Bicho
This great little yakitori restaurant is on the 26th floor of a commercial building. But the altitude sickness is worth it—the yakitori is excellent and the minimalist décor makes the tiny space seem airy. Most of the food offered is barbecued on skewers and in small portions¬—go greedy and try everything. It’s all outstanding—the veggies juicy, the meats aromatic and the sauces just gorgeous. There’s a decent selection of sake, which rounded out our meal perfectly. Final thought? Even the ventilation system is great, so you won’t leave smelling greasy.
26/F, Continental Diamond Plaza, 523-527 Hennessy Rd., Causeway Bay, 2838-7022.
Irori
This hidden gem is for Japanese foodies in the know. We went pretty late, and the camaraderie of the Japanese chef (who speaks fluent Cantonese) and the sushi counter boys was charming to behold as sophisticated jazz floated through the restaurant. The menu is extensive, and there is a huge variety of small dishes to go with your sake if you’re not craving a full dinner. We ordered wafu-yukke (Japanese-style “Korean beef carpaccio”), which wasn’t beef at all, but chunky strips of raw tuna with thin slivers of cucumber coated with a sweet sauce. Together with toasted sesame seeds, the contrasting textures were utterly enjoyable.
2/F, Bartlock Centre, 3 Yiu Wa St., Causeway Bay, 2838-5939.
Kenjo
The description “authentic” gets thrown around a lot, but this tiny izakaya is the real deal thanks to the sheer freshness and simplicity of its dishes. Just off the brash glare of Minden Avenue, Kenjo serves up excellent sashimi and sushi alongside simple but incredibly well executed fare such as udon, broiled snacks and delicate seafood arrangements. There’s a refreshing lack of overly precious presentation, serving up clean, light flavors, with fish so fresh it’ll convert the last of the non-raw eaters. Try the chef’s tasting menu, an off-the-beaten-track selection of stuff you’d never figure out on your own.
G/F, 30 Minden Ave., Tsim Sha Tsui, 2369-8307.
Nobu
Believe the hype. This place is mind-blowingly artistic in presentation, design and execution. The quality standards of every dish are so stringent and precise we wouldn’t have noticed if Nobuyuki Matsuhisa was serving us personally. But then there he was, with his huge smile and shock of jet-black hair, offering a complimentary bowl of whipped salmon egg emulsion. Awash in ambient amber and rose lighting, Nobu has a stunning floor-to-ceiling view of the harbor, bathed in sunshine by day and glowing with the city lights by night. The blindingly fast chefs create some of the freshest, purest and most innovative Japanese food we’ve ever eaten. It’s a simple concept really; the best, freshest fish in the world flown in by jet mere hours after it was caught, accentuated with just the right light touch of savory/sweet/salty sauces and sides. The sushi is a must, as is the amazing cooked black cod that made Nobu famous. In a word: perfection. 2/F, InterContinental Hong Kong, 18 Salisbury Rd., Tsim Sha Tsui, 2313-2340.
WasabiSabi
This sleek bar-restaurant is perennially fashionable: check out your fellow diners for this season’s must-haves, gossip-column players and models galore. Waiters guide first-timers through the maze of mirrors, dangling beads and catwalks to the dining room. The food is to die for: a mixture of classic, generously sliced sashimi, sushi and grilled dishes, as well as a few of the chef’s own innovations, and all presented like works of art. The fish is flown in daily from Tokyo’s Tsukiji market. 13/F, Food Forum, Times Square, 1 Matheson St., Causeway Bay, 2506-0009.
Zuma
Judging a fancy restaurant mostly comes down to sniffing out the gimmicks, so it was easy to enter Zuma carrying a mental list of skeptical questions. Is the izakaya-style menu just an excuse to serve snooty-small portions? Does the sake really merit its own label? But by the time we sampled the strangely delicious almond tofu dessert, our questions seemed rather nitpicky. Our knowledgeable waiter recommended a standout yuzu seabass sashimi starter, tuna tartare with paper-thin fried lotus crisps, spicy beef medallions and grilled taraba king crab legs. As for the sake, Zuma’s tipple was sweet and mellow.
5/F-6/F, The Landmark, 15 Queen’s Rd. Central, 3657-6388.