Hong Kong - Hayashi

Hokkaido hairy crab salad 

Shirako (cod milt) sautéed with herbs and butter

Hamburg in red wine sauce

Deep fried Hokkaido oysters

Sakura shrimp clay pot rice

Review: Simple Japanese cuisine using fresh ingredients and cooked with care - This quiet Japanese restaurant is situated in Macau Yat Yeun Centre in near SOGO in Causeway Bay, which houses a lot of other Japanese restaurants. The a la carte menu offers a large variation of Japanese dishes, from sushi to yakitori to shabu shabu. There are also special seasonal items and two choices of omakase. We opted for the a la carte. We began our meal with a mixed green salad topped with chunks of sweet Japanese hairy crab and tossed in a light citrusy dressing. The shirako was creamy, almost custard-like, and had a delicious butter and herb crust. My bf thought it was some sort of tofu thing and he quite liked it until I told him what it was. Naturally, he refused to take another bite. More for me then! We also liked the deep fried Hokkaido oysters, which had a light and crispy batter. The oysters were sweet and briny. Bf liked the hamburg the most. It’s pretty much a ground beef patty that had soaked up all the intense and flavourful red wine sauce. We ended the meal with a healthy portion of clay pot rice topped with sakura shrimp and fresh edamame. The rice was light and fluffy, and the crunchy edamame contrasted well with the sweet umami sakura shrimp.

I recommend: Hamburg in red wine sauce, Deep fried Hokkaido oysters, Shirako in herbs and butter 

Hayashi
Address: 21/F Macau Yat Yuen Centre, 525 Hennessy Road, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong
Phone: 2836-3800
Hours: Mon-Sat 12pm-1pm, 6pm-11pm


                                

Hong Kong - Kaya Korean Restaurant

Double-size Marinated Beef Short Ribs

 Spring Onion Salad (came with the short ribs)

Ox Tongue

Marinated Chicken

Cucumber Soju

Seafood and Spring Onion Pancake

Sliced Pork with Lettuce Wrap

Pan-fried Rice Cake in Spicy Sauce

Beef and Homemade Noodles Hot Pot

Review: Kaya’s new location is in Midtown Plaza II, half a block away from its original location. The decor remains similar – bright lights, wooden furniture and sizzling grills. The new location is undoubtedly more spacious and comfortable though. The marinated short ribs were delicious. The sweet soy marinade was spot on and the meat was juicy and tender. I loved the short ribs wrapped in lettuce leaves and smothered with gojuchang spicy bean paste and raw garlic. I had to brush my teeth extra hard and use a lot of mouthwash that night, but it was worth it! I usually stick to beef at Korean BBQ, but my brother ordered the marinated chicken and it turned out to be delicious and flavourful. Definitely a great alternative to beef. I also enjoyed the beef and noodle hot pot. The bowl of warm peppery broth with chewy noodles and sliced beef was the perfect ending to the meal. For drinks, I liked their cucumber soju. It was light and refreshing yet strong enough to give you a buzz. The service was spotty at times. We ordered lettuce for our beef and had to remind them three times before it finally arrived. That aside, Kaya serves decent Korean BBQ in a comfortable setting, and I look forward to my next visit.

I recommend: Marinated Beef Short Ribs, Marinated Chicken, Beef and Homemade Noodles Hot Pot

Kaya Korean Restaurant
Address: 9/F Midtown Soundwill Plaza II, 1 Tang Lung Street, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong
Phone: 2838-9550
Hours: Mon-Sun 11:30am-3pm, 5:30pm-11:30pm

Hong Kong - Yakiniku Futago

Futago is a yakiniku (Japanese grilled meat) chain from Osaka, Japan. It was opened by twins in 2010, hence the name "Futago", which means twins in Japanese. According to their Facebook page, their concept is to provide "selected fresh beef at half price and half volume, so you can enjoy many kinds of meat". I first learnt about this restaurant from Dre’s mouthwatering Instagram feed (follow her @ledre). She has been more than once and has raved about it. Laubaby, twins Big and Small (haha twins at "twins"! Me so funny) and I made reservations for 7:30pm and we arrived on the dot. We were seated about 10 minutes later at a table near the automatic sliding door, but before we ordered they switched us to a table further inside the restaurant. That was a nice gesture as it was too warm to sit near the entrance with the door opening and closing constantly. Each table had its own little gas grill and a powerful smoke suction device. 

Salted Sesame Cabbage Salad (芝麻鹽醬椰菜）

Thick Prime Beef Tongue (厚切特上牛舌）

Roasted Beef Sushi (火焰牛壽司)

Special: Roasted Wagyu Beef Sushi (火焰和牛壽司)

Can't remember what this cut of meat was, but it was delicious!

