樂宴 (已結業)

Okinawa, a place that mixing the culture of Chinese and Japanese, is quite different from the Honshu as they keen on using the local food ingredient to cook. Bittermelon, pork, sea grape , etc, are those representative ingredient in Okinawa.I haven’t been there before but Okinawa is such a nice place to visit, thanks Rakuen invited us to taste the authentic Okinawan cuisine, we’ve chosen almost 20 dishes including peanut tofu, sea grapes, wagyu and chicken, etc. There are few dishes that most impressed me as it was yum and with a good texture and combination. Peanut Tofu is kind of bean curd liked cold dishes, actually it made of sweet potato flour mixing with the peanut juice, so it is chewy and full of peanut flavor but no soy bean inside. And the Jewel leaf is another unique food ingredient originated from Okinawa, an interesting appearance and texture is really special that you never found in other vegetables.The fried rice with squid ink served with a sunny-side up egg, mixed the egg yolk into the rice, its sticky and chewy, also the seasoning is great for the dish as you know squid ink is tasteless at all actually. I would like to recommend the Okinawa style deep-fried chicken drums, dipped with the Oki salt is the best combo with beer. Last but not least the salt ice cream is milky with a salty after taste, it was really great to have one especially for those who ordered deep-fried food with beer.The Sake bottle are all put on aside and there is a outdoor or indoor area to choose with, the interior design is great but surprisingly the English song was playing, I know here is LKF but I guess playing the Japanese songs would be much better in this place as all the guests included local people, Japanese or foreigners would expect a greater Japanese atmosphere here. Thanks for the invitation and it was really a nice night with my friends. 繼續閱讀

