Profile | As Masaaki Miyakawa opens Macau sushi restaurant, master chef reflects on his journey

10 years ago, Masaaki Miyakawa took Sushi Shikon in Hong Kong from two to three Michelin stars. Now he has opened a restaurant in Macau

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Chef Masaaki Miyakawa raised the bar for Hong Kong sushi a decade ago at Sushi Shikon, then earned three Michelin stars for his eponymous restaurant in Hokkaido, Japan. Now he is back in the Greater Bay Area with Sushi Kissho, his own place at Macau’s Raffles hotel. Photo: Sushi Kissho

Winnie Chung

Published: 12:45pm, 1 Jul 2024

Those who remember the early days of Sushi Shikon in Hong Kong, a tiny omakase place hidden in the Mercer Hotel, would probably remember chef Masaaki Miyakawa deftly slicing fish behind the sushi counter.

In his short two years there, from 2013 to 2014, Miyakawa took the restaurant in Sheung Wan on Hong Kong Island from two to three Michelin stars before returning to his Hokkaido home, in Japan, to open his own, eponymous restaurant.

He proved that what he achieved with Sushi Shikon was no fluke. Within three years, Sushi Miyakawa was lauded with three Michelin stars, making it the only three-star sushi establishment in Hokkaido and one of only five around the world.

He has since opened Sushi Shin – one in Niseko and one in Tokyo – and now the sushi maestro is back in the Greater Bay Area to open his first restaurant outside Japan, at the new Raffles hotel in Galaxy Macau.

A pristine piece of fatty tuna belly nigiri at Sushi Kissho. Photo: Sushi Kissho

For Miyakawa, opening Sushi Kissho in Macau is a homecoming of sorts. He remembers frequent trips to the former Portuguese enclave during his time in Hong Kong, to refresh and unwind when things got a little too overwhelming.

“Hong Kong and Macau are full of memories for me. I was having a hard time in the first few months in Hong Kong as I had to adjust my style of working or communicating with the staff,” says Miyakawa.