[Hong Kong] Shoku Bar & Restaurant - Japanese-Style Grilling with Binchotan

My latest dining adventure at The Pulse is Shoku - a contemporary Japanese restaurant that is home to the largest authentic Binchotan charcoal grill in Hong Kong! Binchotan (備長炭) is a traditional charcoal of Japan and is favored by Japanese chefs as it does not emit smoke or other unpleasant odors while it burns at a lower temperature than ordinary charcoal for a longer period of time. Fresh seafood is flown in from Japan daily which is then complimented with an extensive selection of Japanese sakes, whiskeys and cocktails.

Besides counter seats surrounding the Binchotan grill as the centerpiece, there are also tables available on the side decorated with bright seaside colors as well as two private rooms that is great for big groups and parties. 

With an unique selection of cocktails that uses Japanese ingredients, I couldn't help but to try a few of their handcrafted cocktails starting with this Green Tea Old-Fashioned with Maker's Mark, matcha liqueur and teapot bitters. This was a strong whiskey drink that I feel is great for guys that can't stand sweet cocktails!

The Glittery Sun was more of my kind of cocktail with my favorite plum wine, Ketel One vodka and a gorgeous sprinkle of gold leaves! Besides it good looks, the drink was also lovely to drink as the sweetness of the plum wine had been subdued by the vodka for a more refreshing taste. 

 

The Sakura Bloom with Pampero Blanco, dry sherry, sakura liqueur, lemon juice, honey and foamed egg white was a girly girl's drink with a dreamy shade of pink!

We started off the night with crispy codfish wafers and fried Japanese baby shrimps that made perfect snacks for drinks!

 

The Japanese fried chicken was a hit as juiciness of the free-range and hormone-free chicken really shone through while I felt that the batter could have been crispier. 

We then enjoyed a delicious salad with whole avocado on mixed salad leaves with a shoyu dressing and I loved how the avocado was thinly sliced which was buttery soft to eat. 

Our attention was then turned to the main attraction at Shoku - the binchotan that was ready for action! We were able to observe how our Japanese orange roughy Kinki fish was being cooked right in front of our eyes. 

The Japanese orange roughy kinki fish arrived looking a little comical with one eye attached and wide-opened mouth and we had fun taking pictures of it before digging right into the fish. The skin was charred to a crispy state while the flesh was supple and sweet - highly recommended!

 

The Japanese surf clams were sweet and juicy while the garlic added a great enhancement to the flavors. 

The prime Wagyu flat iron was another impressive dish as the beef had a great amount of marbling with a tender texture and was full of raw beefy flavors!

The Japanese Sagabuta pork collar though was a bit lean and dry for my taste.

The lamb chops were fantastic with a nice balance of gaminess and pronounced lamb flavors but some of the pieces we got were a bit too fatty.

We then tried a series of sushi rolls that reminded me of California with Victoria roll, Dragon roll, Dynamite roll and Mango Paradise roll. My favorite combination has got to be the mango paradise as the sweet mango was refreshing to eat in the summer but overall, I found the ratio of rice to be too high while the rice can be a bit dry as well. 

 

 

After all that food, we were then finally ready for dessert and tried the Shoku Dessert Platter with deep-fried Hokkaido green tea milk pudding, azuki bean dorayaki and green panna cotta for a sweet ending!

* By Invitation

Shoku
Shop 109, L1, The Pulse
28 Beach Road, Repulse Bay
Tel: 2808 2333
http://www.shoku.hk/

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