Having stayed in Shanghai on my own for a few years, izakaya(居酒屋) was one of my usual dinning places as I could have 5-6 varieties in small portion at pretty reasonable prices. Plenty of good traditional izakaya selections due to high Japanese population working and living there. Since my return to HK, there has been far less occasion for visit.
Youka came to our attention because of some favourable comments collected from the press. We (me and my wife) were attracted due to its traditional style as per those reports.
We started with Corn in sprouted (fresh raw corn from Hokkaido), this was delightful, crisp, sweet and refreshing. Though this is a bit pricey, it is highly recommended.
We then had 1 portion of seasonal sashimi (Isaki) and a few sushi. These are all very fresh and of high quality standards.
The hot dishes ordered were:
- Minced Chicken & Tofu Pot - this was good
- Cooked Fish in sweet soy sauce (Arakabu Nitsuke) - it was tasty but the fish was a bit tough which may due to freshness issue. This is not a recommended choice though its price ($280) was okay.
- Ayu Fish Salted Grilled - fish was very fresh. I suppose because it was from Japan and was in season, this was quite expensive at $90 for a tiny fish.
- Veg Inaniwa Udon - this is good as expected.
Overall, I would say that this is a good izajaya style restaurant but the pricing would not be for everyday visit.