Archive for category Review

Ginza, Japan, Japanese, Masakazu Ishibashi, Omakase, Sashimi, Sushi, Sushi Ichi, Tokyo

Review – Roppongi Robataya, Tokyo

Posted by birdie in Asia, Food, Review on September 16, 2011

Hey this might be a touristy place, but the atmosphere was really great. All the staff speak pretty good English, so ordering was not a problem. Even if you’re lost in translation, you can just point at what you want grilled as everything was spread out in front of you. We arrived early (around 7:00pm) so there was just one party apart from us. But the later it got, more people arrived and the atmosphere became ecstatic. Towards the end of our dinner, there was a “Changing of the Chefs” ceremony where everyone joined in the shouting and synchronized clapping of hands.

The food was great and cooked right in front of you – teppanyaki style. There was a water tank where we picked fresh shrimp and abalone. Really nice. The Kobe beef melted in our mouths and surprisingly the garlic and ginko were excellent.

I’d suggest to go a bit later, around 8, to experience the atmosphere to its fullest. You can walk around Tokyo Midtown, which is right next door.

– 16.5/20

Roppongi Robataya
1/F Kyowa Building Nishikan
4-4-3 Roppongi Minato-ku
Tokyo, Japan
T: +81 (3) 3408 9674
W: www.roppongi-robataya.com/english

110916 Roppongi Robataya - Logo typography

110916 Roppongi Robataya - Chef picks ingredients

110916 Roppongi Robataya - Live seafood

Japanese, Robatayaki, Roppongi, Tokyo

Review – Yardbird, Hong Kong

Posted by birdie in Asia, Food, Review on September 13, 2011

The buzz around town recently has been the opening of this place called Yardbird tucked in a small street off Hollywood Road (behind The Press Room). The chef, Matt Abergel, previously at Zuma Hong Kong takes chicken to a new level. Although we were never huge fans of Zuma, we must say this was impressive. Their specialty is chicken and you can get yakitori with just about any part of the bird that you can imagine. They claim that their birds are fresh from the market every day.

When we tried to book a table, they said that apart from being closed on Sundays, they don’t take reservations. Seems like there are more and more places adopting this in Hong Kong. IMO, I’m not sure that it works here. People are impatient and this favors the patrons either living or working nearby. Nevertheless, we went early and managed to grab a seat downstairs next to the open kitchen. Our whole party had to be present before they could give us a table, so our friend had to wait at the bar on the ground level. The decor was neat and simple, but maybe because of the loft-like high ceilings, everyone’s conversation bounced off the walls left right and center. We almost had to shout to hear ourselves. Maybe we’re just getting old.

Yakitori notables were the Thigh (HK$38/US$4.87), which was very tender; the Oyster (HK$42/US$5.38) – the hip joint, named for its resemblance to an oyster and the Knee (HK$38/US$4.87), the soft bone. But the highlight were the Meatballs (HK$42/US$5.38), which were juicy, soft and tender. It went extremely well with the sweet soy sauce mixed with a delicious raw egg yolk.

Some non-chicken items were also very good. The Sweet Corn Tempura (HK$85/US$10.90) was excellent. Even better than Inagiku. Each individual kernel was crispy and sweet. Yummy. Another interesting dish was called KFC (HK$75/US$9.62), and from a restaurant specializing in chicken, you would think the obvious. But it’s actually Korean fried cauliflower with a hint of kimchi but not too spicy. To get your fiber, the Yardbird Caesar (HK$90/US$11.54) was very unique. An oriental twist to the Caesar salad, with deep fried anchovies and miso sauce.

Although stuffed, we still couldn’t resist the fragrant Chicken and Egg Rice (HK$128/US$16.41) with crispy skin and peas. And of course there’s dessert…Peanut Butter Ice Cream (HK$40/US$5.13), not really our cup of tea though. It’s kind of like foie gras ice cream, you either love it or hate it.

Overall, Matt has done a great job and we would certainly be back for more. There are still parts of the chicken that we haven’t tried yet.

– 18/20

Yardbird
33-35 Bridges St.
Sheung Wan, Hong Kong
T: +852 2547 9273
E: info@yardbirdrestaurant.com
W: www.yardbirdrestaurant.com
Hours: 6pm till late | closed on Sundays

110913 Yardbird - Main entrance

110913 Yardbird - Table setting

110913 Yardbird - Matt Abergel

Japanese, Matt Abergel, Yakitori, Yardbird

Review – Ms B’s CAKERY, Hong Kong

Posted by birdie in Asia, Food, Review on July 1, 2011

Following the success of SEVVA, Bonnie Gokson recently opened Ms B’s CAKERY and their Crêpe Suzette Cake immediately caught our attention. Ordering was a bit cumbersome as we had to download a form and fax it back to them. However, their staff followed up first thing in the morning and ensured that the order was received. An online form would have been a better user experience.

