Bittenbug’s Weblog

Kenjo’s probably best described as a no-nonsense Japanese restaurant. You’re not going to get fusion food, or anything that’s overly imaginative and innovative. Here, it’s all traditional, and that’s reflected in the slightly dated furnishings, the manner of the chefs and wait staff, and well…the food.

We headed to TST for lunch over the weekend. It’s quite a trek to Minden Ave, but it’s totally worth it. Kenjo’s been called a rivals to Sushi Hiro (my favourite Japanese place), and I agree wholeheartedly. We sat at the sushi bar, in front of who I believe is Chef Kenjo.

8 piece sushi set

I went for the 8 piece sushi set + a roll after reading reviews on openrice. Here, I was treated to the best salmon roe gunkan I’ve had my entire life. One bite and I had gone to heaven. It was so sweet and fresh, so none of that stickness found in lesser sushi. I would go back just for this alone.

I also had uni for the first time in my life and by many accounts the uni here is very good. I’m usually not a fan of really slimy things (I don’t eat raw prawn for this reason), and it was creamy and delicate. I’m not sure I wanna eat it again but it didn’t leave a bad impression.

The other fish were mostly above average. What I do like is the rice, which is firm and has the right balance of vinegar. Also, the wasabi, which I normally am hesitant about, isn’t overpowering. The chawanmushi is also among the best I’ve had so far.

But, there were some misses. I was dissapointed in the salmon. It wasn’t salmon belly, and seemed indistinguishable from the supermarket variety. I probably also had too much expectation of the toro, so when it came and was more veiny than I’m used to.

三井饭

C went for the 三井饭 which had uni, salmon roe and cutterfish on a bed of sushi rice. She literally glowed throughout the meal. According to her, thumbs up from the steamed egg to the main set. She’s normally used to drenching her bento with soy sauce, but didn’t do it this time. That alone speaks volumes. Her salmon roe and uni were every bit as good as mine, and perhaps better when they were mixed together. In one scoopful, you had the crunch of the roe + the creaminess of the uni.

Perhaps the only criticism we could find was that the portion was a little small. C finished it within 15 minutes if memory serves.

Next up was dessert or coffee. I went for the red bean ice cream and C choose lemon. C’s dessert packed a surprise – real lemon peels hidden inside – and she loved it. She must have repeated “this is delicious” up to 10 times while tucking in. And that’s how much she loves it.

C was so hyped up, she wanted to come back the following week. Well, if she gets her way, look out for another review then.

Address: G/F, 30 Minden Ave

Tel: 2369-8307

C has been dropping “hints” that we haven’t hit a burger place in ages, and that was reinforced by the feature on burgers in the latest issue of 饮食男女. So yesterday night we made way to Burgeroom at Causeway Bay.

It’s found on a rather obscure corner of CWB, which explains how we got lost and we went on a minor hike. By the time we got there, we were hot, sweaty, tired and irritated. And we both needed a beer…which we had.

At about 8pm, the place was full and we waited at the bar area. It wasn’t much of a loss given how long the orders took. I won’t gripe about it too much because the food’s good.

Bacon Cheese

After sitting for 20 minutes, my bacon cheese burger came. It’s close to everything you want in a burger. I’ll deconstruct it. First off, the buns were very impressive. I liked how it was coated in sesame seeds which gave a slight nutty aftertaste to each bite. And more importantly, the buns held up very well and didn’t become soggy at all. That’s quite a rare feat.

I thought the patties were above average but not quite perfect yet. I tend to like my burgers juicy and this was a little dry. Perhaps it’s because the patties were overly thick.

It’s really hard to eat all this in one bite and I ain’t gonna try. The whole package comes together very nicely, especially with a slice of juicy tomato at the bottom. It helped balance off the saltiness a bit, but perhaps not quite enough. I polished off the whole thing (which I normally don’t with burgers).

Mushroom Beef

C went for the mushroom beef burger. When it first came, she looked a little dissapointed and said that it didn’t look at good as mine. But one bite, and she retracted that. Hers was less salty, and I thought even better than mine. Her patty was slightly juicier than mine, and I think the crunch of the mushrooms and onions helped balance it as well. I think that’ll be on my plate next time.

She has fallen in love with this place and has proclaimed it the best burger in town. She’s determined to be back next week, and has already ticked off the things she wants to try. Heh, I think I agree.

Address: G/F, 7 Caroline Hill Road (Causeway Bay)

Tel: 2890 9130

I haven’t been updating this blog for a while becuase I’ve been travelling a fair deal (and so not around much to eat).

