Restaurant review: Koko, Central – winning Japanese cuisine and a lively ambience
Indifferent first impressions were forgotten when the dishes arrived; almost everything we tasted from the very short menu was good
We were sceptical about Koko, because there was a lot of hype about how it was opened by Hidetoshi Nakata, a famous footballer-turned-sake ambassador in collaboration with the Kee Club. But a charming and helpful manager, the lively ambience and good food won us over.
Our first impression was not good – we were seated in a very quiet part of the restaurant, away from the action, and where we would have just stared at the walls and each other, rather than being able to watch anything (or anybody) else. Fortunately they found us seats in the main room.
The menu is very short – which we like (there’s a better chance at getting the good dishes). We liked almost everything we ordered, and even one dish we didn’t.
The rock shrimp tempura (HK$128) was a healthy portion, and although the batter was a bit thick, it stayed crunchy even when it cooled. Pork and scallop gyoza (HK$98) were light and juicy.
Red mullet escabeche (HK$168) was delicious – the fish had been topped with shredded ginger, carrot and a fried garlic chip, with a delicate ponzu sauce.