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2022-10-22
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[ Kyoto-Oden MASA | 銅鑼灣 ]I stayed up till 12am to make this booking 2 months ago 😆 Counted down the days till I could try this hyped up oden restaurant straight from Tokyo! The restaurant itself is located in an unassuming building non Jaffe street and took me a while to find it too. After you go up to the 11th floor, you are greeted by a traditional Japanese curtain with the name embellished on it. Inside is cozy and warm. With only 5 seats on the bar and 3 four-seaters, this is the definition
I stayed up till 12am to make this booking 2 months ago 😆 Counted down the days till I could try this hyped up oden restaurant straight from Tokyo!
The restaurant itself is located in an unassuming building non Jaffe street and took me a while to find it too. After you go up to the 11th floor, you are greeted by a traditional Japanese curtain with the name embellished on it.
Inside is cozy and warm. With only 5 seats on the bar and 3 four-seaters, this is the definition of hole-in-the-wall.
I asked to be seated in front of Masa-San to be able to witness him in his element and although it was nice to watch him. I couldn’t engage in any conversations because a) he is very shy and speaks minimal English and b) the staff told me not to bother him too much. Which is a shame as I wanted to know more about his journey in HK.
Moreover, this seat is terrible for oden. It is right in front of the only air conditioner for the whole restaurant and the air blasting is very strong and cold. When Masa-San serves the oden on the ledge, it immediately cools and looses its warmth 🥲 I asked the staff about this issue but they said this was the only option.
For oden, the staff recommended a few oden pieces that are house made so I got most of that to try. I will say that the prices are ridiculously high to begin with and thought they would make up for it with a bigger portion but no.
They place a small sauce dish with a mustard paste and yuzu chilli sauce. Both are house made and insanely pungent and flavorful. Instantly adds another dimension to the peaceful oden.
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蒟蒻Radish $42
Soft but not mushy, flavor well penetrated
The mandatory radish. Texture is soft but not mushy and easily breaks with chopsticks. It has been well penetrated by the stock.
Speaking of their master oden stock. It was kinda underwhelming. The only memorable memory I have of oden in Japan is eating and drinking bowls of soup in Lawson. Now that stock was mind blowing. Perhaps it was the addition of MSG but it was so addictive. It is nothing like the one served here. Which is mild and fishy and doesn’t make you want more. I also weren’t able to drink it when still hot due to the air conditioning so that perhaps lessened the experience for me 😔
The radish is served with a slimy, seaweed-like side that resembles the HAIR in poon choi.
腐皮福袋 Mochi pocket $58
A surprisingly great dish. The fried tofu pocket is chewy and spongy, absorbed the stock very well. The mochi inside is extremely soft and melts into the stock. The texture is more sticky than chewy but great contrast with the tofu.
雞肉丸Tsukene $49
This chicken meatball is made in house so we had to try it!
So so tender and soft. Literally falls apart on my chopsticks with a minimally processed texture. I recommend eating this with the mustard paste as the spice brings out the meatiness.
The size is quite small but at least you get two.
炸魚餅Fried fish cake $54
Also made in house. Lovely texture with a bouncy and firm bite. The fried skin is chewy but separates from the meat easily. Tastes like your usual fish cake. At least the size is quite big and thick.
I advise you to order all the oden separately so you get more broth overall as he only gives you a few spoonfuls per plate/bowl.
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高湯蛋卷 Tamagoyaki $88
Highlight of the night! Masa-San was pumping out tamagoyakis all night and it was mesmerizing how he managed to get it fluffy and layered every time.
The omelette is extremely thick with visible layers. So fluffy and airy but still has a great texture to it. The taste is not compromised by the lightness, very eggy and creamy. The additional of green onions (fresh, fragrant and pungent) added a spice and more flavour to it. Not to mention the presentation points it brings.I so wanted to get one more plate of this.
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牛根者Beef Tendon Stew $78
One of their best dishes! The beef tendons are soft and literally melts in my mouth. The radish too are soft and even more flavorful than the oden ones. I wished they serve this with a bowl of rice so I can devour all that delicious sauce as it’s quite salty by itself and needs some balance.
A great portion for one person.
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高湯浸燒茄子Chilled eggplant $58
Another favorite tonight. The baby eggplant is grilled before being chilled, resulting in a soft, tender flesh with a great smokiness.
But the star has to be the stock. It’s 90% similar to mentsuyu (the soup you dip cold noodles in) and I drank every last sip. Just the perfect amount of saltiness to make you want more. The pile on ginger on top actually makes it more refreshing and awakens your palate after that beef tendon dish. If you love ginger, you will definitely enjoy this.
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推介 ⭕️
💬 Overall, a lovely experience that brought me to Tokyo. I would say their oden is over-hyped and I was much more impressed by their other cooked dishes. J can see myself coming again in a few months, maybe next year but I’ll have to try get a booking first 😅 although the guy next to me was a walk-in and he luckily got a seat because of a last minute cancellation 😳
I recommend this place for date nights, catch-up or boss meetings with a maximum of 4 people. Party bigger not advices as the small restaurant makes everything louder and you may distract Masa-San.
The prices are a bit absurd but food is getting more and more expensive in HK anyways…
🗓 Revisit? ✅ 🙆🏻♀️/ ❎
高湯浸燒茄子
$58
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腐皮褔袋
$58
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腐皮褔袋
$58
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高湯蛋卷
$88
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高湯蛋卷
$88
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高湯蛋卷
$88
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牛根煮
$78
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關東煮
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炸魚餅
$54
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