Tempura Suzuki 天婦羅鈴木 (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★★☆

My team is off to meet up with Madame Taekwondo in Shenzhen this weekend leaving yours truly behind in Hong Kong. Rather than going up to SZ myself, I decided to stay local. Tempura Suzuki (天婦羅鈴木) and Tempura Tenon (天婦羅天穩) have long been on my to-do list so this was the perfect timing to cross one off that list. Tempura Suzuki eventually got the nod with its proximity to my next destination after lunch.

I didn’t recall visiting the 10-seater counter-only restaurant before but judging from how they replied to me via WhatsApp with my surname (I didn’t initially tell them my name), there was a chance that I have visited a restaurant within their group before.

During lunch service, there was a choice of two tempura sets: a basic course set ($580) and a premium omakase course set ($1,580). Since I wasn’t in the mood for a big feast, I went with the simpler tempura set.

Deep-fried sesame tofu (胡麻豆腐) — The thin batter of the homemade sesame tofu worked really well with the dashi.

The delicate, deep sesame flavors were complemented nicely by a subtle hint of wasabi.

Shrimp head — I got not one but two shrimp heads!

As always, crispy and very delicate.

Shrimp — Fresh and springy. No wonder it’s always a fan favorite. (And no, I didn't get two shrimps despite having two heads!)

Red eggplant (赤茄子) — Crispy on the outside and soft, melt in the mouth inside. 

One of the best memorable item of the meal this afternoon.

Thread fish (姫魚) — Silky but not overly oily. I liked the mild flavor of the fish with minimal seasoning, and just a few drops of the zesty lemon juice already made a huge difference.

Myoga ginger (茗荷) — As expected, there was some extra heat from the ginger but it was relatively light.

At this point, I took a break from the deep-fried goodness. Next up, a refreshing dish of cuttlefish sashimi. 

The cuttlefish itself was soft in texture and not overly flavorful, but fortunately, the bonito consommé jelly, tomato, and perilla flowers came to the rescue. A touch of shiso helped elevate the overall flavors.

Japanese red pepper🌶️ (紅椒) — Very very juicy.

Love this.

Scallop — Two thin slices of scallop tempura were served with truffle salt.

Maitake mushroom (舞茸) — Apart from the shrimp, the vegetables has apparently become a highlight of this meal. The highlights started with the eggplant and red pepper, and continued with this maitake: crispy, tender, and deeply satisfying.

Sea eel (穴子) — Another one that works well with the thin batter.

This looked like the same sea eel tempura but served with a homemade sea eel sauce (鰻魚汁), topped with sancho pepper, and wasabi. Of course, the highlight of the dish was the crispy fish bone which delivered a lovely crunch.

I usually choose tendon (天丼) with a freshly fried kakiage whenever possible but this afternoon, I wasn't offered a choice anyway.

The tendon was served with some nice pickles.

And a bowl of red miso soup.

Dessert was a scoop of coconut ice-cream and homemade yokan (羊羹). A sweet ending to my relaxing tempura lunch.

Service was outstanding today, and that matters especially with all the different Japanese ingredients in the meal. The only thing I felt a little gutted about was not choosing the more luxurious set with all the premium ingredients.

Food Rating: 7.1/10

Price: $$$$

Address: 1/F, 11 Stanley Street, Central, Central, Hong Kong

Closest Metro Station: Central

Tel: +852 2861-0018

Website: https://www.instagram.com/tempura_suzuki/

Opening Hours: 12:00pm - 3:00pm, 6:30pm - 11:00pm daily

YLK Restaurant KOLOUR Tsuen Wan 椰林閣 千色匯店 (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★☆☆

It looks like YLK Restaurant ("Yeh Lam Kwok Restaurant" 椰林閣) is making a comeback in 2026! In case you never heard of YLK before, it’s a classic Hong Kong-style “soy sauce Western” restaurant chain that originally gained massive popularity in the 1990s. Known for its casual, nostalgic diner atmosphere and affordable pricing, the chain is a staple of local childhood memories. It’s also famous for generous portions, especially its steak, curry dishes, and stir-fried noodles/rice.

I don’t recall ever visiting the chain as a kid (it probably wasn’t around yet). But I distinctly remember being a frequent customer when I started working in Hong Kong after the SARS outbreak. Back then, that was all I could remember about YLK.

Starting in 2026, news broke and YLK was opening new branches again in New Territories and up to this point, there were already 10 branches around town. I decided to stop by its new Tsuen Wan outpost at KOLOUR (千色匯) this afternoon, hoping to re-capture the magic.

Iced milk tea — The tea flavor was a little weak. It was close but not yet rich or robust enough.

Deep-fried chicken thigh with fried egg and rice — A cha chaan teng classic so I had to give it a shot.

The deep-fried chicken thigh itself wasn’t bad, but disappointingly, the onion sauce was poured all over it, making the crispy skin go soggy and ruining the dish almost instantly.

All in all, it was great to finally make a nostalgic return to YLK after its year-long hiatus. I really need to take a closer look at their char kway teow soon. It used to be my favorite dish around here.

Food Rating: 4.2/10

Price: $$$

Address: Shop 2031, 2/F, KOLOUR • Tsuen Wan I, 68 Chung On Street, Tsuen Wan, NT, Hong Kong

Closest Metro Station: Tsuen Wan

Tel: +852 6469-0422

Opening Hours: 7:00am - 9:30pm daily

Samsen Sheung Wan 泰麵 上環店 (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★★☆

I didn’t realize that Samsen the popular Thai noodle joint has opened a branch in Sheung Wan until a few months ago, when little nugget was having his lessons in the area on Saturdays.

Samsen is the brainchild of owner-chef Adam Cliff, an Australian chef who spent years at the highly successful Nahm in Bangkok under world-renowned chef David Thompson. Before launching Samsen, he was the head chef of Chachawan, another hugely popular Thai restaurant in Sheung Wan.

Compared to Chachawan, Samsen has a much smaller food menu focused more on its wok-fried noodles, skewers, curry and roti (both savory and sweet). 

At around 8:30pm, the crowd had thinned out a bit, so I was able to grab a seat at the counter next to the other solo diners.

Wok fried Thai watercress ($88) — These were tossed with chili, garlic and yellow beans. I figured they wouldn’t be too spicy since there was no chili 🌶️ sign next to it on the menu. I was obviously wrong. The spicy kick caught me a little off guard, but otherwise, it was pretty decent, with a nice wok hei.

Stir-fried flat noodles with chicken and baby corn ($148) — This came with even better wok hei. The flat noodles, slightly sticky (in a lovely way) was nicely tossed with baby corn, baby kale, succulent chicken fillet and egg in a light oyster sauce. I really enjoyed the texture of these flat noodles. I could probably have this everyday!

I have to come back to try their roti sometime. They make it fresh on the spot, and it comes in both sweet and savory versions.

It was raining all day, and it got worse during dinner. A black rain signal was on for a while, so I had to wait a bit before heading back out into the rain.

This was a very good meal — enough to make me wonder why I took so long to come back. That said, for the ultimate Thai dai pai dong (open-air food stall) experience, I still prefer Chachawan or Soi 29, thanks to their more extensive menu. Samsen is more of a stopgap option if you’re in the mood for a quick Thai noodle fix.

Food Rating: 6.7/10

Price: $$$

Address: G/F, 23 Jervois Street, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong

Closest Metro Station: Sheung Wan

Tel: +852 2234-0080

Website: http://www.samsen-hk.com/

Opening Hours: 12:00pm - 3:00pm (Mon - Sun), 6:00pm - 10:00pm (Mon - Thu), 6:00pm - 11:00pm (Fri - Sun)