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2014-08-09
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Yes yes, I'm maybe a little 'out' with this post since Ronin has been quite a hot restaurant for some time now, but out or not here it is. Sister restaurant of the famous Yardbird, there was no doubt that quality of food at Ronin would be well above average since I had very much enjoyed my meal at Yardbird many moons ago. The main difference between the two is Yardbird concentrates on chicken while Ronin has its focus on seafood.Another of those secreted entrances, I mistakenly went to the build
Another of those secreted entrances, I mistakenly went to the building next to it and pressed the bell to its offices before being told the entrance of Ronin was the unmarked black door next to it... Nevertheless we found it. I made the booking a week ago, the restaurant only takes bookings seven days in advance and you must do it by email. There are two sessions available and you will be allocated one on the date you request unless you specify which you would prefer.
Dark and dim, the restaurant is like a slightly sophisticated cave, but corridor style. Guests are seated along a bar table, where the lucky half can face the bar while the other half end up facing the wall. If you are even more unlucky to come in on a night without booking, you may find yourselves along the other side of the wall eating your food while standing- not an attractive option.
Our server, an Asian gentleman very enthusiastically described the menu to us as being unique every night depending on the ingredients brought in that day. He seemed to be the main server to all the guests and yes although he was very helpful, I did find he talked a lot... and a lot.
Complimentary eats to start. Tomato and radish. Not that great.
Arkshell sashimi. Sweet with a slight chew.
Razor clams. De-shelled and tossed with kelp and cucumbers. Refreshing, but became bland after a while.
Uni atop a mixture of nori and panko crumbs. When this was served we were instructed to mix it all together in order to better appreciate the flavour. I didn't end up doing this as I thought spooning down into the uni and panko mix I would get all the flavours anyway. Halfway through the server comes by and sees that we didn't do as he asked, he instructed us to do so again but with a slightly forceful tone. Eye-rolling amusing, we mixed it in the end, but really it tasted exactly the same.
Kingfish sashimi is not something I see often in Hong Kong, so it was a must order for me. Fresh thin slices of kingfish wrapped around bundles of greens. The tart ponzu-like dressing was a perfect match.
Market chips. We didn't originally order these, but spying the gentleman next to us eating them we had a bubble of food envy and pretty soon an order of these came to us too~ A mix of perfectly fried sweet potato and taro chips drizzled with black sugar syrup. Really addictive! And to the Caucasian gentleman on the other side of me making a comment to his dinner partner that we used chopsticks to eat them, yes so what?
Flower crab with uni. This is the signature dish that has people going a bit nuts over. A pile of soft sweet crab meat mixed with a generous amount of creamy uni. As if that combination doesn't sound alluring~
Grilled squid topped with bonito-like flakes. Perfectly tender.
Grilled scallops with butter? Overcooked so they were a bit chewy. I would give these a pass.
By this time, my stomach was feeling a little queasy from the seafood overload so I needed something carby to soothe it. They only had udon on the menu so we ordered that quick smart. It was surprising really good, a little fusion, a mess of al dente udon tossed in a creamy sauce with hints of ume and fish roe. Worth trying.
Tempura shrimp and corn fritters. These reminded me of the tempura corn balls Yardbird has on the menu only with the inclusion of shrimp. A generous portion, heavy, but they tasted good.
And finally like a marathon finally coming to the end, another famed dish, the Kagoshima beef. This is what dreams are made of... if it was made from fatty beef. Thin slices of well-marbled cow topped with shitake mushroom, fried garlic chips and raw egg yolk. So delicate and decadent, but the oiliness of the dish may result in some difficulty in finishing.
A lot of food, not cheap, but ingredients were fresh. Service attentive, a little overly so, but it was appreciated especially when the server knew I was not well he made sure my cup of warm water was refilled constantly. Ambience was not really my style as I think if there were more people it could become quite claustrophobic, but worth trying.
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