There’s something I must get off my chest. On Saturday, C and I went to the computer fair, and there were so many ugly incidents of uncivilised behaviour that isjust unfortunate.

We left home at around noon, hoping to be early birds to the computer fair. We got up a cab downstairs but ran into a massive jam right outside Victoria Park. Apparently there was a major accident in Admiralty that caused traffic to back up all the way to North Point. We got off and headed for the MTR station instead, and ran into what seemed like thousands of like-minded people. I’ve never seen Tin Hau MTR quite so packed on a Saturday afternoon, truth be told.

Right as the train pulled into the platform, the people around me pushed their way into the train, blatently ignoring the passengers desperate to get out. Those passengers have right of way, damnit! The most infruiating must have been when an old lady in her 70s or 80s who was trying to exit, and couldn’t “fight” the mad rush in the opposite direction. We could see her trying her best to push her way out, and these middle-aged men and women not caring a least bit. C saw that she was about to fall, and grabbed on to her, making sure she was safely into the station before we got on.

We got to Wanchai in a short bit, and joined thousands of others making the trek to the computer fair. Seeing the crowds, we knew it was going to be a long wait. We essentially queued from Central Plaza, all the way through snaking barricades within the convention center. At one point, we had to take the escalator to the basement parking lot as part of the process.

As we were about to head down towards the escalator, the noticed some people ahead of us shifting the barricades so they could skip past the queues at the parking lot, and because they were so fast, they got away with it. I was incensed. The people ahead of them put in a good half an hour in line, and those behind them (like us) are fully intending to pay our dues. Am I just naive in believing in fair play?

Perhaps this kinds of behavior ruined my day. After the long trek to the computer fair, C and I walked out empty handed.

I usually do elaborate posts on the food I eat at each restaurant, but I’m breaking with tradition here. Last weekend, we took a break from Chinese food and trekked across the harbour to Munch in TST.

What a mistake.

The food was beyond disappointing. My caesar salad starter was passable but the mains were just appaling. I went for duck confit, which was dry and tasteless. Not even drenching it in the sauce managed to save it.

C and Dan both went for the spaghetti with salmon in cream sauce. I didn’t know what the chef was trying to express, because it was just a confused concoction. The flavours didn’t mesh: the salmon too salty, the cream sauce too watery, the zucchini just swimming around looking extremely out of place.

The saving grace is the pleasant service but it isn’t enough to salvage the dismal experience.

I usually don’t name restaurants I don’t like but I’ll make this an exception. It joins the ranks of Cafe Zambra as another eatery I’ll never patronise again.

I admit, I’m a lazy bum. We usually cook at home in the evenings, but we were just too exhausted last night after work, that I suggested we eat around the corner. The excuse was to introduce Dan to more food around the area, but well…

We made our way to 澤田小廚(仔仔小廚) just around the corner. I’ve heard good reviews about the place for innovative home style cooking, but had never popped in before. Having three diners always helps when going to a new restaurant.

咖啡骨

We started off with 咖啡骨 (coffee ribs). I had heard of this dish but had never tried it personally, so we did in the name of adventure. It turned out alright, just a slightly more bitter and sweeter version of honey ribs. The servings, however, was small for the price I must say.

椒鹽雙魷

Next up the 椒鹽雙魷 (salt and pepper deep fried squid). Calamari, chinese style. I’ve always enjoyed this dish elsewhere, and I thought the one here was top notch. It was pipping hot when served and surprisingly not greasy at all. It came with a slightly sourish sauce that went very well together. All of us agreed enthusiastically that it was great.

XO醬炒鮑片時蔬

This dish of XO醬炒鮑片時蔬 (XO sauce with abalone clams and seasonal vegetables) was a disappointment. I hadn’t expected it to be so hot, especially since it’s just XO sauce. We only finished half of the plate because none of us take heat very well. I would’ve appreciated a warning.

黃金雞軟骨

After the coffee ribs were served, C and I decided that it wasn’t going to be enough. So we ordered the 黃金雞軟骨 (golden chicken tendons). This is one of their innovative dishes, I reckon, since this dish is ordinarily only done with prawns. But I must say it was very good. Just the right amout of salted egg coating, which went very well with the crunch of the tendons. I’m quite impressed by how non-greasy this place is.

The bill came up to about HK$250 for three at dinner. It’s probably a little more to pay that I would like, given the smallish portions. Service is good and the restaurant clean, but still, I could get better food somewhere else for that price.

