Kinki Yakitori 近畿 (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★★☆

The delicious Japanese skewers from Nishiki Yakitori (錦) apparently never really left my mind even more than a year after its closure. More than a decade ago, it was a place I used to frequent whenever I craved tsukune (Japanese chicken meatballs) and other charcoal-grilled goodness. It was also there that I developed my spoiled palate for Japanese skewers. Few places have ever matched its prowess, but ever since Master Kei (基師傅), the heart and soul of Nishiki, left the kitchen, things were never the same.

It was almost the same time that I stopped visiting local Yakitori shops. I only do so whenever I travel to Japan these days.

Over the last weekend, however, I accidentally stumbled upon an article about my old friend, Master Kei. One thing led to another, I found out that he has opened his own place in To Kwa Wan (土瓜灣) a couple of years ago. I guess it was time to bring my little one along to spoil his palate.

Situated just a quick two-minute walk from To Kwa Wan Station, Kinki Yakitori (近畿) is Master Kei’s playground, where he showcases some of the best Japanese skewers in town.

I would love to sit at the bar table just like the old days but with little one around, it would be impossible to enjoy dinner there.

Beef udon (牛肉烏冬) ($88) — Something for little nugget to chew on while he waits for his skewers.

Quail egg (鵪鶉蛋) ($33) — Less charred than I would like but not bad for a start.

Chicken wing (一骨手羽先) ($42) — One of the three skewers that I absolutely love from Master Kei. Crispy on the outside, tender and juicy inside. I love the fact that the seasoning was kept to the minimal.

Three yellow chicken wing (新鮮三黃雞翼) ($48) — This came with the drumstick as well.
I wasn’t able to taste the succulent fat content but did thoroughly enjoy the crispy skin and tender, deeply flavorful meat.

Stuffed minced chicken in mushroom with mentaiko (明太子雞肉釀冬菇) ($48) — 

The minced chicken was stuffed inside the mushroom and finished off with mentaiko as the main seasoning. Not bad, but like the quail egg, the golden char marks were slightly missing for that extra smoky flavor.

Kinki minced chicken skewer (近畿雞肉棒棒) ($58) — The second of Master Kei’s signature dish. 

The juicy, airy interior combined well with the deeply caramelized, savory-sweet glaze on the outside. It was the perfect match with the egg yolk and homemade sweet soy. The only thing I felt was missing was soft bones in the middle of the minced chicken, for some extra texture.

Beef tongue (牛舌) ($52) — Jelloman's favorite dish tonight. I liked the overall flavors but the texture was a little more chewy than I would like.

Pork belly (純豚五花腩) ($48) — Very succulent just like the old days. But back in those days, I was young and less health-conscious. The alternating layers of fat and tender meat were really nice, but these days I'd try to avoid the fattier parts a bit.

Bean curd chicken roll (腐皮雞肉卷) ($48) — I never had this before and for a fan of bean curd, I'd say it was pretty tasty. 

Oyster wrapped with bacon (煙肉蠔卷) ($48) — Somehow Master Kei always kept this as the last item to wrap up a meal. I remembered that I had asked him about this before, and he briefly said it was the richness of the dish (the oyster?). The third of his signature skewers didn’t disappoint. The thick-cut bacon worked wonderfully with the slow-grilled oyster, creating quite a symphony of enticing flavors. I’m a happy man….

It was nice to see Master Kei again (There he was!) and it was just extra special to have little nugget with me tonight. 

He’s a big yakitori fan, and it wasn’t surprising that he couldn’t stop talking about how delicious these skewers were all night long. In fact, he has already asked for an encore.

Food Rating: 6.9/10

Price: $$$

Address: G/F, 10 Maidstone Road, To Kwa Wan, Hong Kong

Closest Metro Station: To Kwa Wan

Tel: +852 8404-1123

Opening Hours: 12:00pm - 3:00pm, 6:00pm - 10:30pm (Tue - Sun)

Umai 鵜舞 (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★★☆

Little nugget is still going out with a wheelchair these days, so we decided to keep things close to home before he fully recovers. That said, our dinner spot fits the bill perfectly just a few steps from home — Umai (鵜舞).

Beef udon (博多牛肉烏冬) — Little one started the meal with a small bowl of beef udon. Not that there were tons of choices for udon here.

Beef tongue (牛舌) — For myself, I kicked things off with a few tempura items. I honestly had never had this as a tempura before — beef tongue. Surprisingly, the succulent, buttery texture worked really well with the thick batter.

Scallop (帆立貝) — The second time we had these deep-fried scallops. I’m not usually a fan of the old-school, thick batter, but the scallops were fresh and tender.

Maitake mushroom (舞茸) — Love the delicate, crispy and slightly feathery mouthfeel.

Jidori chicken eggplant roll (阿波尾雞大葉茄子) 🍆 — The premium Jidori chicken meat from Tokushima Prefecture in Shikoku (we’re going there in less than a month!) was stuffed into a Japanese eggplant, finished off with a nice wrap of shiso leaf. The flavor and texture combo was really great, and it was neatly tied together with homemade mayo.

Homemade minced chicken skewer (雞肉棒串) — Little one finally got his minced chicken skewer.

The silky smooth minced chicken meatball came with soft bones hidden inside. Not bad.

Deep-fried Sangen pork cutlet on rice (滑蛋三元豚豬扒丼) — The thin sliced pork cutlets were reasonably good but the scrambled eggs could have been more runny.

California sushi roll (加州卷) — Decent.

Little guy was finally a happy camper now that he got to go out for a meal. I wish him a speedy recovery and let's hope to see you in full health in a few days!

Food Rating: 6.5/10

Price: $$$

Address: Shop 2, G/F, D2 Plaza, 9 Cheung Yee Street, Lai Chi Kok, Kowloon, Hong Kong

Closest Metro Station: Lai Chi Kok

Tel: +852 2743-8011

Opening Hours: 12:00pm - 2:30pm, 5:30pm - 10:30pm daily

Soi.29 (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★☆☆

After the promising Thai-style dai pai dong experience at Samsen last month, I was craving something similar for tonight. After meeting with my hair stylist who happened to be working on Prat Avenue, it quickly became clear that a visit to Soi 29 to relive that Thai dai pai dong experience was exactly what the doctor ordered.

I finished my haircut at around 5:50pm, so the timing was perfect. As usual, there was a small lineup of about ten people in front of the Thai restaurant, but it wasn’t enough to stop me from getting a table.

Iced Thai milk tea (泰式凍奶茶) ($38) — Very rich, just like last time. I genuinely think it might be the richest Thai milk tea in town. Be warned if you don’t have a serious sweet tooth.

Stir-fried flat noodles with chicken (泰式乾炒) ($98) — They also have a “wet” version, but I stuck with the same stir-fried flat noodles dish I had at Samsen — the one that made me so happy.

This wasn’t bad. The flat noodles had that nice, slightly chewy texture again, but there was an excess of soy sauce, which made the dish a little too salty.

Compared with the same dish at Samsen, I have to admit this one came up a little short. For one, the noodles here had less "wok hei" but more importantly, the oyster sauce used for frying at Samsen made the noodles noticeably more umami-rich and less salty.

Food Rating: 6.4/10

Price: $$$

Address: G/F, Po Cheong Commercial Building, 29 Prat Avenue, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong

Closest Metro Station: Tsim Sha Tsui

Tel: +852 3795-3775

Opening Hours: 6:00pm - 12:00am (Mon - Sat)