Yakitori Tsukada 燒鳥塚田 (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★★☆

Little nugget’s birthday is right around the corner, and since his BIG day falls on a weekday, I thought it would be nice to celebrate early over the weekend. For the past few days, I’ve kept my cards close to my chest, knowing that he loves both steak and Japanese skewers. But after our guys’ night out at Mirai (蕾), my craving for skewers intensified making my decision an easy one.

Brought to us by the folks from Yakitori Tsukada (燒鳥塚田) Shibuya in Tokyo, the Hong Kong branch uses the same traditional cooking techniques to grill their Satsuma Tori chicken (蕯摩雞) from Kagoshima over binchotan charcoal for the perfect crisp bite. The thighs, white breast, skin, and wings are must-try items, making this yakitori specialist one of the best in Hong Kong.

I would love to sit at the bar table some day but with little nugget it was going to be messy.

Tsukune (免治雞肉) ($48) — We decided to start things off with some chicken skewers first and this was the first to arrive, the meatball.

After the subpar version I had at Mirai the other night, it was nice to finally see how this was supposed to be done! Soft, fluffy and perfectly charred on the outside. It was matched with its usual partner of sweet soy and yolk. I didn't have that the other night.

Chicken wings (手羽先) ($48) — I like my wings with minimal seasoning and this was exactly that!

Crisply grilled with an amazing texture.

Chicken breast (雞柳) ($43) — Very fluffy and smoky, complemented nicely by the extra kick of the wasabi.

Paitan chicken ramen (雞白湯拉麵) ($78) — Little nugget didn't need any help on this small bowl of paitan chicken ramen. It was eliminated within seconds!

Here comes the deep-fried stuff (炸物).....

Fried scallop (帆立貝) ($53) — Very soft and pillowy, and the thin, crispy batter spot on.

Fried angel prawns (天使蝦) ($58) — As good as the scallop skewer was, the springy angel prawn was even better. Perfect texture and the light batter worked magic.

Of course, nobody would say no to a second round of the deep-fried skewers.

Next up, the vegetable skewers.....

Beef tongue (牛舌串) ($58) — But first, the beef tongue. I love beef tongue with a thick cut. Beauty.

Shiitake mushroom (椎茸) ($35) — Pretty juicy, not bad.

Eggplant (茄子) ($70) — This came perfectly grilled and topped with butter, but somehow the eggplant itself wasn't as juicy as the ones we enjoyed in Japan.

Zucchini (翠玉瓜) ($37) — The first time I enjoyed grilled zucchini with shaved parmesan cheese. While I thought they were a surprisingly nice match, the zucchini might have sliced a tad too thin for a better mouthfeel.

Deep-fried tofu with dashi (炸高湯豆腐) ($78) — The thin batter of the deep-fried tofu helped to soak up the dashi beautifully. 

Japanese omelet Kyoto-style (京都風玉子燒) ($78) — Very fluffy and I could smell the rich eggy flavor even without tasting one.

That's a ton of food within an hour. Little nugget left with a BIG happy tummy (he better does some exercise tomorrow!) but still insisted we should have dessert next door. Now, that's my kid! Never say no to good food. 😆😆😆

Food Rating: 7.4/10

Price: $$$$

Address: G/F, 8 Humphreys Avenue, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong

Closest Metro Station: Tsim Sha Tsui

Tel: +852 2688-6773

Website: https://instagram.com/yakitoritsukada_hk

Opening Hours: 12:00pm - 2:30pm, 5:00pm  -11:00pm daily