Video
Read full review
2010-05-16
375 views
An impromptu weekday lunch prompted by KC, we gathered @ 味+味(あじとみ,Aji-to-mi). Our target was clear: their famous釜めし(Kama-meshi,釜飯) which was made to order and took 30 minutes. KC always does his homework, so he already pre-ordered two sets of 鶏釜めし during reservation. Unlike most of the Japanese restaurants which try to place the wide net and put everything from sushi, tempura, yakitori, to soba, ramen, tonkasu on to the menu, Ajitomi focuses on homemade styled cooking with options of yakitori.
An impromptu weekday lunch prompted by KC, we gathered @ 味+味(あじとみ,Aji-to-mi). Our target was clear: their famous釜めし(Kama-meshi,釜飯) which was made to order and took 30 minutes. KC always does his homework, so he already pre-ordered two sets of 鶏釜めし during reservation.
Unlike most of the Japanese restaurants which try to place the wide net and put everything from sushi, tempura, yakitori, to soba, ramen, tonkasu on to the menu, Ajitomi focuses on homemade styled cooking with options of yakitori. I personally prefer one thing done right rather than many things done on average level, so their focus on home cooking provided me with some confidence and reassurance to be honest. Specialization in one genre of cooking (like sushiya, sobaya, yakitoriya) is such a common practice in Japan, I just hope that this culture can be more widespread in Hong Kong.
Of course just 鶏釜めし was not going to satisfy these group of gluttons, so we also ordered some set lunches:
とん豚丼定食 (grilled pork on rice lunch set, 燒豬肉飯)
- withプチサラダ (salad), 漬物(つけもの, Tsukemono), 味十味みそ汁 (miso soup), ご飯 (rice).
I liked the fact that they included hijiki in their 漬物 which isn’t commonly found in local Japanese restaurants. The appearance of the pork belly was irresistible with alternating meat and fat layers glazed with a coating of grill sauce and then chargrilled to achieve a crispy surfaces. However, when tasted I personally found the slices a bit too dry and stringy especially the lean meat part. Fortunately the pork drippings (ok, pork fat) and the tare (燒汁) penetrated to the rice and made the pearl gems delicious and satisfying. Overall the set was tasted fine but I didn’t find any surprises from it.
串焼き盛り合わせ (yakitori moriawase, 雜錦串燒)
- with ねぎま nekima（たれ）, ハツ hatsu （塩）, 肝 reba（たれ）, ズリzuri（塩）,つくねkutsune（たれ）
This yakitori platter was quite disappointing in my opinion. While I did not taste all 6 skewers, which included chicken with scallion (with sauce, 汁燒), chicken heart (salt), liver (sauce), and chicken meatball (sauced), most of what I tasted was over-grilled and very dry. The organs were not moist and meat was not juicy at all. The only better one was the つくね(meatball) which was soft but certainly nothing to rave about. Because of this order I am now suspicious on how well they execute their yakitori at night.
温泉卵のせぶっかけ冷やしうどん (Bukkake Hiyashi Udon with Onsen Tamago, 溫泉蛋冷烏冬) with みそ汁小食
The udon was indeed cold and refreshing in hot weather. I have always loved noodles mixed with onsen tamago and this egg was cooked adequately to achieve the right semi fluid consistency. Unfortunately the udon was a bit too soft and turned a bit mushy. When mixed with the eggs and the toppings with was also wet, the mouthfeel was not optimized. The flavor with all the toppings was fine, but again, the overall dish was not perfected.
When the two much awaited 鶏釜めし arrived, no one could hold their patience! KC immediately helped us to mix and split the rice, and I must say that this kamameshi was what made this trip. The rice was cooked to excellent consistency – soft enough to swallow yet retain a slight chew. The pearl rice was like gems coated with subtle earthy seasoning from the vegetables and the chicken. With each bite you felt the immense sooth and warmth that you normally experienced at home. This is indeed what I called homestyle cuisine!
While not everything of the lunch was great, I think just the 鶏釜めしalone is worth a revisit. I also found a lot of Western styled fusion dishes (what they called Original cooking) on their menu which seem to have a lot of potential, and may return just to try them out.
You can also read KC’s review on:
http://gourmetkc.blogspot.com/2009/08/blog-post.html
Post
