Hongen Shokushu 本源食集 (Shenzhen, CHINA) ★★★★☆

A few weeks ago, I saw a friend of mine posting pictures of her meal at Hongen Shokushu (本源食集) on social media. I had never heard of the upscale Japanese restaurant before, but judging from the décor and the way the dishes were presented, I immediately knew it was a place we would enjoy dining at. So, I decided to do a little deeper research on it.

Hongen Shokushu is located on the top floor of upmarket One Avenue (卓悅中心), right on the terrace level.

The interior features rich, dark wood elements, with warm spotlights focused mainly on the food and the chefs, and traditional sake barrels lining the walls. 

The venue is split into dedicated zones for robatayaki, and sushi/sashimi dining.

One of the highlights is the traditional robatayaki counter, famous for its interactive fireside cooking where chefs grill seasonal seafood, meats, and vegetables over charcoal. The chefs then serve the food directly to guests using long wooden paddles.

The vibe is high-energy, and almost theatrical striking a balance between a premium Japanese izakaya and an immersive culinary show. Signature dishes include crispy-scaled amadai, charcoal-grilled mackerel, and a selection of high-quality meats (beef and pork).

Soft-shell crab tempura (軟殼蟹天婦羅) (¥58) — The soft-shell crab was sliced fairly thin. Personally, I found nothing particularly special about this dish. Whenever I crave tempura these days, I usually wait until I’m in Japan.

Grilled South African abalone (炭烤南非鮑魚) (¥88) — Really tender and succulent, with lovely smoky flavors from the charcoal grill. The sauce, made with abalone liver, was a beautiful touch. This is definitely one of the must-try dishes here.

Grilled king oyster mushroom (炭烤杏鮑菇) (¥28) — Tasty and meaty, with nice smokiness as well. Not bad.

Grilled conch with pepper sauce (辛味燒大海螺) (¥58) — Really fresh, with lovely sweetness. The intense sauce also came with an extra kick. This was my second favorite dish, just behind the abalone.

Grilled pineapple (炭烤鳳梨) (¥38) — Nicely charred on the outside while keeping the interior moist and juicy.

Interestingly, it was paired with an earthy coriander, parsley dip.

Fried rice with diced wagyu beef (和牛炒飯) (¥58) — Pretty decent wok hei.

Omusubi soaked in fish maw and chicken soup (石鍋花膠五目燒飯團) (¥48) — The fish maw broth was really nice and heart-warming, but I wasn’t sure it was the right match for the Japanese rice roll.

Grilled aged chicken wing and drumstick (炭烤熟成雞翼) (¥38) — The wing and drumstick had been aged, so there was a stronger, more pronounced flavor. Not bad, but the flavors were a little too rich for me.

Grilled asparagus (炭烤露筍) (¥48) — Pretty decent.

Pumpkin crème brûlée (南瓜燉蛋) — A complimentary dessert from the kitchen. That was a very nice gesture.

From the moment we stepped into the dining room, we immediately felt the electrifying atmosphere. Service was top-notch. While there were some hits (abalone, conch) and some misses (aged chicken, soft-shell crab) on the menu, there’s no denying that it has the makings of a prestigious dining experience — one that doesn’t burn a hole in your wallet. We especially missed the chance to sit at the robatayaki counter, watch the flames flare up, see the smoke rise, and enjoy the chefs serving dishes dynamically across the counter using long wooden paddles.

This place definitely warrants a return trip.

Food Rating: 6.5/10

Price: ¥¥¥¥

Address: Shop L505, West Zone, Level 5 One Avenue, Fuhua Road, Futian, Guangzhou, China

深圳市福田区福华路卓悦中心商场西区5楼L505号铺

Closest Metro Station: Gangxia (岗厦)

Tel: +86 (0755) 8326-5220

Opening Hours: 11:30am - 2:00pm, 5:30pm - 10:00pm daily

Map: https://j.map.baidu.com/e9/l0z

Tiffany Restaurant 名寶石餐廳 (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★☆☆

It wasn’t an easy decision, but we finally said goodbye to our family apartment after  it has served us for 40+ years. I was there for more than half of it. Now that it’s gone, I can only hope mom finds comfort in being a little closer to me and little nugget. I hope she settled into our peaceful, cozy neighborhood.

And interestingly enough, we’re back in mom’s old area this afternoon for little nugget’s lessons. For nostalgia’s sake, I decided to go back to Tiffany Restaurant (名寶石餐廳) for our late lunch. It felt like the perfect little detour — a trip down memory lane.

