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2022-05-23
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This area of Tseung Kwan O has bloomed recently with many interesting eateries. One place is 緻 (English name: Kushiyaki House & Bar). It's one of a number of other Japanese restaurants in the area but this one is more of an izakaya. It seemed quite busy on a weekday evening so we decided to give it a try.The place isn't very big with a typical Japanese decor but there is a balcony area that you can sit there as well if you want a view of the waterfront area.Menu is in English and Chinese though
The place isn't very big with a typical Japanese decor but there is a balcony area that you can sit there as well if you want a view of the waterfront area.Menu is in English and Chinese though they have daily specials on a separate paper and on the blackboard that is in Chinese only. They offer dinner sets if you want something more of a meal.
But what caught our eye was this: a selection of yakitori for a set price. This was a lot of value than ordering yakitori a la carte. We decided to get the 9 yakitori selection for $388 which includes 5 random chicken, 2 beef and 2 pork. It was omakase style and then order a few more items with drinks.
It was interesting they used different seasonings for the different cuts instead of the usual salt and pepper. The seasonings matched well with the meat.For the pork, we were given the Canada Pork Toro with Plum Sauce and Japanese Pork Belly with Yuzu Kosho. The pork toro was extremely juicy and I loved they paired it with a plum sauce as the sour notes were much like adding applesauce to pork chops. The Japanese pork belly was fat and literally melted in your mouth.
For the chicken we had a selection of five. The Neck with Cumin Pepper, Cartilage with Smoked Salt and Hatsumoto with Shichimi and Spring Onion. I honestly had no idea a chicken neck can have this much meat but it was cooked perfectly as it was still tender. The cartilage had that nice crunch and th addition of the smoked salt gave it that bit of umami. But I loved the hatsumoto which is the connective blood vessel leading to the heart. This was wonderful, had that bit of chewy texture that I love about offals.
The other two chicken parts were the Thigh with Chinese Herb and Spring Onion and Breast with Smoked Sea Salt and Wasabi. Nicely seasoned and not over cooked. The breast was still moist and tender.
The two beef yakitori was Beef Tongue Thick Cut with Shio Kouji and Scallion, US Beef Sirloin with Tare and Sesame. The beef tongue was thick and tender. I loved the salty sweet shio kouji they added as seasoning. The sirloin was well seasoned and cooked to a medium rare.
As it wasn't enough skewers, we added a few more items.The was on their daily specials: Hoikkaido Scallop with Spring Onions and Sauce ($58). The scallops were not over cooked. A nice sweet sauce was glazed on top.
The Dried Mirin Fish ($68) was another item on their blackboard of daily specials. The fish was sweet nd crisp with a nice chew. The dipping sauce was mayo wth shimichi and there was more than enough for this plate of fish.
We had to order the tsukune or Minced Chicken but they seasoned it with Plum Sauce and Shiso ($48) instead of the usual raw egg for dipping. Though a bit different, I did like their take on it as it made it seem more fresh from the sour plum sauce and wonderful shiso leaf that you wrap the meat in. The mince chicken had soft bones mixed in for that crunchiness.
We finished with dessert as they seemed to have a number of interesting items. This is the Rice Cakes with Mixed Berries and Yuzu Sorbet ($62). The rice cakes were deep fried so it was warm and chewy. I loved it! It complimented well with the refreshing yuzu sorbet. The mixed berries was actually strawberries. I guess they use whatever is in season.
Delicious izakaya food in a relaxing space. Definitely order the sets as it is a better value and then add on if you want more. A good place to chat among friends with a beer and yakitori.
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