Sushi Hinata - indulgent Omakase and other set meals

Forget ramen and teppanyaki – you won’t find them on Hinata’s menu. Here in this little Japanese restaurant tucked in a row of eateries at the St Mary Residences, the simple menu features mainly sushi and sashimi and some obligatory tempura, chawan mushi and miso soup. Helmed by sushi specialist, Chef Oritsuki Hideaki, Hinata’s offerings are of premium quality as their fish and seafood are imported directly from Tsukiji Fish Market and Fukuoka Market. Fresh stocks arrive every Tuesday and Friday. We were there on a Saturday evening and were privy to Hinata’s freshest fish. The restaurant was full and we didn’t get to sit at the counter (despite making a reservation and requesting this several days ahead) where the full action of Chef Hideaki was. Instead, we were relegated to a private room.

Such pretty appetizers for all the sets

Nevertheless, even though we were not seated at a vantage point logistically, we were determined to savour the chef’s best offerings for that evening. It didn’t take us long to decide on the Omakase (starting from RM350 per person) – the chef’s special selections for a full course dinner, a Hinata Course (RM280 per person) and a Sakura Course (RM200 per person). The Hinata Course is a traditional Japanese full sushi course which includes an appetizer, sashimi, grilled fish, steamed dish (we had chawan mushi), fried item (we had assorted tempura), 5 pieces of special sushi, miso soup and dessert.

Here are the items from our Hinata Set:

Grilled flounder

Assorted tempura

For the Sakura Course, there’s an appetizer, 12 pieces assorted sushi, chawan mushi, miso soup and dessert.

Anyone a fan of this?

Food served was fast and efficient. Once the pretty appetizers have been served, our table was swarmed with numerous plates of premium sushi and sashimi. To complement our meal, grated fresh Mazuma wasabi (none of those commercial pasty types) was served, which is not as pungent and a whole lot more delicious, of course.

Chawan Mushi for Hinata Set (smaller bowl on top) and the bigger yellow bowl for the Omakase course

The platters of sashimi for the Hinata and Omakase sets had all the dream cuts of fatty tuna (maguro) otoro, silver fish (hikarimono), whitefish (shiromi) and assorted grilled sushi (aburi zanmai). We had sweet shrimps, scallops and sea urchin (uni) – in fact, I had never had so much uni in one sitting before! Besides the raw fish sushi, the Omakase course featured some seared fish sushi like the barracuda and golden-eyed snapper – absolutely oishi!

Dishes from the Omakase set: