Tempura Tenon 天婦羅天御 (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★★☆

After weeks of hard work, our team has finally reached a critical milestone. To celebrate this special moment and reward myself for the countless hours of overtime I’ve put in recently, I have booked a seat at Tempura Tenon for a little self-celebration tonight.

Tempura Tenon (天婦羅天御) is a restaurant that has been on my radar screen forever. Located on the 11th floor of L’Hart in Causeway bay just behind Sogo, the tempura specialist is helmed by head Chef Kai Wing, formerly of Japanese restaurant Iwanami.

After arriving right on time at the counter-only Tempura Tenon, I was escorted to my seat. I quickly settled in quickly, but before I could even fully relax, my stomach was called upon for some early work.

The first dish tonight was chawanmushi with sakura shrimps. I thought the top layer of green was a touch of wasabi but no.

The condiments tonight included some seaweed salt, curry salt, lemon and the usual tentsuyu.

Tiger prawn from Kagoshima (鹿兒島花竹蝦) — My dinner officially kicked off the best way with a nice and springy shrimp tempura. 👍🏻

Shrimp head — Crispy, flaky, and just perfect.

Splendid Alfonsino (金目鯛) — The splendid alfonsino from Shizuoka Prefecture (靜岡縣) came with some nice, crispy scales. Not bad.

Yellow and white corn 🌽 — The yellow and white corn from Hokkaido were tied together neatly. I almost couldn’t taste the batter here; it's that thin.

Sea urchin with shiso leaf — Lovely combination of sea urchin and shiso leaf where the uni and shiso leaf were wrapped in a thin, perfectly crispy batter like a bouquet. The shiso leaf flavor was pretty strong but not surprisingly, it worked incredibly well with the briny richness of the runny uni.

Horse mackerel (池魚) — I was curious how buttery, rich horse mackerel would fare with the thin batter, but this was actually more tasty than the splendid alfonsino tonight. (As a fan of kinmadai, I couldn’t believe I said that!)

There was a short break in the action when my server came over to present me with a small bowl of chilled corn soup.

Clam (大蜆) — The size of the clam caught me a little off guard.

I love the slightly chewy texture around the edges, and the burst of freshness was a welcome moment. Just a bit of lemon juice already made it incredibly delicious. This, along with the sea urchin and tiger prawn, are the top three items so far — in no particular order.

Hairy crab yuba roll — The hairy crab meat (sadly, no roes) worked well with the crispy tube made with yuba but the hint of black truffle never stood out. Instead, it was the acidity from the black vinegar taking center stage.

New potato (新薯) — I finally got the chance to use my curry salt and it was quite an interesting match. If I heard it right, the new potatoes from Nagasaki Prefecture (長崎縣) have been slow-fried for an hour!

The eight-course omakase menu has quietly reached its end, but I was invited to order more add-on items. Why not?

As Chef Kai Wing pointed out, Tempura Tenon is far from an old-school Japanese tempura restaurant. In fact, there are localized ingredients (mantis shrimp, cured fish roe, octopus just to name a few) that simply aren't available in more conventional tempura joints.

Mantis shrimp ($75) — Springy with a nice crunch. A very different experience than the tiger prawn. Love it~

Maitake ($35) — Maitake is one of my favorites in any tempura meal thanks to its incredible texture. But this one was just OK, as I thought they trimmed it way too much.

As usual, the meal was finished with a small tendon (天丼) and pickles.

And then a red miso soup with a strong hint of ginger.

Dessert was melon to wrap it up. That was the most food I had in more than a month.

It was an incredible experience just sitting at the counter table watching Chef Kai Wing work. He’s animated and interactive with his customers, adding a level of cozy and intimate touch to the meal. I will definitely bring my tempura-loving son for my next visit.

Food Rating: 7.3/10

Price: $$$

Address: 11/F, L ‘Hart, 487-489 Lockhart Road, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong

Closest Metro Station: Causeway Bay

Tel: +852 6085-0243

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

Opening Hours: 12:00pm - 3:00pm, 7:00pm - 10:30pm (Thu - Tue)

Azabuya 麻布屋 COCO Park (Shenzhen, CHINA) ★★★☆☆

It was a good sign to see little nugget back on his feet this week. Man, the last two weeks after his surgery had been a nightmare for him and everyone concerned. I’m sure his wounds hurt like hell. His facial expression said it all.

So this Shenzhen trip was long overdue. He told me he felt like he hadn’t been here in ages. The fact was, it had only been less than three weeks.

After a long stroll through One Avenue (卓悦中心), we were ready to head back to COCO Park to wrap up our trip. Just before a quick supper, little nugget spotted Azabuya (麻布屋), a Japanese café that also doubles as an ice-cream parlour. His eyes immediately lit up when he saw the ice-cream bar.

Weeks ago, he was holding my hand very lightly, telling me how painful he’d been in the hospital after the surgery. Today, he was holding my hand firmly, asking me to get him a scoop of ice cream. I immediately said no, telling him he shouldn’t get just one scoop. He needs three. 🤣🤣

I have to admit, Shenzhen is a lousy place to look for a truly nice scoop of gelato. The cookie-and-cream wasn’t bad, but the lychee and peach ones both had too much sharp sweetness and acidity. It definitely served the purpose — thirst-quenching on a hot summer day but it didn’t wow me with the creamy texture I expected.

No complaints from this fella, though… obviously.