We picked up our order at the prescribed time and the packaging was very chic as expected. Seemed like something you would walk out with from a boutique. The multi-layered cake was very nice, not too sweet and certainly had all the flavors of a Crêpe Suzette. The candied orange rind that topped the cake also added some zest if needed.

Now to explore the other goodies on their site…

– 18/20

Ms B’s CAKERY
39 Gough Street
Central, Hong Kong
T: +852 2815 8303
E: info@msbscakery.hk
W: www.msbscakery.hk
~~CLOSED ON SUNDAYS~~ From 2nd Oct 2011, open all day Sundays.

110701 Ms B's CAKERY - Chic packaging

110701 Ms B's CAKERY - Crêpe Suzette Cake

Bonnie Gokson, Cake, Dessert, Hong Kong, Review

Review – Fa Zu Jie (法租界), Hong Kong

Posted by birdie in Asia, Food, Review, Wine on April 20, 2011

This must be the most obscure building in town. C, having worked in the Lan Kwai Fong (Hong Kong) area for more than 13 years had no idea this place existed. Even if you did know, the dark alley off the beaten track might make you think twice. But, as their owners insist, the surprise when you reach the restaurant is very rewarding. And we agree. Click here for a link to Google Maps to see their exact location.

Opened for just three months, the chef, Paul, was from an advertising background but loved cooking from a very young age. He aims to introduce French methods (his training) with traditional Shanghainese ingredients (his heritage). The other partners, Joe (also in advertising), contributed to the design elements of the restaurant and Chris, an ex-banker, served as the maître d.

Entering the establishment will wow you in its simple and clean design. A huge contrast to the dark alley entrance to the old building. With a maximum capacity of only 26, there are three tables in the main dining area that surrounds the centerpiece of the restaurant – the open kitchen. This gave Paul the opportunity to interact with us between courses, a nice personal touch. At the back, the owners enclosed the back courtyard area with a glass roof to provide a larger more private dining area. An adjacent outdoor area is a great place to lounge out before or after dinner. After touring the restaurant, we were given some old books… What??? To read??? Actually, the fixed menu (HK$538/US$69 per person, minimum of four) was hidden inside each book. A very unique presentation until they found out that they have to change the menu every month! The name for each dish was also very creative, often having left us to guess what we were to have next.

Our first course started with “Spring. Snow. Dutch Yellow.”, which translates to bamboo shoots with Hollandaise sauce and deep fried capers. The bamboo shoots were very soft and it felt like eating asparagus…very nice. The next course, “Treasure. Hundreds of them.” had nine ingredients finely chopped and arranged on top of a braised carrot. The fun was to guess all the nine ingredients for a round of Coke on the house. Unfortunately we couldn’t get the last two…Now we won’t give it away so don’t expect us to disclose it here. “Miss Quail. Mr. Sanuki. Wax Apple. Woflberry. All are Half Drunk.” was like drunken chicken, except that the larger quail from Australia was used instead. Cooked with eight year old aged Hua Diao rice wine (花雕) and served cold on a bed of Japanese Sanuki udon. Very good. The quail was cooked just right, keeping it juicy and very tender. The udon was nice and chewy, just how we like it. All half drunk as the menu described “North Atlantic Wild Scallop. Melting Ma Lan Tao. Shrimp Roe Oil.” was one of the easier to decipher items on the menu. The plump juicy scallops sat on a bed of mashed potatoes mixed with Kalimeris (ma lan tao/馬蘭頭)…a nice combination. “Diana Spicy Slow-cooked Beef. Wonton.” was also very tender. Diana is a friend of Paul’s and making subtle tweaks to her original recipe was a great success. The wontons were stuffed with pumpkin and onions to complement the pungent sauce.

We bought a bottle of 2000 Pichon Baron as they do not charge for corkage. However, they do offer a small selection of French biodynamic wines which are reasonably priced. The dinner concluded with a “Panna Cotta. Oriental Touch.” and for HK$50/US$6.40 extra, we tried their siphoned coffee to round off the evening.

We will be back to see how their creative minds tempt our taste buds with the new menu next month. And bring your cash as they do not take credit cards yet.

– 17.5/20

Fa Zu Jie (法租界)
1st Floor, 20A D’Aguilar Street
Central, Hong Kong
View location in Google Maps
T: +852 3487 1715
CASH ONLY

110420 Fa Zu Jie (法租界) - Entrance off D'Aguilar St.

110420 Fa Zu Jie (法租界) - Go through a dark alley

110420 Fa Zu Jie (法租界) - Walk up to the 1st floor

Fa Zu Jie, French, Hong Kong, Lan Kwai Fong, Restaurant, Review, Shanghainese, 法租界