Friday, June 25, 2010

Amazing Yakitori at Yakitoritei (燒鳥亭), Tin Hau

Yakitoritei
If you're in Hong Kong, and you haven't tried Yakitoritei, a charming and cozy yakitori (Japanese BBQ) joint in Tin Hau/Happy Valley...
Seriously. Go!

I could've summarized my so-called "review" with just one word, delicious.
But let me show you what kind of mad MAD meal we had.
It started with our server asking "foie gras, anyone?" and almost all of us raised our hand, and it only went downhill from there ;)

We started with...
Yakitoritei
Cod roe salad, super fresh, perfect for the hot and sticky weather that day...and the ginkgo nuts yakitori, very very interesting...nutty with a touch of bitterness. We were hungry for more!

Now...the seafood...
Yakitoritei
Succulent scallops grilled to perfection, super succulent sword fish and eel with deliciously crispy skin. Nothing but yum!

On to something rich...
Yakitoritei
The foie gras, super rich, mega creamy and tasty! Juicy and tender duck breast with sweet onions. Quack quack!

Moving on to the chicken group...
Yakitoritei
Grilled chicken with crab roe was really interesting. Perfectly grilled chicken meat with creamy sauce and little pops of sea freshness. Gotta give them a try. The grilled chicken with mustard sauce was super delish too...and we were pleasantly surprised by the grilled chicken gizzards. They look dry and miserable, but they were wonderfully crunchy and tasty!

Next...
Yakitoritei|
The grilled quail eggs made you forget any cholesterol fears, the grilled sausages on chicken bone were as tasty as they looked, and we love the bacon wrapped asparagus.

Before we knew it...
Yakitoritei
...we've gathered quite a lot of skewers...and we're not even half way yet!

Now, some more meaty goodness...
Yakitoritei
Japanese grilled pork with herbs, juicy, tender, delicious! Lamb lovers, you gotta order their lamb chops, absolutely divine!...and the grilled thick cut ox tongue is not to be missed! All delicious!

We didn't go meat-crazy all the way, we remembered to order some veggies and mushrooms, and here are some highlights...
Yakitoritei
Spinach with bonito, a refreshing touch to a super rich meal. Grilled zucchini with cheese, sweet and crunchy with mild cheesy topping, yum!...and hello, carb...sweet, tender and smoky sweet potatoes.

Now...my absolute favorite...
Yakitoritei
The beef! Grilled with butter, with Japanese BBQ sauce or with good plain ol' salt and pepper. Juicy, absolutely tender, extremely delicious, it's...hello, meat heaven!

Almost everything was super mega delicious...except for these few items, which we didn't exactly adore...
Yakitoritei
Grilled bacon wrapped salmon, the bacon part was good, but the salmon was pretty dry. The chicken wings stuffed with foie gras and cheese, they tasted nothing like what the name promised. It tasted like a regular chicken wings stuffed with minced meat...we'll skip this next time. The grilled clams were...beachy. We like our beach sandy, but not our shellfish, so...nono.

Now...with all those skewers...the boys couldn't help but do this...
Yakitoritei
What were they asking?
a. Will I win betting on FIFA World Cup this year?
b. Who will have to eat all the remaining corn and sweet potatoes? (They were delish, but we ordered wayy too much!)
c. Who's cuter, V or SC?
d. Who pays for this meal?

Yakitori offers set dinners for about HK$290 per person, but since we were so crazy and almost ordered everything on the menu, we ended up spending about HK$460 per person, without even ordering a single drop of alcohol :D
But believe me, it was worth it.

Remember to make a reservation, the place is rather small and is always packed. We saw a small group of walk in patrons who had to come back three times before they got a seat ^_^

Oh, not that you care, but in case you wanna know, this is what I wore that night :D

Yakitoritei (燒鳥亭)
G/F Tsing Fung Building
10 Tsing Fung Street
Tin Hau
Hong Kong
天后清風街10號清風大廈地下
Tel: +852 2566 9982

5 comments:

tigerfish said...

Now, that is funny! The part on wishing with the sticks! lol

Jackie said...

Rita you are SO CRUEL. This looks amazing from start to finish - but I'm halfway across the world!

Next time I'm in HK I'll definitely have to take a trip to Yakitoritei. That fois gras? Salivating.

Jax x

busygran said...

Salivating at your pics and descriptions and ahhhh..... no chance to try....too far!

Joanne said...

God that is so much delicious food! I'm incredibly jealous.

Plus you are super adorable in your pregnant flowy romantic outfit!

Mrs Ergül said...

Darn! It is so expensive to dine in the restaurants in HK!