Food Journey #19 -- Tonkichi (丼吉日本吉列專門店餐廳)

The infamous and the well acclaimed BEST TONKATSU in Hong Kong -- Tonkichi in World Trade Center in Causeway Bay. My reason for not reviewing this earlier is that (1) this restaurant does not take any reservations which is surreal and (2) it takes at least 90 mins to wait for a f*eaking table. Enough said but the quality of the Tonkatsu is certainly worth the wait. We choose to go on a Sunday and still had to wait 30 mins!!!!

Tonkatsu (Deep Fried Pork cutlet), was invented in the late 19th century and is one of the most popular dishes in Japan consisting of breaded deep fried pork served with shredded cabbage and miso soup. The pork fillet or loin parts are normally used. The breaded layer cannot be too thick and is usually 1 - 2cm thick.

Some of the signature & highlighted dishes which I want to share with my readers:

a) Tonkatsu with Egg & Don -- The Deep Fried Pork Cutlets was PERFECT, not too dense or greasy which is the way I like it. The eggs and seaweed are a perfect pairing with the deep fried pork cutlets and this dish is highly recommended on a Sunday for sure. On the side, it also includes shredded cabbage which you have a choice of a Seaweed Vinegar Sauce or a Yuzu Vinegrette. I highly recommend the Seaweed Vinegar Vingrette as it is so refreshing and delicious with the cabbage. Save your stomach space as the cabbage is a FREE REFILL therefore plenty of veggies for the meal. Go easy on the vinegrette as we finished 4 pots full of Seaweed Vinegar Sauce

b) Mixed Platter of Tonkatsu & Deep Fried Prawns -- Traditional method in eating Tonkatsu is with a Japanese style Worcestershire Sauce which I personally did not find the taste appealing at all therefore plentiful of spicy powder for me. The Deep Friend Prawns & are just normal therefore I do not have much to say as I prefer above Prawns in sashimi format therefore it does not have the same attraction to moi. Again, this platter comes with a bowl of rice (which you can enjoy unlimited refill), plateful of shredded cabbage (unlimited refill) & Miso Soup.

b) Deep Fried Giant Jumbo Prawn (a la carte) -- Now, I was actually quite full after eating Part A and I was distracted by this lovely looking big boy. Imagine a 30cm Deep Fried Jumbo Prawn, can you picture it?? To be honest, the taste was very bland but I purely ordered it because I just wanted to conquer this little beast and it was quite a task in doing due to the size of the jumbo prawn.

Overall, this Sunday lunch was very filling and very high caloried for sure. Taste was superb and especially loved the free refill on the shredded cabbage & rice. I can see why it was worth the 30 min wait and no reservations allowed. Highly recommend this restaurant if you want some good & delicious authentic Tonkatsu!!

Address: 4/f, World Trade Center, 280 Gloucester Road, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong(銅鑼灣告士打道280號世貿中心412室)
Tel: 2577 6617

Food Quality (5* the highest): ****

Price for lunch (5$ = very expensive): $$$

Food Journey #14 -- Ku-Su Ya rakuen (古酒家樂宴)

Out for dinner on Saturday evening to the unknown territories of Deng Long Street in Causeway (street behind Times Square) and the street is a well-known local drinking hot spots full of karaoke bars + traditional Hong Kong Style hawker food. Kusuya Rakuen was highly recommended by our friends and is a traditional Okinawa style Japanese cuisine, thus you can expect plentiful of Japanese snacks, beers & fresh seafood jetted in from Japan on a daily basis.

Dishes definitely did not disappoint but however the portion sizes were quite small therefore do not expect a very filling dinner. Some of the highlights of the meal which I want to share with you all:

a) Orion Beer -- traditional Okinawa brewed beer (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orion_Breweries) which was extremely refreshing in taste but my personal favourite is still Yebisu which you can buy from City Super & Sogo. If you visit this restaurant now, they have a special promotional deal which is $99 for 3 bottles of Orion which is very attractive. If you do visit this place, check out their selection of traditional Okinawa Sake-tinis & cocktails!

**b) Okinawa Style Peanut Tofu -- I had doubts when our friend ordered this Okinawa Style Tofu as I sometime question why people order such dishes when dining out. However, I was wrong!!