說起沖繩, 記得當年知道妹妹打算去的是這個地方, 宅女的回應就只能套用成X大哥一句: . 皆因陽光與海灘一向不是宅女杯茶, 所以真的擔心去到會好悶. 不過原來體驗過後, 發覺那裡不只景點有趣, 原來美食亦甚多!! 回來後一直念念不忘, 每當得知香港有餐廳做沖繩料理, 就總是蠢蠢欲動的想去試. 正好最近來到這家樂宴, 原來也是提供一系列的沖繩美食, 宅女當然又要衝去試試了.樂宴其實在銅鑼灣都有店, 風評一直都不錯. 這晚來到的是中環店, 地點位處於蘭桂芳那條斜路的商廈內, 地面雖然沒有什麼特別明顯的招牌, 但如果按著GOOGLE MAP走找起來又不算很難. 而這家中環店環境更來得寬敞, 除了一邊是BAR枱跟半梳化卡座之外, 這裡也有一邊是半露天用餐區, 方便吸煙人仕. 只見這晚來的八成都是日本人, 吃起飯來更有風味.未上菜前當然先來一杯啤酒吧雖然宅女是ASAHI粉絲, 不過既然來到吃的是沖繩料理, 當然還是點個當地出品的ORION啤酒喝喝了. 其實總覺得ORION啤入口比較淡身, 不過感覺清爽及易入口的確是事實.海葡萄 (HK$68)要數沖繩料理中最著名的幾種菜色其實不難, 當中這個海葡萄幾乎在沖繩每間餐廳或超市都會找到. 但來到香港就真的難尋, 或是賣價奇高得來又不新鮮. 這裡一碟上來份量竟然十分多而且又大串, 色澤翠綠鮮明, 沒有出現陰沉暗淡的狀態, 當中連著的小顆粒亦粒粒漲卜卜十分飽滿.海葡萄屬海藻類, 所以入口其實味道有點像昆布, 不過質感脆卜卜的吃起來十分過癮, 配上少許豉油或醋味道更突出.自家製花生豆腐 (HK$65)曾在沖繩吃過花生豆腐後瘋狂得在超市買了半打急凍的回港, 甚至到機場最後一刻都仍在掃多幾盒才罷休. 不過這款花生豆腐不是人人喜愛, 宅女就曾經在香港某家沖繩料理店眼看過一對點了這款豆腐的情侶吃了一口就大罵質感太黏太古怪把整碟都放棄. 其實這個花生豆腐質感跟我們平常吃的豆腐完全是兩碼子的事, 內裡加了紅薯粉入口黏稠得來又帶有彈性, 當中亦能吃到陣陣花生的微香. 個人喜歡加點甜醬油來吃, 味道更富層次感.沖繩冰葉 (HK$65)這款冰葉雖然巳經不是第一次吃, 但每一次看到這個冰葉上那一點點的水珠跟翠綠的色澤, 實在非常吸引! 入口冰葉非常薄脆亦帶著鮮甜清爽的感覺, 平時常聽人說菜蔬怎樣新鮮, 但吃過這個冰葉就真的確確實實能吃到那份'鮮'的感覺了!苦瓜炒豬肉 (HK$78)這個算是沖繩的家常菜吧, 簡簡單單的以苦瓜片, 加入蛋, 豆腐和豬肉就能完成. 不過宅女本身不吃苦瓜, 但那時在沖繩竟然天天都有吃, 全因那裡的苦瓜入口甘而不苦. 這裡上來的看似雞蛋少了點, 苦瓜炒得尚算脆口, 不過吃起來是有點苦, 跟在當地吃的有點差距, 但也可以接受. 豬肉炒得軟淋不乾. 整體來說水準普通, 但也不錯吃的.仙台風味厚燒牛舌 (HK$88)要吃串燒就必定要來個厚燒牛舌才是皇道吧! 不過這裡的未算好厚, 但燒得剛剛好, 咬下去有彈性之餘肉質也十分軟棉, 加上點點黑椒粒作伴, 味道當然不錯了! 算是一道驚喜度不大, 但穩打穩紮的菜色. 用來送啤酒實在不錯.墨魚汁炒麵 (HK$82)沖繩炒麵也算是另一道不能缺的主食. 這裡用了墨魚汁來作底, 再加入墨魚和韭菜炒成. 入口麵條未如預期中煙韌, 而且味道亦偏淡一點, 幸好炒出來不算很油, 如果加多一點韭菜會更有口感. 宅女自己覺得這款水準同樣亦只算是普通水準.沖繩AGU豬肉沙律 (HK$88)對於食肉獸來說去沖繩絕對不能不吃石垣牛跟AGU豬, 吃過保證番尋味! 這晚雖然不是即席SHABU SHABU AGU豬, 但也來個沙律過過癮. 把灼熟了的AGU豬肉片混在加有芝麻醬的沙律內冷吃, 入口依然非常柔軟可口, 連著少連肥脂口感豐厚, 加上芝麻醬又不會好膩, 配著沙律菜吃原來亦能擦出火花. 實在是個意想不到的配搭.沖繩和牛串燒 (HK$165)這款比牛舌來得更有份量! 只見那一舊舊非常厚身的和牛粒燒得帶點焦香, 咬開來中間仍是粉嫩多汁, 肉質豐香得來又夠軟棉, 雖然賣價的確不便宜, 但正所謂多吃會壞肚皮, 其實吃上兩舊或頂多一串巳夠非常滿足了.沖繩雪鹽伴香酥炸沖繩雞膇 (HK$88)從來都不能抗拒沖繩的鹽, 這款炸雞膇小小的一枝炸得表面金黃亮麗, 更是油份不多. 本來以為這道菜沒什麼特別, 但其實亮點在於旁邊那一小碟的雪鹽. 把雞膇沾一沾鹽巴 (注意不要沾太多), 小咬一口, 香脆的表面加上微咸的鹽味產生出十分香口惹味的味道, 中間的雞肉就較乾了一點, 如果可以JUICY多一點的話, 這道菜便完美了!感謝店方跟公關之邀令宅女再次回味到沖繩的美食.食物方面某些的確是不錯, 像海葡萄跟花生豆腐巳能到跟在沖繩的九成風味, 而且那個AGU豬沙律更是能開脾胃的回味之作. 但有些就有待改進.不過餐廳環境實在不錯, 佈置也富有沖繩風格, 而且食客不算非常多, 坐起來十分舒適.看到餐牌也有很多其他不同款式的沖繩菜, 例如沖繩腐乳, 沖繩炆豬肉, 厚炸沖繩豆腐等, 下次再來試試!! 繼續閱讀

