For freshness' sake

DO not let the gargoyles hanging off the seedy nightclub wall next door bother you. Or the ominous Venus Lounge directly opposite.

Kenjo, situated at the end of one of Tsim Sha Tsui's less salubrious backstreets, is a cheerful sanctuary from the grit and grime. It is also a place where you can sate your appetite or share sake with some of Hong Kong's disappearing Japanese salarymen.

If none of the restaurant's 17 sakes tickles your fancy there are the regular menu offerings, including sushi, sashimi, tempura and noodles (both the steaming kind in broth and cold variety on bamboo mats). But the latter is probably all that those short on cash can afford.

To test the freshness of the food, my companions selected the sashimi and tempura sets. I chose the seaweed salad, natto (fermented soybean) and ume-shiso makizushi (rolled sushi containing sour plum and garnished with beefsteak leaf), taking advantage of the fact that we were not dining in one of Hong Kong's many conveyor belt-style Japanese eateries, where it would be difficult to find these ingredients.

Not that Kenjo is an aesthetic masterpiece, however. But with five tables and a counter, blond wood furnishings and paper-slatted windows, at least it is homey.

My dinner was the first to arrive. The sashimi was quick to follow but my out-of-town guest was made to wait about 10 minutes for the tempura, one of the most popular dishes for those unfamiliar with Japanese cuisine.

But it was worth the delay. The vegetables and seafood were succulent and coated with batter that was just right: crisp and lacy. Deceptively simple to make, tempura is often spoiled because it has been fried at the wrong temperature or in a mixture that is too smooth, resulting in a batter that does not stick properly. The condiments and dipping sauce, too, were just right, enhancing the natural taste of the prawns, shiitake mushrooms, eggplant and sweet potato.