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2019-10-12
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Summary: Intricate and unusual fusion Japanese food, which while interesting, isn't quite rewarding enough for the money or effort (on their part). Quirky pricing up and down the menu, but a cool dining experience that's probably worth trying. It might be awhile before i'm back though.We've passed Okra countless times, walking up that funny little incline on Queens road towards Sai Ying Pun, and always wondered if it would be the last time i saw it open. It's a bit expensive, a bit small, a bit
We've passed Okra countless times, walking up that funny little incline on Queens road towards Sai Ying Pun, and always wondered if it would be the last time i saw it open. It's a bit expensive, a bit small, a bit out of the way and a bit under the radar. How does it survive? (Turns out they're doing pretty well). Also, i was always a little put off by this line on their website; " We do not serve any Japanese themed dishes. All of our sakes and beverages are chosen because they go well with the strong flavors of our food and for no other reason. All of our menu items are signature and all are not." Super eye roll-y stuff, and the part about non-Japanese themed dishes is bizarre when most of the food is obviously Japanese-themed. It always reeked of pretension, as in, "we've elevated Japanese food to something beyond what you could ever consider Japanese ". I forgot to ask them why they include this ridiculous line, but anyway...
It's a tiny restaurant that can fit maybe 10-15, and they apparently have an omakase sushi bar upstairs, which i didn't even realize when i was there. We sat at the bar so i could see them preparing the food, and to get a better look at their range of sakes. The service is excellent - very knowledgeable about the menu and the various techniques involved (and there are many).Here's the menu
See what i mean about "Japanese-themed"?Drinks menu
Weirdly expensive though a nice selection. I've never seen such a small draft beer - must be like 150ml (and it was HKD 60+), so go for the bottles of Coedo for 88. We also tried the "Clean Reverb" sake which was deliciously dry and savory.On to the food:
YUBA AND KARASUMI FETTUCCINE
I love fu pei/yuba, and this was a good light dish to start the meal. I would have expected the house-cured karasumi to be a bit stronger, and its typically sharp, cured flavor doesn't come through distinctively. I enjoyed the texture of the yuba noodles though, and the garlic chips were a nice touch.DRY AGED POMPANO SASHIMI
White fish like flounder (hirame) or sea bream (tai) are my favorite type of sashimi, either sliced thinly and eaten with ponzu, or thicker like this dish. I love their firm bite, as well as the subtle umami that comes through as you chew them. It's a more satisfying experience compared to fattier fish sashimi i think. White fish benefits a lot from dry-aging, as they can be too mild when eaten fresh. The pompano (koban-aji) here, which i've never tried before, might have used more aging, as the flavor remained very gentle. The inclusion of some pickled peppers was a great complement though, and gives the dish some real punch. I did enjoy it, but keep in mind it might be too light for people used to stronger/heavier sashimi flavorsNIGARI SAI FARMHOUSE TOFU
Extremely firm, dense tofu served with tomatoes and a chinese-feeling black bean sauce. it was a bit bland for me, and i'm not sure how the various ingredients work together (they're all mild and watery, apart from the bits of black bean). Tofu lovers might enjoy this though.UNAKYU FOIE GRAS
Roasted eel, foie gras, and pickled cucumbers should speak for itself. An atypical combination that really works, with the cucumber doing a lot to balance the heaviness of the other ingredients. Not sure it's worth the 180 hkd price for this portion, but for foie gras lovers, it's probably a must-try.14 DAYS DRY AGED OX TONGUE
This was appropriately tender and beefy, but i prefer ox tongue to be a bit crunchier on the outside, otherwise it's quite boring texturally; just one soft chewy mass. Was still not bad.EL POLLO LOCO FRIED CHICKEN SAMICH - (Boneless) Whole marinated thigh & leg on Okinawan purple sweet potato toast with fresh cabbage & Crystal sauce
I have no idea what crystal sauce is but this was my favorite dish of the night. Perfectly fried, juicy chicken, generously portioned onto slightly-sweet sweet potato toast, garnished with a cool cabbage slaw, with a mild hot sauce to round it off.. This was fabulously delicious, and a must-order if you like fried chicken or life.SIGNATURE ROASTED FISH HEAD
Sad to end the meal with this dish (which took forever to come!); i'm not sure how this could ever be considered their signature dish. I love fish head for those those melt-in-your-mouth bites in the cheek and the nooks on the neck. Unfortunately, here the entire fish head was overcooked - incredibly dry and chewy, and digging out meat to eat was time-consuming and unrewarding. Even if it was roasted appropriately, the sauce it's basted in is far too sweet and jammy, so we didn't even enjoy the pieces we managed to pry off and eat. Not sure how this could dish could ever work. That said, at least the stir-fried vegetables the fish was resting on were well-cooked, and we finished those happily.Overall, Okra is unique and the chefs obviously put a lot of effort into innovating non-Japanese dishes. Depending on what you order, the price of a meal at Okra can vary quite a lot; we paid about 1,300 for the two of us with 1-2 drinks each and the tons of food you see above, though we did avoid the very expensive items. There are bargains to be had - the chicken sandwich is value at 148 i think, but the fish head is insane at 190. Drinks are also unreasonably pricey. and if you're going to be continuously drinking throughout the meal, expect to pay 200-300 p.p. for 2-3 drinks or to split a bottle of sake.
I really liked the ideas on the menu - many of the dishes on offer are intricately conceived. However, apart from my favorite chicken sandwich and maybe the unagi-foie gras, they don't deliver the knockout punch you'd expect from combining such varied and tasty ingredients. If i had to describe the food at Okra, i'd say it was inoffensive and interesting rather than delicious and memorable, and good god, don't mention that fish head. As such, while I couldn't possibly give Okra a bad rating, at these prices it doesn't deserve a good rating either. OK seems fair, with a disclaimer that it's certainly worth trying at least once.
张贴
