Celebrated Sukiyaki Haven Sukiyaki Nakagawa Honours Dad with Japan’s Best Wagyu on Father’s Day Weekend

(6 June 2024, Hong Kong) Sukiyaki Nakagawa, Causeway Bay’s newly opened Kansai-style sukiyaki haven, has earned rave reviews since its late April debut. For Father’s Day, the restaurant is showcasing an exquisite 8-course-plus menu designed by culinary maestro Chef Kazuyuki Itagaki. Headlining the celebratory spread on 15-16 June 2024 are two of the restaurant’s emblematic prized wagyu – acclaimed Matsusaka beef and the world’s most richly marbled Satsuma beef – amidst the chef’s creative signatures.

Certain to impress dad and delight the whole family, the Father's Day Special Menu (HK$1,480 person) takes gourmet get-togethers to an unforgettable new level. It begins with individual platters of early summer appetisers to invigorate the taste buds: nutritious Kinjisou (Okinawan spinach) in Supreme Dashi and Bonito Flakes served cold; sweet Octopus splashed by sour vinegar miso; Tuna and Yam topped by homemade miso; famed Shirakami Sanchi Junsai with tomato jelly; and as a taster for the wagyu treats to come, A4 Japanese Black Wagyu Beef and Summer Turnip Stew lifted by spicy Sansho (Japanese pepper).

A fragrant, delicate Savoury Egg Custard with Summer Truffle is followed by a new surprise for Sukiyaki Nakagawa devotees – Sea Urchin with Japanese No. 1 Egg and Caviar, an innovative and luscious caviar-topped concoction of farm-fresh, vitamin E-enriched Kodawari Tamago eggs from Hyogo Prefecture and creamy Pacific purple sea urchin pulp plucked from Hokkaido waters, whose mouth-enveloping buttery sweetness is at its prime in summertime.

After the next sweet enticement – house favourite Foie Gras Sukiyaki marrying succulent goose liver and flavourful sukiyaki sauce – comes Seasonal Fruit Sorbet, with its palate-cleansing citrusy kick squeezed from fresh fruit flown in from Japan.

Taking pride of place in this gastromomic parade is A5 Matsuzaka Beef and A4 Satsuma Beef Sukiyaki, accompanied by Japanese seasonal vegetables and 2 kinds of egg dips. The exceptional Matsuzaka beef from Mie Prefecture is universally hailed for the purity of its rich, sweet flavours, exquisite marbling of the highest grade (BMS 12), high-fat-to-meat ratio, and remarkable melt-in-the-mouth sensation. This is attributed to a shallow fat-melting point of 17 degrees Celsius, compared to the wagyu norm of about 26 degrees.

Raised on the temperate grasslands of Kagoshima Prefecture – Japan’s largest producer of wagyu beef – Satsuma Gyu beef is a gourmet sensation highly sought after for the fatty sweetness of its world-leading marbling density. Uncompromising regional regulations ensure prized quality and rarity – only 3,000 cows per year will meet the requirements. The cattle must be the superior Tajima-Gyu (Japanese Black) bloodline born and fed within the prefecture, with an overall weight not exceeding 470 kg, a marbling ratio of 6 BMS or higher, and a meat quality rating of 4 or 5 (the highest). Only designated cattle farms that supplement their feed with the lees of fermented black vinegar – a Kagoshima tradition of ageing vinegar outdoors in large clay pots – can produce ‘Satsuma no Kuro’ beef.

Both these unbeatable beef choices are further enhanced by a duo of house-speciality dips using premium Kodawari Tamago eggs. One egg dip is prepared by gentle steaming, so the yolk is warm and the edge of the white lightly cooked; for the other, the egg white alone is whisked to achieve a beautifully fluffy meringue-like texture.

The Father’s Day feast does not end with Chef Itagaki’s superlative sukiyaki. A summer-cooling noodle dish from his home prefecture of Akita, Special Cold Inaniwa Udon, follows. The final savoury course is a novel twist on another signature: Unagi Sukiyaki Egg and Japanese Claypot Rice, accompanied by Pickles and Miso Soup, with the addition of freshwater eel intensifying the delicious umami essence of egg and rice baked with sukiyaki sauce. Refreshing Assorted Japanese Fruits completes the celebratory meal.

Families who wish to honour their father with a dedacent lunch are spoilt for choice by the restaurant’s 5-course Sukiyaki Set Lunch Menus (from HK$280 per person) anchored by Hokkaido Yume no Daichi pork, New Zealand lamb sirloin or French duck breast sukiyaki. Dedicated wagyu afionados can choose the 5-course Aya set (HK$480) or splurge on the 8-course Mikoto (HK$1,080), a deluxe offering spanning Appetiser Platter (3 kinds), Goose Liver Sukiyaki atop soy milk and egg toast, Seasonal Sashimi (2 kinds), Seasonal Fruit Sorbet, A5 Oita Wagyu and A5 Hokkaido Brown Wagyu Sukiyaki, Wagyu & Sea Urchin Egg and Japanese Claypot Rice, Miso Soup and Pickles, and Seasonal Japanese Fresh Fruit.

Toasting dad is a delight from a sake-centric drinks list curated by Chef Ho Wai-leung, a qualified sake sommelier. Selections to soothe the humid summer heat abound from the Noguchi Naohiko Sake Institute, including Honjozo, Junmai and Junmai Daiginjo. Traditionally crafted sakes using Miyamanishiki, Gohyakumangoku and Aiyama rice varieties also pair well with the elevated yet authentic artisanal Kansai-style of sukiyaki practised by the culinary team.

The convivial dining practice of sukiyaki traces its roots back to the Meiji Restoration of 1868 in Tokyo’s Shiba district and a delightful hot-pot restaurant named Nakagawa. Drawing inspiration from this first establishment, Sukiyaki Nakagawa pays homage to the vibrant culinary culture’s origins while ugrading it through meticulously crafted multicourse omakase-style menus proudly featuring Japan’s top wagyu varieties.

At Sukiyaki Nakagawa, diners can enjoy lively interactions with the chef in an atmosphere of simplicity, serenity and elegance. The open kitchen and hinoki (cypress wood) bar counter with its pleasing, healing scent command an intimate 15-seat space of just 420 sq. ft. The interiors blend traditional Japanese elements and subtle contemporary flair, with walls adorned with washi paper and a showpiece ceiling of straw mats.

Sukiyaki Nakagawa is located at Shop B, 3/F, CUBUS, 1 Hoi Ping Road, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong, and opens daily from 12 noon to 2:30 p.m. for lunch, and 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. for dinner.

For reservations or enquiries, please email sukiyaki-nakagawa@ponghk.com, or call (852) 5394-3688.

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