Koji's cups run over for the sake of perfection

Perfect cuts of sashimi are complemented by handmade grapefruit soy sauce and grapefruit vinegar, which deliver a delicious surprise on the diner's culinary journey through Japanese food culture.

Equally, whether it is the caramelized silver cod or marbled rare beef, prime cuts of meat and seafood are another area of supreme indulgence at Koji.

Working in concert with the beautiful food, Koji provides Japanese epicurean delights of a liquid nature－making it a destination for sake lovers, too. Tanioka selects high-quality sake from renowned Japanese distillers that are hard to find in China－including Jikon's Junmai Ginjyo Yumadanishiki Nama, Ohmine's Junmai and Ippakusuisei's Sunday Back Nine.

"There are three kinds of sake," he observes. "The cheap sake to get you drunk, the sake that pairs with food, each complementing one other, and the sake that can be enjoyed alone. Jikon's sake belongs in the third category."

As a sake sommelier, Tanioka was the youngest of his countrymen to ever pass the Diplome de Senior Sommelier in 2003.

He started his culinary journey at the age of 18, when he worked part-time in the kitchen at a Chinese restaurant in his hometown of Kumamoto in Japan.

In 1998, after graduating from college, Tanioka moved to Toyko to work for an Italian restaurant, where he started to learn to be a sommelier and a chef.

He then decided to change his career, becoming a general manager of hotels in a bid to hone his management skills. In the role, he helped in the preparation and opening of many hotels and, of course, the numerous restaurants within.