This Tofu dish could well be the best Tofu I have ever eaten in my entire life. The texture is similar to a Mozarella and the complement of the Japanese soya was a perfect matching. The texture of the Tofu was so so unique that I have never experienced anything like this. The first bite of the Tofu was full of peanut flavours and it was very fragrant and plus, Tofu is very healthy for one's body & mind therefore we ordered 2 portions of this as it was truly delectable.

c) Sashimi Platter -- A Japanese meal can never be complete without a Sashimi Platter. All the sashimi was extremely fresh and full of fish oil. The wasabi is freshly grinded and very unlike the wasabi paste you get in the conveyor belt Japanese restaurants. The Maguro (Blue Fin Tuna) truly stood out from the rest in the platter. Very refreshing dish & a perfect summer platter for sure.

d) Okinawa Sea Grapes (Umibudou) -- This is a vegetarian must have dish and it is also a very unique dish. Although not from Shizuoka, this Okinawa delicacy regularly appears in supermarkets and in good Japanese restaurants. Although called Sea Grapes (Umibudou) or Green Caviar for their shape, it is a sea-weed variety! It is best to consume this dish raw with soy sauce or rice vinegar mixed with mustard.

e) Japanese Style Fried Chicken -- As I always believe, Japanese style fried chicken is quite possibly the best fried chicken in the world. The batter is not too over oily and the texture of the chicken is simply superb. Pair this with the Japanese style mayonaise with a zip of the Orion Beer, this is the perfect snack for your beer on a hot summer evening.

For the rest of the dishes, I wouldnt go into too much details as I think the above 4 courses simply made my whole evening. The restaurant was packed with Japanese citizens and when you go to a Japanese restaurant full of natives, you are ensured that you are at the right place. Overall experience was very pleasant, food & drinks were all superb. I will definitely return to this restaurant once again for lunch or dinner.

Food Quality (5* the highest): ****

Price (5$ = very expensive): $$$

Address: 12F, Wing Kwong Centre, 28 Tang Lung Street, Causeway Bay 銅鑼灣登龍街28號永光中心12樓

Enquiry No : 3580-8858

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Food Journey #9 - Lunch at Sushi Kuu 壽司喰

Lunch meeting today at Sushi Kuu with Mr Kevin She and I recommended Sushi Kuu for our lunch meeting spot. In my opinion, definitely one of the best lunch hot spots in Central for a quick, delicious and relaxing Japanese cuisine for lunch. Have never eaten at Sushi Kuu for dinner cos Japanese dinners tend to be quite pricey but for lunch, value definitely matches quality!!

We both ordered the Sashimi Cube Rice Set Lunch as I have had this dish every single time I visit this place and it never disappoints. The generous portions, large chunks and juicy texture of the Sashimi goes very well with the Japanese rice with a dash of wasabi & soy sauce. What can I say, perfect lunch and perhaps I should try out other dishes next time. Speaking of my recommended dish, just by looking at the photos, I am hungry once again!!!

Address:: 1/f, The Loop, Wellington Street, Central, Hong Kong (中環威靈頓街2-8號威靈頓廣場1樓)

Tel:: 2971 0180

Food Quality (5* the highest): ****

Price for lunch (5$ = very expensive): $$$

Food Journey #7 -- Ootoya 大戶屋

So, I lied about going to Tonkichi Tonkatsu Seafood via twitter yesterday(http://www.openrice.com/restaurant/sr2.htm?shopid=5182) and instead I ended up at Ootoya opposite Times Square. Reason being is that it was the only restaurant which I didnt have to wait & plus I have always heard a lot of good things about their Blue Fin Tuna Rice Bowl. Restaurant is nicely located on the 3f opposite Times Square with a nice view overlooking Times Square. Dishes we ordered: **1 x Kirin Beer ($15) -- $15 for a beer in a restaurant is very reasonable!! **1 x Fried Mini Oyster (廣島炸蠔) -- very "mini" as specified on menu but taste was very sweet. Too bad the sauce to go with the oyster was a bit revolting! **1 x Set of Fried Chicken with Rice, Soba Noodles -- deep fried chicken is very juicy and not greasy at all and very tender texture. Rice was very chewy, just the way I like it and goes very well with the vinegrette sauce for the lettuce. Soba noodles were very chilled and texture was again to perfection. However, the fried chicken has improvement areas as I rate Tonkichi is still Hong Kong's #1. **1 x Blue Fin Tuna Rice Bowl -- This was a very special bowl of blue fin tuna rice as the tuna was at its best and the texture of the rice did not disappoint. Too bad I drowned the bowl with soya sauce & wasabi but THUMBS UP, definitely worth every single penny!!!! :) 1 x Fried Potato Mash Ball (炸薯餅) -- Not a fan of this dish as after munching on so much carbs, this is the least dish that I will need during the course. Took 1 bite of this and it wasnt too greasy and the taste was decent. But again, I am not the one to judge as I have never been a fan of potatoes. Overall, a very pleasant experience and I will encourage you all to visit this place and share with me your thoughts. Remember to order the Blue Fin Tuna Rice Address: 銅鑼灣羅素街8號3樓 (3/f, No.8 Russell Street, Causeway Bay) Tel: 2573-8333 Food Quality (5* the highest): 3/1/2* Price (5$ = very expensive): $