They add garlic, wasabi and grated daikon for extra flavour.

Hamideru Karubi (大得驚人牛小排）

They divide this huge slice of beef into 3 different cuts, to be enjoyed separately.

Wagyu Prime Karubi (汁燒黑毛和牛肋骨）

Korean Style Karubi (韓式汁牛肋肉）

Beef with Sea Urchin (海膽牛肉) - watch the clip below to see how this dish was made

Verdict: We loved it. We had to order some of the dishes twice (beef tongue, wagyu karubi)! Great to go with friends who have big appetites! Most of the beef dishes were flavourful enough and didn't need the dipping sauce provided. I can't wait to go again. Futago not only offers delicious food at reasonable prices, but also friendly service and a fun environment. I liked how we were able to cook our own food but also sit back and relax while our server cooked the specialty dishes. FYI you receive a stamp for each visit, and when you get 10, you receive your very own gold tongs for use at Futago.

Yakiniku Futago HK
Address: Shop B, G/F, 1-5 Irving Street, Hong Kong
Phone: 2898 7707
Website: http://www.yakiniku-futago.com/ or go to their Facebook page for an online English/Chinese menu

Hong Kong - Manzo Italian Steak House

I had dinner with 3 of my classmates one weeknight, and I suggested we try Jamie's Italian. I told them it would probably be an hour wait only if we went at 6:30pm. I was so confident we could get a table if we went "early" that I didn't make any back-up reservations. We arrived at Midtown Plaza 2 in Causeway Bay at 6:25pm and there was already a queue (apparently people starting lining up at 5:30pm). And it wasn't even the queue for a table. It was the queue to get a ticket to queue for a table! We were told by the dude giving out tickets that it would probably be a 3 hour wait in total. I love Jamie but it seemed excessive to wait that long, especially since he wasn't even physically there. Guess I will go when the hype has died down a bit. We went up to three other restaurants in the same building but there were no more walk-in seats available anywhere. Defeated, we headed to Times Square. Fiona suggested Manzo. We arrived before 7 pm and were the first ones there. The decor was casual, with wood furniture and white walls. I had never eaten at Manzo before, so I did a quick search online and found that it is part of the Dining Concepts group (of Bistecca, Lupa, Bombay Dreams and the anticipated Bread Street by Gordon Ramsey). 

Cold Cut Platter ($198 for 3 kinds): We picked (L-R) Bresaola Air Cured Beef, Speck Smoked Proscuitto and Finocchiona Fennel Salami. My favourite was the salami, which had the perfect balance between fat and meat, and a delightful hint of fennel. The bresaola was a bit on the chewy side and the prosciutto lacked in pork flavour. The portion size was reasonable.

 

Grilled Thick Cut Bacon with Salsa Verde ($108): The bacon was sizzling hot when it arrived. The salsa verde (green sauce which includes parsley, garlic, vinegar, olive oil) was tangy and refreshing, which was nice against the fatty caramelised bacon. Interesting combination overall.

Spaghetti with Sauteed Shrimps and Green Peas ($188): I liked how the pasta was served in a cute pan. It made it easy to share the dish. The spaghetti was al dente and tossed in a lemon-garlic-butter sauce. The shrimps were sweet and the frisee kept the dish light and fresh with its bitter notes. We all enjoyed this dish.

Bucatini with Crab Meat, Spicy Tomato sauce and Basil ($198): This was not as good as the previous pasta. There was too much pasta and not enough sauce, therefore the dish was under-seasoned. The tomato sauce wasn't spicy, nor did I taste the crab meat. However, I liked how the basil brightened up the dish.

"Guanciale" Braised Beef Cheek in Red Wine with Stewed Vegetables ($228): I should've taken a better photo of the beef! It was so tender that you could eat it even if you had no teeth. The beef soaked up all the robust flavours of the red wine and vegetables. There were hints of rosemary and black peppercorn. The vegetables were soft and added sweetness to the dish.

Tiramisu Cake with Almond Gelato ($68): Hong Kong style tiramisu made without the strong coffee liquor (or maybe there was liquor but I didn't taste any) paired with almond gelato. The cake was alright, but could've been more moist. The gelato was creamy and rich, but I didn’t think it paired well with the tiramisu. Lemon Meringue with Honey Gelato ($68): Yum! This was delicious. The pie had just the right balance of sweetness and tartness. The lemon curd was silky smooth and the crust was buttery. It could've been more crisp though. I liked the generous helping of meringue on top and the sweet honey drizzle. The honey gelato went well with the lemon, but in my opinion the pie was fine on its own.

