Located on the mezzanine floor of the Grand Hyatt hotel in Wan Chai, Kaetsu is a traditional Japanese restaurant. The setting is calm and tranquil and the sushi chef located in the centre working behind his counter is the main focus of the dining room, with a range of seats around him, from banquettes lining the walls to seats at the sushi counter, as well as private dining rooms towards the back of the restaurant. Having been around since 1989, in the dim lighting, Kaetsu still looks elegant thanks to its simple décor, but up close, the wooden furniture is showing some signs of wear and tear.

The menu at Kaetsu is focused, starting with a selection of sushi, which lists the provenance of the various fish, with horse mackerel from Taiwan to sea urchin from Russia. This is then followed by grilled items, tempura and rice and noodle dishes. We start with a selection of sushi and sashimi: shime saba (marinated mackerel), horse mackerel, katsuo bonito (skipjack tuna) and sea urchin. The horse mackerel and the katsuo bonito are both nice light fish to start the meal with, while the shime saba is marinated to just the right degree. The sashimi is artistically plated with edible shiso flowers and spring onion garnish, but the slices of fish resting on the bed of ice do make them too cold, muting the flavours. Moving onto the grilled items, they are less successful. We were told that the grilled swordfish would be rare in the middle, sadly this was not the case as it could have been a good dish. As it was, the fish was tough and even the delicate citrus marinade could not save it. A signature dish, the grilled A3 wagyu beef in houba leaf, is perfectly cooked. The problem, however, with this dish, is the thick slathering of miso paste that overwhelms the high-quality wagyu, which is a real shame. We have more luck with another signature dish, the homemade sesame bean curd, which retains the slight graininess of sesame while having a lovely silky texture overall. The tofu is everything Japanese cuisine should be and what the beef dish was not: delicate, refined and highlighting each ingredient. If you’re in need of some carbs to round out your meal, either the cold soba or the off-menu tea soup with rice and seaweed are good choices: the soba is refreshing while the rice is comforting and flavourful. For dessert, we try two homemade ice creams, sesame and Belgian chocolate. The sesame ice cream is on the sweet side and lacks subtlety, the chocolate version is a far better choice.

There is no wine at Kaetsu, only a large and varied selection of sake, including limited edition junmai daiginjo, ginjo, plum wine and shochu from all over Japan. There are also a variety of sizes and price ranges to suit most needs and the sake list is helpful, with tasting notes for every bottle.

The staff at Kaetsu are well-trained and to be commended for their in-depth knowledge of the provenance of all their seafood, and they are able to offer details such as whether each fish is wild-caught or farmed, seasonal or year-round as well as their flavour profiles without any hesitation. The only issue we had with the service is that due to the layout of the restaurant with its pillars and corners, it can be difficult to get the attention of the staff.

Dinner for two, including a small bottle of sake, will come to about HK$2,000. This is reasonable given its location in one of Hong Kong’s best hotels and the premium quality of the ingredients used at Kaetsu.