Review | Restaurant review: Okra Hong Kong, Sai Ying Pun – casual Japanese dining with great music
Backstreet izakaya with limited menu and uncomfortable seating does serve some stand-out dishes
Cuisine: modern Japanese izakaya
Price: about HK$335 without drinks or the service charge.
Ambience: it was quiet when we visited on a weeknight and there were empty seats, even at the counter in front of the open kitchen.
Pros: they play a great, eclectic selection of music. The menu, divided into small plates and large plates (called, respectively, A Side and B Side) is short, with 14 dishes plus a few specials.
Cons: two words – backless barstools. They’re so uncomfortable and don’t invite lingering over a meal – which may be the point. Chicken-fried cobia with crystal hot sauce and daikon (HK$258) had great flavour but we thought the meaty, dense fish overcooked and dry. While the roasted unagi (freshwater eel, described on the menu as being served over “crispy sushi rice”, HK$168) was fatty and rich, it would have been better hotter, and the rice wasn’t crisp.