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2013-10-03
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Okinawa is a place that I long to go but have not got the chance yet. I was very excited when I received the tasting invitation from Ku-Suya Rakuen, a Japanese Izakaya offering Okinawa cuisine. I invited Shogun Van Gogh and Gastronomerr to join my tasting tonight.Rakuen's ambiance is pretty causal in dim lighting. The decorations are awesome with racks of sakes and other Japanese elements. There is also an alfresco area where Japanese Red Lanterns are hanging along the edge to create an intimate
Rakuen's ambiance is pretty causal in dim lighting. The decorations are awesome with racks of sakes and other Japanese elements. There is also an alfresco area where Japanese Red Lanterns are hanging along the edge to create an intimate but laid back scene. You can also choose to sit inside or sit side-by-side at the bar stools to enjoy a cup of sake and Okinawa delicacies. Just a note that the music playing at the background is an international mix and can go real weird. (e.g. Justin Bieber's Baby were player LOL) I personally reckon Rakuen should change their music selection completely.
Sea Grapes (Green Caviar)
The sea grapes is an Okinawa specialty dish and an must order item here at Rakuen! The sea grapes shocked me as I somehow presume it tastes like typical seaweed. It was very light and bubbly. It does has a texture like craviar where it pops with fluid.
Hamachi CarpaccioThe carpaccio taste pretty much like sashimi to me. The hamachi was very tender and smooth with a sweet taste.
Home Made Peanut Flavoured TofuThis tofu was very smooth and quite bouncy with a texture between panna cotta and pudding. It was full of tofu taste with a very subtle peanut taste. The tofu was delicious with the sweet soy sauce!
Jewel LeafThe Jewel Leaf is another Okinawa specialty dish. It looks very ordinary but it has the most interesting texture you ever find on any vegetables! The Jewel leaf was very icy and extremly crisp. You will feel your palate filled with water after some chewing. The Jewel Leaf was truly fun and refreshing to savour!
Okinawa Chicken and Tofu with Potherb Mustard SaladThe dressing tasted quite spicy with the taste of wasabi in it. The Okinawa chicken was shredded so it fitted in the salad pretty well. Yhe shredded Okinawa chicken was very tender but was a bit mushy. I didn't like it too much.
Stir Fried Bitter Gourd with PorkBitter Gourd is another specialty dish from Okinawa. I am never a big fan of bitter gourd, as the song from Eason suggests, you have to be at certain age to appreciate bitter gourd. (Yes I was hinting I am still young ) Okinawa's bitter gourd is less bitter and gooey than the Chinese's bitter gourd. A great tip from Shogun Van Gogh is to savour the bitter gourd with Japanese Soy Sauce. For some reason, the bitter gourd tasted very sweet and refreshing all of a sudden with the Japanese Soy Sauce! The bitterness was somehow gone! This little trick can totally makes me like bitter gourd man!
Smoked Pork KnucklesI first thought this dish was chicken drumb judging from its look, so I was confused for several seconds when I was chewing it as I tasted pork knuckles! The knuckles was super succulent and tender. Yum! Must order item!
Grilled Okinawa Chicken Wings with Pepper and SaltThe chicken wings were nicely grilled and savoury. It was not a wow dish though, order this if you like wings.
Deep Fried Okinawa Chicken with Okinawa Tofu Tartare Sauce
The highlight of this dish lied on the Okinawa tofu tartare sauce. The tartare sauce was creamy with a strong tofu taste and a mild cheese taste in it. The deep fried chicken was yummy, deep fried with crispy skin but without grease. Delicious!
Deep Fried Okinawa Chicken Drumb with Powered SaltThis deep fried chicken Drumb tasted pretty much the same as the previous dish but was seasoned with powered salt instead.
Fried Rice with Squid InkThe squid ink fried rice was topped with a soft boiled egg. The rice portion was too much for the egg to give an impact to the rice. The rice was too soft but the taste was good.
Deep Fried lotus RootThis deep fried lotus root is a good beer snack. It was extremely crispy and lightly salted. It tasted much like crisps and was not too special.
Deluxe Assorted Sashimi PlatterThe sashimi was pretty standard. I love the Ebi and Uni here. The huge Ebi tasted very fresh and was extremely smooth and fatty. The Uni was very fresh and sweet too. Shogun said restaurants usually serve Uni from Hokkaido or California, sometimes South Korea. This orangy Uni is probably from Cali, Since Uni from Hokkaido is usually in yellow colour. Hotate (scallop) was pretty nice but was not the smoothest or sweetest that I have tried. The Buri was a mature version of the Hamachi carpaccio that we had earlier and had a totally different texture. The Buri was a chewy piece. The Ikura (Salmon Roe) was pretty fresh and sweet. I didn't like salmon, so I didn't try. Lastly the Maguro (Tuna) was not very nice when compare to others on the plate.
Highball & Ukon TeaBoth Highball & Ukon Tea are Okinawa drinks. Highball is basically water down Japanese whisky. I did not like it too much, it reminds me of cheap whisky mix at pubs.
Ukon Tea is a kind of ginger tea which is said to smooth the alcohol effects. The ginger taste was pretty strong but was only mildly spicy. I like this.
Many of the items we had tonight were awesome, especially the Okinawa specials! In between dinners, we were told all (or almost all) Okinawa restaurants are under the same group EN Group. Restaurant like BRIDGES, which is on my to try list for long, is a higher end restaurant offering Okinawa cuisines in Causeway bay, also under the same group. Oh, also if you like Rakuen facebook page, you can can a draft beer of soft drink for free (Friday exclusive though). I truly like Okinawa cuisine and I do recommend whoever that have not tried Okinawa cuisine yet, GO!
Other Info. :
♥ ♥ MUST GET ♥ ♥
Sea Grapes (Green Caviar)
Home Made Peanut Flavoured Tofu
Jewel Leaf
Stir Fried Bitter Gourd with Pork
Smoked Pork Knuckle
Deep Fried Okinawa Chicken with Okinawa Tofu Tartare Sauce
Ukon Tea
The Bill
Sea Grapes (Green Caviar) - HKD65
Hamachi Carpaccio - HKD110
Home Made Peanut Flavoured Tofu - HKD55
Jewel Leaf - HKD55
Okinawa Chicken and Tofu with Potherb Mustard Salad - HKD98
Stir Fried Bitter Gourd with Pork - HKD79
Smoked Pork Knuckles - HKD68
Grilled Okinawa Chicken Wings with Pepper and Salt - HKD85
Deep Fried Okinawa Chicken with Okinawa Tofu Tartare Sauce - HKD90
Deep Fried Okinawa Chicken Drumb with Powered Salt - HKD88
Fried Rice with Squid Ink - HKD78
Deep Fried lotus Root - HKD60
Ukon Tea - HKD40
Duluxe Assorted Sashimi Platter - HKD480
(The above review is the personal opinion of a user which does not represent OpenRice's point of view.)
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