Food Rating: 5/10

Price: ¥¥¥

Address: Shop 107, Level 1 COCO Park, 268 Fuhua Road 3rd, Futian, Shenzhen, China

深圳市福田区福华三路268号星河COCO Park 北区一楼L1-107

Closest Metro Station: Shopping Park (購物公園)

Tel: +86 18948785655

Opening Hours: 10:00am - 10:00pm (Sun - Thu), 10:00am - 10:30pm (Fri - Sat)

Map: https://j.map.baidu.com/1e/QvNk

Lonely Sukiyaki One Avenue 孤獨的壽喜燒 卓悦中心店 (Shenzhen, CHINA) ★★★☆☆

These days, Shenzhen boasts a rapidly growing Japanese culinary scene, featuring everything from affordable all-you-can-eat hotspots to upscale sushi bars and high-end teppanyaki joints. Considering how obsessed we are with hotpots, there is always an escalating demand for shabu shabu restaurants and sukiyaki counters, both self and chef-serviced. Not surprisingly, one-person-one-pot shabu shabu and sukiyaki are getting more popular by the minutes. And over here in Shenzhen, shabu shabu sets are reasonably priced too, ranging from $70 to $90 a set.

This afternoon, we stumbled upon another new addition to Shenzhen’s hotpot scene — Lonely Sukiyaki (孤獨的壽喜燒) who originated from Shanghai.

Located in One Avenue (卓悦中心), Lonely Sukiyaki offers only three set menus: a pork shabu shabu set for $58, and beef sets priced at $78 or $98, depending on the portion. The one-person-one-pot setup is the obvious highlight reel here, designed to cater to both solo diners and groups.

There are three broth options to choose from: an original sukiyaki broth, a tomato-based broth, and a spicy option that we didn’t bother checking out. Once we placed our order via the QR code, it didn’t take long before our server brought over our broth with the vegetables (cabbage, mushrooms, and carrots) already all in.

The star of the meal, the Australian wagyu beef fillets came in a separate plate.

Tender and well-marbled, they were pretty mouthwatering though I only wish there were a few more slices.

As with the bowl of steamed rice, you can refill the vegetables freely as long as you’re still in the mood for more.

Overall, this was a pretty decent meal, especially considering the value-for-money price. The sukiyaki broth was lighter than what you’d typically find in Japan, and I wasn’t surprised at all, given how minimal the seasoning tends to be north of the border.

All in all, I enjoyed the experience and wouldn’t mind coming back for more.

Food Rating: 5.6/10

Price: ¥¥

Address:  Shop B1111, Level B1F One Avenue, Fuhua Road, Futian, Guangzhou, China

深圳市福田区福华路卓悦中心商场B1层 B1111号铺

Closest Metro Station: Gangxia (岗厦)

Tel: +86 19866154116

Opening Hours: 11:00am - 9:00pm daily

Map: https://j.map.baidu.com/5b/5ivM

Pici Pasta Bar Lai Chi Kok x Napoli Matfia (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★★☆

My team is off to a school event tonight leaving yours truly without an itinerary since early afternoon. As the adverse weather has been wreaking havoc all day (and all week), I stayed home most of the day until early evening. Finally, I decided to head out for supper and the destination was Pici, my neighborhood pasta bar who's currently celebrating its 10th anniversary.

To commemorate the occasion, the casual Italian spot has invited "Culinary Class Wars" winner Napoli Matfia to curate a special limited-time-only menu running from July 1 to July 31. I didn’t personally get to watch the popular Korean culinary show on Netflix, but I’ve definitely been aware of the hype it created and the ripple effect it’s had on the local dining scene. So I was curious how his limited-time dishes would stack up against some of Pici’s old classics from the regular menu. Tonight is the night, let’s find out.

Tagliolini Sicilian Prawn Tartare e Bottarga ($180) — I decided to order all three limited-time dishes to get the full experience, and kicking things off was this tagliolini Sicilian Prawn Tartare e Bottarga.

The fresh, house-made tagliolini tossed in a rich, velvety emulsion, was topped nicely with a layer of Sicilian pink prawn tartare, finished off with grated bottarga on top. I thought the slightly lemony sauce really brought out the natural sweetness of the buttery prawn tartare. Not bad.

Pici White Poultry Ragu & Truffle ($160) — The handmade pasta was cooked perfectly al dente (though, personally, I felt it might’ve been a touch too al dente) but it didn’t seem to mesh well with the poultry ragu, made with a rich blend of duck, chicken, guinea fowl, and turkey. The generous portion of shaved fresh truffle also didn’t quite bring everything together like I thought it would.

Chestnut tiramisu ($70) — An elevated version of the very same mocha-soaked creation the chef made in the famous “convenience store challenge” on Culinary Class Wars. I was expecting the chestnut flavors to be front and centre, but they weren’t quite as prominent as I’d hoped.

That said, it was still a more-than-serviceable sweet treat: a sumptuous mascarpone base, mocha-soaked ladyfingers, and silky chestnut purée beautifully topped with an espresso–marron glacés sauce and chopped chestnuts for a crunchy finish. 

This was a pretty big meal for someone who wasn't hungry at all! Last September, while we were in Seoul, we tried to get a table at Napoli Matfia’s highly acclaimed Via Toledo Pasta Bar but sadly, we learned that it had stopped taking reservations. Later, we found out he had shut it down for his new project — a massive new five-story culinary space in Seoul.

So, this limited-time menu ended up being a great consolation prize — more than 10 months later.

Food Rating: 6/10
Price: $$$
Address: Shop G03, G/F, D2 Place TWO, 15 Cheung Shun Street, Lai Chi Kok, Hong Kong
Closest Metro Station: Lai Chi Kok
Tel: +852 2557-7227
Website: www.pici.hk

Opening Hours: 12:00pm - 3:00pm, 5:00pm - 10:00pm daily

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)