Opened in collaboration with chef Yoshitake of Ginza’s three-Michelin-starred Sushi Yoshitake and Hong Kong’s own three-Michelin-starred Sushi Shikon, Kappo Rin highlights the flavours of fresh, seasonal Japanese ingredients through a chef’s selection of dishes. Japanese Fine dining at a counter for a maximum of eight guests. A sophisticated, yet relaxed dining experience, featuring a menu based on the freshest produce available from Japan’s most prestigious purveyors.
At Kappo Rin — which feels like a well-kept secret thanks to its discreet location on the seventh floor of The Landmark Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong — you’ll be transported to Japan as soon as you walk through the cream-colored noren curtain. Inside, an enormous hinoki (Japanese cypress) wood counter slices through the center of the room, while bamboo ceilings and earthen walls envelop you in nature. With just eight spots and three seatings daily, this is one of the most intimate dining destinations in Hong Kong — and it’s one you will never forget.
Open for lunch and dinner, the Hong Kong restaurant serves a 10-course set menu of traditional Japanese dishes determined by the season, with ingredients flown in from Japan each morning. Unlike sushi restaurants, kappo-style dining traverses many Japanese culinary styles, including sashimi, savory broths, soba noodles, smoked eel and deep-fried tilefish — all well-executed and beautifully presented. A chance to interact with the chefs is an important part of the experience. The team at Kappo Rin is personable and approachable, explaining each dish in as much or as little detail as you would like.
Since the set menu varies by season, it’s unlikely you’ll have the same experience twice. Depending on when you visit, you could dig into steamed egg custard with codfish milt, snow crab with bonito soup, black-truffle-topped wagyu, rockfish with mochi rice, or baby snow crab with caviar and vinegar jelly. The 10-course modern Japanese menu has been artfully designed to ebb and flow throughout the meal, featuring a wide array of culinary techniques that will keep your palate guessing. While preparing each course, the chefs are just inches from your seat so you can watch their every pain-staking movement, from painting a light layer of soy sauce on a piece of red snapper sashimi to placing tiny chrysanthemum petals atop snow crab. The various broths served throughout the meal are particularly versatile and complex, sometimes incorporating half a dozen ingredients and taking hours to prepare. A sommelier is eager to recommend the best sake to accompany your meal, choosing from a selection of more than 50 varieties.
The homage to nature continues at the eight-seat wooden counter (which was flown in from Japan) where small maple leaf inlays look as though they’re floating down a river of wood grains. The tableware was carefully considered with no expenses spared. Kappo Rin sourced centuries-old antique ceramics, with some dating back as far as the 1800s during a time when Japanese craftsmen took inspiration from Ming Dynasty-style Chinese pottery. On the table, you’ll also find handmade crystal sake glasses and beautiful clay teaware — all from Japan.
Price: USD 250+ Per Person (not including drinks)
Rating:
Food & Presentation: 9/10
Ambiance & Vibe: 9/10
Service: 10/10
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