Verdict: Decent and hearty dishes. The meat dishes were definitely better than the pasta dishes. In hindsight, I should've tried their steak given that it was a "steak house".

Manzo Italian Steak House
Address: Shop 1104, 11/F, Times Square, 1 Matheson St, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong
Phone: 2735-3980
Website: http://www.diningconcepts.com/manzo/index.php

Hong Kong - The Penthouse by Harlan Goldstein

It has been a very eventful week for an unemployed person like me. I attended a friend's beautiful wedding, went hiking, and made a few dishes for my blog. Before I tell you about this amazing dinner I had, I want to let you know that I've moved some food-related posts from my old blog to this one. Here are the links!

Reviews:

Vancouver: Burgoo, Rodney's Oyster House

Los Angeles: Apple Pan, Umami Burger

Recipe: Cheesecake Stuffed Strawberries with Crushed Macarons

They are restaurant reviews and recipes from when I was living in Vancouver. Enjoy!

Now back to the dinner I had over the weekend. Friday night was date night, so naturally, I got to pick where we would be having dinner. Midtown Plaza II opened recently across Times Square in Hong Kong, housing many new restaurants and office spaces. Harlan Goldstein's two new restaurants Sushi To and Penthouse by HG were situated on the top 2 floors of the building. Jamie's Italian will be opening soon in the same building. I've heard great things about Penthouse, so I called to make a reservation 4 days ahead and was told that only the 9:30pm slot was available. We arrived at 8:45pm hoping to grab drinks at the bar and were pleasantly surprised to find out that our table was ready. The first thing I noticed was the gorgeous view of Victoria Harbour and the high-rise buildings with neon-lights across the water. Nothing beats the Hong Kong skyline at night. The restaurant was mainly bathed in dark colors but had spots of light directly over the area of the place mats on your table. It was as if they designed it on purpose so we could take well-lit photos of our food! Everything was delicious. The one thing I didn't like was how the servers seemed to be were rushing us. They whisked away my dish right after I had put the last bite into my mouth. I wasn't even done chewing. After we were done with our main courses, our server took away our dishes and immediately put the dessert menu on the table without saying a word. Other than that, I had an enjoyable time at Penthouse.

Bread and pesto: I have mentioned how much I liked the pesto at Harlan's other restaurant Gold before, and this was no different. Fresh and tangy. Scooped up all of it with the warm crusty bread.

Grilled Italian Baby Squid with Chorizo, Haricot Beans & Saffron Aioli: The buttery grilled squid was cooked to perfection. The red sauce reminded me of a Mediterranean stew with the beans and chorizo. It was sweet, a bit tangy, and slightly spicy. The delicious aioli brightened up the hearty dish. Wish they gave us more aioli!

Spanish Red Prawn Spaghetti In My Secret Sauce: This was my favorite dish of the night. The fragrant umami sauce came from using a copious amount of toasted Sakura shrimp, which was a nice refreshing take on the red prawn pasta that is common nowadays on the menu of Hong Kong restaurants. The two huge prawns on top of the homemade al dente spaghetti were cooked just right and the juices from the heads blended perfectly into the sauce. The sauce was slightly spicy and the flavour lingered. It went really well with our wine. I liked how the ratio of sauce and patio was very balanced. The sauce coated every strand of pasta and it was almost like a lo mein (Chinese noodles stirred with a sauce).

Spanish Duroc Pork Ribs Bomba Rice with Chorizo and Piquillo Peppers: This was delicious. Each grain of Bomba rice had absorbed all the beautiful flavors of the broth (I think there was saffron and pimenton in it). The pork ribs had a nice caramelised crust and the meat was falling off the bone. However there was a thick layer of fat under the crust which was just a mouthful of oil. Loved how the fragrant chorizo and piquillo peppers seasoned the dish with their strong distinct taste. I also liked the crunch from the green beans and the crispy rice on the bottom of the dish.

Tater Tots with Blue Cheese Dip: I love tater tots. Ate them all the time growing up. These tots were perfectly fried and not greasy at all. The blue cheese was mild but didn't taste like the gloopy kind from a bottle. There were at least 25 tots per portion and sadly we couldn't eat them all. If you are going with a group, please order these! You will not be disappointed. I also dipped them in the aioli that came with the bomba rice. Delicious.

Verdict: Very pleased with the food. Looking forward to my next visit to try their mac & cheese and steak!

The Penthouse by Harlan Goldstein
Address: 30/F, Midtown, 1 Tang Lung Street, Causeway Bay
Phone: 2970 0828
Website: www.penthouse-dining.com