Food review: Wabi Sabi Japanese Restaurant in Tai Hang
Cosy Japanese restaurant Wabi Sabi manages to hit the sweet spot, writes Susan Jung
Tai Hang is a neighbourhood that, right now, is perfectly balanced between traditional and hip; upmarket food and beverage establishments co-exist with noodle shops, dai pai dong, car repair shops and traditional grocers. It’s unlikely to stay that way for long, as longstanding businesses seem destined to be driven out by higher rents.
Wabi Sabi is a quiet restaurant on a quiet street close to a busy road. Although the name card gives the address on Lin Fa Kung Street West, the entrance is actually on Lily Street.
The sliding door opens to a small room with pale wood and a large sushi bar. The menu isn’t extensive (which is good, in our opinion), but it has the usual offerings of raw fish, grilled dishes, salads and specials.
The food was served in no particular order. Sea urchin with onsen egg and ikura (HK$58) was a fine, appetite-whetting starter of cool, light ingredients, as was the cold tofu with special sauce (HK$58), for which we had to request individual spoons and bowls so we could eat the delicate bean curd. TheJapanese sea grape salad (HK$128) was disappointing because the sea grapes – a special type of plant from Okinawa – were too soft and didn’t have much flavour.
Also disappointing was the grilled tomato with pork (HK$48), due primarily to the watery tomato wedges. Grilled beef tongue (HK$68), on the other hand, was thick and succulent. Japanese horse flesh sashimi (HK$98) was excellent, with meat that was deep pink, tender and mild. Wabi Sabi foie gras (HK$128) came as two thick slabs that were well-seared on the outside, and soft within. The house special Japanese radish (HK$38) was simmered in a sauce that was a little too sweet. The last savoury dish was the dull-sounding rice with tea (HK$48), which we ordered with fish roe, and it was surprisingly flavourful.
The free dessert was soft house-made mochi roll stuffed with red bean, the whole thing wrapped in fresh shiso leaf. This combination was so good that my guest asked for another one, which the waitress gladly served.