Newly opened: Shoku, Repulse Bay - pricey Japanese grilled fare

Shoku (tel: 2808 2333) is the latest restaurant to open at The Pulse in Repulse Bay. We like the minimalist decor with colourful tiles on one wall. In the middle of the room is a grill that uses binchotan (Japanese charcoal sticks), over which meats and seafood are skewered and placed vertically to cook on the hot coals.

However, while the quality of food is good, the prices can be hard to swallow. For starters, the cod wafers (HK$68) were excellent - very crisp, after having been slightly toasted on the grill, and a perfect beer snack.

Next up was the mixed salad with fresh crabmeat and yuzu dressing (HK$268, above). It was a good-sized portion for two, but pricey for what it was. The grilled ox tongue (HK$128) was delicious, but on the small side, with only four cubes.

We savoured the silver cod saikyo yaki (HK$298), which was perfectly cooked, although served as two very different slices, one much larger than the other.

The manager recommended the sakura shrimp and bacon fried rice (HK$328) - one of the more expensive fried rice dishes on offer, but we were disappointed. The bacon bits were tough to chew and the small shrimps had a fishy, not sweet, taste.

Café Deco Group has expanded its empire into Langham Place in Mong Kok with Berliner (tel: 2972 0078), Berliner Beer House (tel: 2972 0079) and Tonic (tel: 2972 0019).

Opening a restaurant or bar? Contact us at [email protected]

For this story and more, see 48 Hours, published on June 18