樂宴 (永光中心)

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Item: Rakuen (Circle Tower)
Rating: 5
Author: BonVivant

Rakuen (Circle Tower)

174 Reviews

Taste

Decor

Service

Hygiene

Value

16354

Causeway Bay

$201-400

Japanese Izakaya

143

BonVivant

Level4

284

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The decor is quaint and interesting, transporting you immediately to a little izakaya in Okinawa. The service is tentative and polite, and if you speak the lingo, there are the Japanese waitresses who are happy to chat with you in Nihongo. The food is fantastic, faultless to the T, and you can just taste the freshness in every bite. We went just after the "nuclear incident" and the waiter informed us when we ordered that they were using local gourd. Not sure if the two are related. Don't expect sushi and sashimi here to be the main stars, what really catches the eye are the little dishes of cooked goodness - potato and beef croquettes, stir fried gourd with pork, stir fried eggplant in misu, deep fried squid, gyoza, and yakisoba. The kimchee udon wasn't as spicy as I had expected, perhaps kimchee fried rice would be better as it wouldn't dilute the spices as much. And of course, try the sea grapes if you don't know what they are! Each little pearl bursting with briny juices straight from the sea. The peanut tofu sounds weird, but it's got a lovely texture and almost like a dessert save for the soy sauce that comes with it which transforms it into an appetiser. One of my favourite places in town, two thumbs up. There's a tatami room to the side, perfect for small gatherings.