 

Bringing modern luxury into the first overseas Kurogi restaurant

Expect a new level of Japanese elegance 

 


Kurogi Shanghai is located on the first floor of the Bellagio Shanghai hotel.

 


Kurogi Shanghai head chef

 

Apart from making great food, the head chef brightens up the place with his friendly service and culinary wizardry.

 

Talented chef in the making

 

The young chef packs a great punch of talent and has many accolades to his name. In 2004, he became a chef at the famous Kagaya hot spring hotel, and in 2007, honed his skill at the famous Kitcho restaurant. Joining Kurogi in 2012, he won over Chef Kurogi in the span of 5 years, and earned his spot as Kurogi’s right-hand man.

 

Classic “Kengo Kuma” wood house/bar design

 

The highly anticipated interior design by Kengo Kuma consists of 5 bar seats and 4 private dining rooms, of which, one is a mysterious Japanese bar.


Photo of Chef Kurogi and Architect Kengo Kuma in the trial launch period

 


The black themed shop strays away from the traditional Japanese restaurant layout and opts instead for a modern luxury twist with red dining chairs and white Japanese lantern ceiling design.

 

Combining the beauty of floral arrangements, food, people and movement into a single space, use of natural prints and well-selected décor bring out the opulence and elegance of the space.


Kengo Kuma “Hyuga” Room

 

Named after Chef Kurogi’s birthplace, Miyazaki, the “Hyuga” room showcases Kurogi’s love for his hometown. The room uses large amounts of cedar plank in its design, and compliments it against dim and soft lighting.

 

The largest dining room seats up to 16 



The flower arrangement here is cleverly designed and placed by famous Japanese floral arrangement artist Hanachiyo.

 

Take a left from the entrance of the restaurant into the mysterious Japanese bar

 

What treasure lies behind this door? More on that in a minute...

 


You'll be greeted by the dapper bartender Suzuki, he is in charge of the bar here and making the drinks for the Omakase meal. Don’t be afraid to chat him up as Suzuki also happens to speak fluent Chinese.

 

RMB 3,500+/pax for a 10-course Omakase meal with 7 types of alcohol

Does it really live up to the price tag?

 



Kurogi restaurant has a seasonal Omakase set meal, priced at RMB 2,800/pax without alcohol and RMB 3,500/pax with alcohol.

 


After looking through the alcohol list, we tried the Delamotte Brut champagne, Shichida brew, Asahi Shuzo sake, Haruka sake, Junmai Daiginjo, Chateau Rieussec and more.


A sip of the sweet Delamotte champagne while waiting for appetizers

 

This time around, we tried the spring seasonal menu, which started off with an unusual appetizer – grilled eel. The dish uses cucumber as the base, and layers grilled eel on top, complimenting the savoriness of the meat with the sour and refreshing flavor of the sliced cucumber.

 

Saizuke: Caviar and Sea Urchin with cold noodles, Clear Soup: Abalone broth

 

The appetizer here is a bowl of springy handmade noodles, topped with Hokkaido sea urchin and caviar, and paired with diced mushroom and bread. The kaiseki dish here is a bowl of clear abalone broth, made from simmering Australian abalone for 3 hours. The soup is also cooked with few seasonal ingredients like the slightly bitter spring bud, 2 slices of wintermelon and a few pomelo skins.

 

Specialty: Grilled Tofu and Sesame Seeds

 

Kurogi’s specialty dish, the item is so well-received that it is available throughout the year and a permanent addition on the menu. Made over a 4 – 6 hour period, the ingredients are flown into Shanghai, and foie gras is added for a special touch of luxury. 

 

The making of the sashimi platter

 


The season for cherry blossoms and growth, the sashimi is thoughtfully plated on a boat with seasonal flowers to represent the change in season.

 

 Sashimi Trio: Yellow Fish Tail, Fatty Tuna, Lobster

 Additional True Tunas Sushi

 

After taking a few shots of the sashimi, we were pleasantly surprised by an additional dish – true tuna sushi, which was simply heavenly.

 


Using quality, fresh seafood, the yellow fishtail was paired with a sour orange flavored sauce that has been marinated with anglerfish liver and carrot paste. The lobster here is sweet and meaty, and is slightly seared before serving. It comes mixed with a prawn roe sauce. The bluefin fatty tuna has a rich milky flavor, and is served as-is, with the usual complement of soy sauce and wasabi.

