It can't be easy trying to run an authentic Japanese restaurant in the middle of Yau Ma Tei, but the Eaton Hotel is trying hard. The slick and underrated inn opened Yagura last year as a proper fine-dining venue. For whatever reason though, that doesn't seem to be what the area's clientele is looking for. So, the eatery has rebranded itself as more of an izakaya concept - meaning it's now geared for casual drinking and dining with more emphasis on the former. To accommodate the change, chef Takayuki Nagano has also rejigged his food and added a sake tasting menu, which was co-created with local sommelier Eric Kwok Chi-hang (pictured on left) who paired different dishes with different sakes. 'Lots of people in Hong Kong are not familiar with sake, so with this menu they get to taste different kinds of the drink and maybe discover it works with various ingredients too,' Kwok, who also runs the Merit Wine Boutique and won the Hong Kong best sommelier prize three times, said. 'It's not difficult for me to match wines or sake with food. Actually, we are really lucky in Hong Kong, as we have access to so many spirits from all over the world. In Italy or France, all you'll find are wines from their own country.' To prove his globalisation theory, Kwok is working on dinners that will pair sake with western food.