I visited Okinawa for the first time 2 years ago and when I came back to HK, I missed the food there and searched for Okinawan restaurants, which was how I stumbled upon Rakuen in CWB. I love the food there so I was excited when I received a tasting invitation for their branch in LKF! Located on D'aguilar Street, the restaurant was located in a building right smack in the middle of the pubs and bars area. The decor was similar to the CWB branch in that it looked like a traditional Japanese izakaya with wooden furnitures and bottles of sakes lining the walls. It was bigger and more spacious than the CWB branch. The menu choices were vast from traditional Okinawan cuisine to wagyu beef to fresh sashimi. The menus in LKF and CWB were mostly similar, though I think there were some items that were only available in LKF and vice versa. Thanks to the restaurant, we were given a budget and got to picked whatever we wanted from their menu. Home Made Peanut Flavored Tofu ($65) - this is one of my favorite Okinawan snack! The texture of the tofu was not typical at all as it was more chewy like mochi. It had a strong tofu taste with a hint of peanut flavor, which was enhanced perfectly by the soy sauce. Sea Grapes ($68) - also known as green caviar, sea grapes are another Okinawan specialty. The sea grapes were lovely to eat as each grape burst in my mouth when I munch on them. The accompanying vinegar sauce was great for dipping the sea grapes in to eat. Jewel Leaf ($65) - surprisingly very good! I've never tried this before because I thought it would be a bit bland just to eat leaf so I never order it. Lined with tiny droplets of water on the surface, the leaf was very snappy and crunchy to eat! It tasted very fresh and moist at the same time. Stir Fried Bitter Gourd with Pork ($78) - another must-have Okinawan dish. I must confess that I'm not a big bitter gourd fan at all. The Okinawan bitter gourd tends to be firmer and crisper in texture. While the texture of the gourd was great, I thought it could have used more egg and tofu to balance out the dish. Okinawa Agu Pork Salad ($88) - I thought the pork would be too heavy in taste to work with a salad, but they actually went together pretty well! The pork was thinly sliced which was flavorful to eat. Tossed with Japanese sesame dressing, the entire salad tasted light and appetizing to eat. Snapper Carpaccio ($138) - the sashimi in the CWB branch was always a delight and the same goes for this branch as well. The snapper carpaccio here was very fresh and delicious to eat! Drizzled with a tart lemon sauce, the carpaccio was flavorful and refreshing. Fried Squid Ink Okinawan Noodles ($82) - apparently this is one of the more popular dish, but I could not really taste the squid ink in the noodles. Actually there wasn't much flavor in the noodles at all. Fried Rice with Squid Ink ($82) - the fried rice was much better than the noodles in my opinion. The rice was flavorful and slightly salty, albeit the egg on top was a tad overcooked to mix with the rice.Deep Fried Okinawa Chicken Drums ($88) - they had a whole special menu dedicated to Okinawa chicken at the LKF branch. The chicken drumsticks were deep-fried so they were nice and crunchy to eat! It also came with Okinawa powder salt, which enhanced the flavors as well. Grilled Okinawa Beef ($230) - the beef was very very yummy! Nicely grilled, the beef was soft and tender while the fat just melted in my mouth. Would be even better if the temperature was hotter when it arrived.Okinawa Beef Skewers ($165) - the beef skewers were scrumptious as well as the beef used was just very nice! Again, it was soft, tender, fatty and juicy all at the same time. Okinawa Sea Salt Ice Cream ($40) - the ice cream was alright as the salty flavor was not that strong. I could only taste it as an aftertaste on my tongue. Overall, I think the main classic Okinawa dishes were nicely executed at the same level as the CWB branch. The yakitori have room to improve though as some of the dishes were a bit overseasoned. Their ambiance was also a bit mixed as they were playing Katy Perry and other pop songs which didn't really match the decor. I guess they are trying to cater to the LKF crowd but it's neither here or there now. There was a table full of Japanese men sitting in the booth next to us who were really enjoying themselves. Perhaps they should stick to a more traditional Japanese environment like the CWB branch. 繼續閱讀

the first warning sign: last minute booking available on friday night;second warning sign: lots of empty tables at 8pm;most food we ordered were either salty, thought it was okinawa style to have salty food, or very salty, so much that we had to return an order of wasabi squidbeer was about $60 a bottle, well, we were in lkf afterall so i thought there's no complain.the problem came when we found in the bill an item listed as "open food", which was supposed to be an order of a $55 fried leaf (沖繩冰葉), instead it was a $160 dish.checked with the english speaking waitress, who took our orders including this dish, and she explained to us that the leaf had sea urchin added and so it's pricier. when we disputed about the order, she just smiled and took off.to be honest, if we had in mind that we ordered this more pricier dish, it's only fair for us to pay or beat ourself for not having asked for the price when ordering. but when we placed our order we had simply pointed at the picture of the $55 dish on the separate menu card and never thought she was "mistaking" us for ordering the one with sea urchin, which was not shown on the menu anyway. and we hadn't even noticed or tasted any sea urchin in it thinking back.and since the dish was not listed on the menu, they could have charged us $1,600 or so!my advice is, in case you are there and ordering anything off menu, check the price so that you can avoid running into this "misunderstanding" that we had. we can't help but felt like being cheated. the extra cost is one thing, our friday evening ruined is even more upsetting. 繼續閱讀

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 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 SauceThe 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!  繼續閱讀