 

Perfect pairing of sashimi and sake

 

The sake has a smooth and well-rounded taste with a tinge of sharpness and compliments the sashimi perfectly.

 

A generous serving of the Hassun platter

 


While we were eating, the lights at the bar were slowly dimmed, and the server brought out the hassun dish, plated stunningly in a bamboo basket.

 

Fragrant fried giant tiger prawn

 

Homemade firefly squid dish

 

Atlantic mackerel sushi, fish cake, smoked salmon and carrot roll

 

Hassun is a tray of snacks, which places great emphasis on balance and beauty. While beautifully plated, the portion was on the larger end, which is a common trend in the Omakase meal here. This might be an issue for diners with a smaller appetite.

 

Shii-zakana: Sea urchin and beef sukiyaki

 

An upgrade from the usual sukiyaki dish, the highlight here is the sea urchin and beef, and choice of ingredients cooked inthis dish.

 

Well-marbled beef with evenly distributed fats and meat

 

Seasonal and fresh sea urchin, served in large spoonfuls

 


The beef is quickly cooked in broth, and a large spoonful of sea urchin is then added. The large servings and generous use of ingredients is definitely a bonus when dining here.

 

 

A great comfort food, the sweetness of the beef is enhanced with the onsen egg, providing a well-rounded savory flavor.

 

Gohan: Sakura Shrimp Rice and Salmon belly rice with miso soup

 

Think the sukiyaki was the highlight of the meal? Think again. The highlight of the meal was definitely the salmon belly rice and sakura shrimp rice.

 


The rice is cooked in a rich broth, and then topped with fresh ingredients. Leftover rice will be packed properly and provided to diners as a breakfast option the next day.

 

 

When dining here, we also met Chef Ogawa, who flew in from Tokyo and is currently helping Chef Kurogi temporarily in Shanghai. He helped with making the dessert for the night, and worked greatly with the team.

 


The dessert for the night is a natural homemade warabi mochi. The homemade version is becoming increasingly uncommon as companies turn to automating and using machines in the baking process.

 

 

Freshly made warm warabi mochi which takes shape when kneaded in cold water

 


The mochi is then kneaded into small pieces and rolled in yellow soy flour and brown sugar sauce. It has a soft and chewy texture with aromatic fragrance.

 

Fruits: Fruit Pudding

 


The final dish for the night is the Kyoto Sencha, where the drink is poured in a beautifully painted cup with bunny and animal drawings.

 

 

The cutlery and ceramics used here are all customized with great details and features that diners can appreciate.

 

Even the bucket for the alcohol are also customized and beautifully made

 

Mysterious Japanese bar that operates to 2am

Want a glass of soy sauce, miso, matcha or Senbonzakura?

 

 

Still remember the classic Kengo Kuma styled aisle? The aisle is decorated with Chef Kurogi’s personal collection of alcohol sets, antiques, art pieces and more.

 


On the right hand side of the aisle is the J.Baria Japanese bar. While it does not have a big space, it has everything it needs and operate until 2am daily, great for pre- or post-dinner drinks.


 The pine tree ball changes according to the seasons

 

The bar is well-stocked with alcohol, including a RMB 6,800 Salon

 

Was a pleasure watching Suzuki making and mixing the drinks

 

Signaure Japanese Cocktail: Matcha (RMB 100)

 

Apart from their extensive alcohol collection, the bar also have a cocktail menu, with drinks retailing around RMB 80 – 100. How about trying out their glass of “soy sauce”, “miso”, “matcha” or Senbonzakura?

 

The alcohol set greatly reminds us of Japan

 

The “milk froth” in the matcha has a sweet and sour refreshing taste. The drink uses sake as base, and is topped with passion fruit, lemon juice, matcha powder and egg foam.

 


After the dinner, we were walked out by the waitress and head chef, who ended the meal on a perfect note.

 

The meal definitely lives up to all expectations, and each detail in the store shows Chef Kurogi’s passion for his art and efforts put into building his brand.

 


While Kurogi Tokyo requires up to a year-long wait, why not try out the Shanghai Kurogi one first?

 

Kurogi Shanghai


Address: 188 North Suzhou River Road

Tel: 021-36030171 (reservation required)

Hours: Monday – Saturday, 5pm – 10pm

How much: Seasonal 10-course meal, choose between 2 different sets:

RMB 2,800/pax excluding alcohol and 15% service charge

With alcohol (7 types of sake and wine) at RMB 3,500/pax excluding 15% service charge


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