i. Biography
The Climb
Executive Chef Goshima Shinya runs Godenya in Hong Kong with a kitchen logic built on control, timing, and adjustment. The work sits in the details: sake is treated not as a side note but as a central material, something to study, age, and tune against the plate until the match holds. More than 1,000 bottles of sake sit in his collection, kept under different conditions and used as a working range for exploring how temperature, time, and storage can shift expression. In that frame, pairing becomes less about decoration than about calibration.
Today
At Godenya, the menu is shaped by constant testing around sake. Aging, condition changes, and flavor adjustment are part of the kitchen’s method, giving the restaurant a way to work with sake as something responsive rather than fixed. Under Goshima Shinya, Japanese cuisine keeps its structure while the pairings push at the edges, using precision to open small changes in mood and finish. The result is a restrained, technical style: measured, deliberate, and built to let each plate reveal its next layer through the sake alongside it.
Signature
Goshima Shinya's signature dishes include hairy crab, Kegani, pregnant ayu, and Godenya affogato. Each one fits a method that favors placement over excess, with ingredients and finishes chosen for how they sit beside sake. Hairy crab and Kegani bring seasonal weight; pregnant ayu adds delicacy and texture; and Godenya affogato closes the meal on a sweeter register. Together, they show a kitchen working with exact restraint, where flavor is shaped by how sake changes the reading of the plate.
Profile updated July 2026
FAQ
Asked of Goshima
What is Goshima Shinya's current role?
As of 2026, Goshima Shinya helms Godenya.
What recognition has Goshima Shinya received?
MICHELIN Guide Sommelier Award (2024).
What is Goshima Shinya known for?
Experiments endlessly with more than 1,000 bottles of sake, aging them under different conditions and tweaking rice wine flavors to pair with unconventional Japanese cuisine.
