Food review: Enmaru Izakaya lacks intimacy, but the thick-cut bacon is delicious

Shop 1001A, 10/F Times Square, 1 Matheson Street, Causeway Bay
Tel: 2721 9955
Open: noon-3pm, 6pm-11pm

Japanese

about HK$250 without drinks or the service charge

it lacks the intimacy of most izakaya, the dark (usually), cosy (usually) pubs where the food is just as important as the alcohol. The focus of the large room is the robata, the hearth where the chefs grill many of the dishes, in this case, over binchotan charcoal.

thick-cut bacon (HK$58) was fatty, smoky and delicious. Mixed mushrooms in foil (HK$48) came in a good variety, and were moist, slippery and perfectly seasoned. The Enmaru signature simmered beef offal (HK$72) had tender pieces of meat in a sauce that was so good we soaked it up with slices of garlic bread. The thin slice of meat in the roasted rib-eye sushi (HK$98) didn't taste roasted, but it was very tender and had good flavour. The rice served with it was too hard.