Yayakiya is a modern yakitori bar brought to us by the folks behind Rustico and Umai in Lai Chi Kok. Yes, Lai Chi Kok you read it right. Obviously business has been so good that they decided to invade Tsim Sha Tsui with this latest yakitori bar in an area that used to be filled with bars.
I am no Einstein so I have no clue whether this yakitori bar would hit the ground running or not. But one thing I do know, is that they have a pretty good food menu that covers more than just skewers (sushi and fresh oysters as well!).
If I am dining at a familiar yakitori place like Nishiki, I would most definitely take the bar table but these seats looked a little lonely on this evening so I decided to pass.
Before my skewers arrive, they first brought me a plate of shredded cabbage and some mustard sauce. Oh and some words of advice.....that they would be placing my skewers on this bed of cabbage and once it absorbed all the fragrance, I could have it along with the meat. Sounds like a plan to me.
First up, ox tongue on a skewer ($28) - not the thickest one I had but pretty good. Tender and juicy, that's always a good combo (6/10).
Hakata Mentaiko spicy cod roe pork belly roll skewer ($28) - there's a lot of stuff in there. Pork belly, spicy cod roe and some beefsteak plant or basil sauce (or both). Not bad but the beefsteak plant or basil was a little too overpowering at times (5/10).
Homemade chicken meat stick with egg yolk ($31) - a house specialty here and one of my favorite picks at any yakitori joint but this one was very very flat. I like the additional of chicken soft bones in there but it's not nearly meaty enough.
They do have another version with salt and pepper but I doubt that it's any better. All in all, very disappointing (3/10).
Traditional Fukuoka burdock tempura udon ($55) - I like this one. The broth was rich and flavorful and the udon noodles were nicely prepared with fresh seaweed and burdock tempura. Very good to go with any skewers (6.5/10).
I was still hungry so I went for more. Kagoshima A4 wagyu beef skewer ($65) - not too marbled but it had that melt-in-your-mouth texture. Love the fact that they only put in a minimal amount of sea salt. Very delicious and definitely the best dish of the night (7/10).
Deep fried Kyoto tofu ($19) - Another very disappointing dish. They put the "signature dish" logo right next to it so my expectation was high but very bland and flavorless (2.5/10).
A bit of mixed bag on this one but due to the location, I would probably be back some other time.
Food Rating: 5/10
Price: $$$
Address: G/F, 29-31 Chatham Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong
Closest Metro Station: Tsim Sha Tsui East
Tel: +852 2723-9833
Website: http://yayakiya.com
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