Address: 天后清風街1號, No. 1 Tsing Fung Street, Tin Hau (Causeway Bay)

Tel: 3580 0636

Ten Yoshi is the sister restaurant to Sushi Hiro, my favourite Japanese sushi place. They’re located in the same building, and is one floor down from SH. We went for Saturday lunch as usual, to take advantage of the bargain prices. It has a great reputation as well, so it’s time to try.

We walked in and there was deja vu, it looks 90% similar to SH. But the food wasn’t of the same high standard, at least on the day I was there. Having had a great tempura bowl at Iwanami, I wanted to test out Ten Yoshi’s version.

Mixed tempura bowl

It looked great when it first came, with a slight aroma from sesame oil. But my first bite into a prawn was sorely dissapointing. It was soggy and tasteless. I think soggy tempura is a crime. I understand that unlike normal tempura, they ladle oil onto the tempura rather that have you dunk it into “broth”, but others I’ve had never came soggy. To their credit, a HK$160 bowl came chock full with prawns, fish, and vegetables. I regreted not having gone for the regular style tempura.

Prawn and peppers tempura bowl

C went for a lighter version, hers only had prawns and peppers. She didn’t seem to mind the soggy tempura as much as I did, but she agreed that it wasn’t the best she had had. Hers looks better in pictures too, don’t they?

Perhaps we had overblown expectations of the place and walked out quite dissapointed. I’m prepared to be back a second time. After all, most restaurants deserves a second time, especially one of such caliber.

Dan’s in town to spend the last of his summer holidays with me, and I feel I should bring him around all of Hong Kong’s best eateries. For Sunday lunch, he wanted to Cantonese and so we scoured openrice for tips. Because we wanted to hit the computer center, we decided on somewhere in Wanchai, and the comments led us to 榮興小廚 Wing Hing Restaurant.

And so the three of us braved the blistering heat and made way to the little lane in Wanchai known as Ship Street. You won’t miss the place: we stepped off the cab and saw the billboard screaming out its famous dishes in big letters overhead. We made our way to the second floor, where we saw the sprawling dining hall that was already teeming with people. We took a seat at a quieter corner, away from most of the crowds.

Its interiors are nothing to shout about. It looks like any other slightly run down restaurant that could need a minor uplift: better paintwork, newer chairs and tables and stronger soundproofing. But I wasn’t here for the decor or the view, or I would’ve gone to Victoria City. I was here for the food, and boy, did it satisfy.

鹹魚雞粒炒飯

We ordered four dishes for the three of us. I was mildly surprised that the 鹹魚雞粒炒飯 fried rice with salted fish and chicken cubes came first, within five minutes of our order. I thought it would come last, as is usually the case, but we were hungry. As you can see, the fried rice was a golden yellow, more so than any other I’ve had. C and I suspect it must have been the egg yokes. The wok hei is impeccable and every grain was coated with egg yoke though the rice still had a crunch to it. Personally, I love the pungent smell and taste of salted fish, and I felt that the yokes might have covered it slightly, but C and Dan both loved it.

啫啫唐生菜煲

Next up was the  啫啫唐生菜煲. I was slightly dissapointed when the waiter brought it over becuase the lid was closed, and you didn’t have the theatrics of seeing the billowing steam. And it didn’t help that it didn’t have the pungent smell either. Wing Hing is very generous with its portions, and the vegetables (which appeared very fresh) filled the claypot. There was also plenty of minced pork to go around. Dan thought it was a little salty, but I felt it was just right.

生炒骨

Next we had the 生炒骨 (pork ribs). These are Dan’s favourite and so I ordered it specially for him. After having to eat the disgusting American version, I reckon he would welcome something authentic. And he wasn’t dissapointed. The ribs, though not as meaty as if you ordered sweet and sour pork, were delicious. I love how they managed to keep the batter so crispy without being oily. This is a strong flavoured dish and is usually sour, sweet and sticky and the chefs hit home on all three counts.

葱油雞

But the highlight was really the 蔥油雞 (onion oil chicken). My educated guess is that they deep fry the chicken (like zha ji gai) and then quickly ladel onion-infused oil on it before plating. If you are like me, and love crispy chicken, you’ll love this even more. Firstly, the crispy skin is to die for. It’s crispy (duh) and the hint of oil on it just gives it another dimension. This chicken doesn’t suffer from the problem that many others do: tasteless and tough meat. Here, the onion oil is in every bite, and the meat is succulent. Even though it was half a chicken, the three of us virtually polished it off. Umm…actually, I ate most of it.

The impeccable food aside, it’s also extremely reasonable. For all that food, we paid just HK$250. The restaurant doesn’t add a 10% service charge either, which makes it even more worth it. I told the server that I would be back, and I fully intend to live up to that.