Plate to Palate | Izakaya in Wan Chai has the friendly touch
It's not the best Japanese food we've tasted, but it's a good, friendly place. The staff were welcoming, and the chefs told us about the special dishes.
Moon Izakaya
2-12 Moon Street, Wan Chai
Tel: 2811 1227
Open: noon-2.30pm, 6pm-10.30pm
Cuisine: Japanese
Price: about HK$510 without drinks or the service charge.
the decor is more modern than other izakaya we've been to — it's brightly lit, with red chairs around the sushi counter.
as with many izakaya, the written menu is just a guideline, and there were several special dishes on offer. The ice plant with fried miniature crabs (taken live from a small tank, HK$88) was a nice way to start a meal; the crabs were skilfully cooked so they were crunchy. Another special, the Japanese conch pan-fried with butter (HK$330), was delicious — the conch meat was tender, while the liver was creamy and rich. Assorted sashimi (HK$530) was a generous selection of eight types of seafood, including uni, red clam, yellow jack, otoro, and botan ebi. Grilled yellowtail neck (HK$118) had well-charred skin and moist meat. Cod roe inaniwa udon (HK$88) was a heaping helping of tender pasta with a slightly spicy sauce from the plentiful amount of mentaiko. The chopped fatty tuna and negi rice bowl (HK$138) was a satisfying end to the dinner.
it's not the best Japanese food we've tasted, but it's a good, friendly place. The staff were welcoming, and the chefs told us about the special dishes.