Island Shangri-La Focus

Known to be a region with an abundance of natural ingredients, Kagoshima is home to some of the best quality produce in Japan, including the popular, high-quality Kagoshima kurobuta pork. From October 19 to November 30, Nadaman at the Island Shangri-La, Hong Kong is launching a celebration of Kagoshima’s finest produce. During the promotional period, chef Kenji Yanagita, former head chef of Nadaman and current chef of Nadaman’s Zipangu restaurant in Akasaka, Tokyo, will utilise the finest fresh ingredients from the prefecture in the creation of the lunch and dinner menus, where dishes are presented kaiseki style.

Surrounded by the sea on three sides, the Kagoshima prefecture is the largest prefecture in Kyushu, Japan. The region is richly endowed with an abundance of fresh produce throughout the year. One of the most popular ingredients from the Kagoshima prefecture is the Kagoshima kurobuta. Kuro, meaning ‘black’, refers to the dark fur on the pigs local to the prefecture. First produced over 400 years ago and made popular during the mid 18th century, the Kagoshima kurobuta pork is made from Berkshire pigs, whose diet of sweet potatoes harvested locally in the prefecture enhances the fat with a lighter, less-greasy texture – yet maintaining a rich texture in the leaner section of the meat. Such is one of many reasons behind the pork’s popularity. Best enjoyed grilled or flash-cooked, the celebrated kurobuta takes centre stage in Nadaman’s celebration of Kagoshima.

Chef Yaganita’s lunch menu begins with a trio of appetisers, artfully presented with seasonal ingredients such as earthy matsutake mushrooms and persimmons. A light bonito broth with clams and white meat fish cakes prepares guests for a sashimi course comprising of four types of fish from Kagoshima. Prawn and sweet potato tempura offers a delightful crunch while a cold crab and tomato salad brings umami to the palate.

The show-stopping grilled dish brings thinly sliced wagyu beef and Kagoshima pork together. The richness in the fat and meat, enhanced by a quick sear on the grill, remains intact. The lunch menu completes with steamed barbecued eel rice, miso soup, pickles and a sweet cake made with Kagoshima’s own sweet potatoes.

The dinner menu offers a richer array of Kagoshima’s best, starting with a umami-rich Kagoshima wagyu beef sandwich. The beef is rich and buttery, teasing the palate and leaving diners wanting more. Also a signature starter, the milk tofu with sea urchin and caviar brings a velvety smoothness to prepare for the courses ahead.

Sushi and sashimi brings a fresh taste of Kagoshima’s seasonal catches, while the chawan-mushi, or steamed custard is enhanced with a Western-inspired foie gras and truffle sauce. A cold dish of seasonal Japanese hairy crab is accompanied by fresh yuba, with zingy sudachi citrus jelly to cut through the richness.

The Kagoshima pork and wagyu beef shabu-shabu is the perfect dish for this autumn menu. Both meats, sliced paper thin and flash-cooked in the simmering broth and served with the lightest tinge of pinkness, is the best way to enjoy the richness of the meat. The dinner set menu is enhanced with a rice casserole with Hime prawn, seasonal vegetables and truffles, with a selection of desserts to choose from, including a sweet potato with vanilla ice cream, a kudzu starch jelly flavoured with yuzu, kagoshima orange jelly, or a black sesame pudding to round up the scrumptiously satisfying meal.

Both Kagoshima lunch and dinner menus will be served at Nadaman from October 19 to November 30. The lunch menu is priced at HK$650 per person and the dinner menu is priced at HK$1,250 per person, with a 30% discount courtesy of the Kagoshima Prefectural Government. Reservations are highly recommended.

This promotion is sponsored by Kagoshima Prefectural Government, Japan.

Nadaman, 7/F Island Shangri-La, Hong Kong, Pacific Place, Supreme Court Road, Admiralty; +852 2820-8570