As far as I could remember, Tiffany Restaurant used to be called “Ruby Restaurant” (紅寶石餐廳). Back then, the group had a few branches across Kowloon and Hong Kong Island. Dad used to love visiting the one near our home. He wasn’t the kind of man who splurged on fancy meals often, so we mostly came on special occasions.

I had a strange feeling the moment we walked in this afternoon. Everything looked the same — the decor, the menu, even the familiar faces from the service team. But deep down, I could feel something different inside me. This no longer felt like our “hood”.

The tea tasted just as strong as it did twenty years ago. It was that particular kind of boldness you don’t normally get from a Hong Kong-style soy sauce western restaurant.

I ordered the deep-fried grouper fillet like I always do. Even though Tiffany Restaurant is a Hong Kong-style soy sauce western restaurant, they always seemed to use high-quality ingredients. Maybe that’s why the old patrons keep coming back. 

The thick slice of grouper fillet was again pretty delicious again — crispy on the outside, tender and satisfying within. Newer generations of soy sauce western restaurants probably wouldn’t bother with produce like this, at these kinds of prices.

And just as we were settling in, this guy arrived in time for dessert.

I don’t know when I’ll get the chance to visit again. But I truly hope they’ll keep thriving so we can return from time to time, and let a little nostalgia find us once more.

Food Rating: 5.7/10
Price: $$$
Address: 148 Prince Edward Road West, Kowloon, Hong Kong
Closest Metro Station: Prince Edward
Tel: +852 2381-1516

Opening Hours: 8:00am - 11:30pm daily

Melt in July 七月柿 Express (Shenzhen, CHINA) ★★★☆☆

Located at the entrance of trendy Pink Street (粉紅大街) at Shenzhen Bay MixC (深圳灣萬象城), Melt in July Express (七月柿, literally means "July Persimmon") is a popular East-meets-West fusion restaurant with an intriguing food and dessert menu. Unfortunately, despite having it on my radar for quite some time, I’ve never gotten around to crossing it off my list.

But today, I finally had the perfect opportunity especially since I had a pickleball game scheduled at a nearby community centre.

As planned, the moment we finished our match, we headed straight to Shenzhen Bay MixC to satisfy our snack attack.

Under the same group behind Melt in July Farmhouse (七月柿 蕃茄食堂) which is known for its healthy eating, Melt in July 七月柿 Express’ food and dessert menu goes beyond just East-meets-West dishes. There are also comfort-food options that blend local flavors with a modern Korean twist. All in all, there are always more to this than meeting the eye.

Since we were all a little hungry after the game, we started with a quick savory bite.

Slow-stewed beef brisket pita burger (慢燉牛筋腩皮塔堡) (¥55) — The burger was made with pita bread, which adds a hint of Mediterranean and Middle Eastern flair. 

Inside, there were succulent beef brisket, purple onion, and cabbage, all brought together with a Mediterranean-style sauce. Not bad.

Matcha tiramisu (抹茶提拉米蘇) (¥48) — The menu mentioned fermented bean curd (腐乳) as an ingredient, but it hardly registered it in the flavors. Instead, there was a sharp burst of soy-bean notes (“beany!”), paired with matcha and of course, coffee. Texture-wise, it was spot on. Soft, fluffy, and properly enjoyable.

Roasted long-jing tea Basque cheesecake (龍井焙茶巴斯克) (¥36) — This was a pretty ordinary Basque cheesecake, topped with a scoop of hojicha ice cream. Interestingly, the ice cream was decorated with long-jing tea leaves, adding a distinct tea aroma to the mix.

However, personally, I thought the flavors from the cheesecake, ice cream, and tea leaves didn’t quite come together as a complete package.

As usual, we grabbed some bread after our afternoon tea before heading off to our next event (a foot massage). It was a busy afternoon for us in Shenzhen, but everyone needed this after a pretty eventful work week. 

Food Rating: 5.8/10

Price: ¥¥¥

Address: Shop B1-38, Pink Street, Shenzhen Bay MixC, 3213 Keyuan South Road, Nanshan district, Guangzhou, China

深圳市南山区深圳湾万象城B区粉红大街B1层B1-38号铺

Closest Metro Station: Houhai (后海)

Tel: +86 19128337786

Opening Hours: 11:00am - 10:30pm daily

Map: https://j.map.baidu.com/57/94BM