Torikaze 鳥かぜ (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★☆☆

For months, I have been waiting for a call on my waitlist from the team behind Torikaze (鳥かぜ), an acclaimed Japanese Yakitori restaurant on the 45th floor of Gloucester Tower at the Landmark Building under the direction of Tokyo master chef Yoshiteru Ikegawa. It shares the same floor with other prestigious eateries including two-Michelin-starred Cristal Room by Anne-Sophie Pic. But as many friends pointed out, the wait could drag on for a few months so I wasn’t holding my breath.

But there was light at the end of the tunnel at last. Back in July before we took off for Europe, I was randomly browsing the internet — one of my habits, like I always do and decided to check whether any seats had opened up at Torikaze. And there it was, one single seat available for a Wednesday afternoon lunch. It meant taking time off work, but if that’s what it takes, then it’s worth it.

I was still feeling the effects of jet lag after returning from our long holidays. As I walked gingerly through the labyrinth of narrow corridors, I finally arrived at Torikaze.

I’m not dreaming. Seriously, it’s real. I can tell the moment I step in, with the smokiness and that unmistakable aroma in the air.

One thing that stood out immediately from the lunch menu: there really wasn’t much to choose from. Altogether, there were four lunch sets, each including a different number of skewers and a main. There was no à la carte option so if you wanted extra skewers, you couldn’t simply add them on.

The set I chose was the most expensive one ($498) with five kinds of yakitori and two kinds of kushiyaki. It was served in an omakase-style format (no choice), with no main dish. Just an unlimited supply of steamed rice. I thought it was an easy pick for me since the other sets only offered up to three skewers at most, and I came here for their skewers.

First up, a small salad to whet my appetizer.

Okra — Topped nicely with bonito flakes but I thought it could be more charred on the surface.

Knee — Obviously from the local three yellow chicken (三黃雞). My server told me it was the meat extracted specifically from the knee-cap area. Not surprisingly, it was very meaty (啖啖肉), with a lovely smokiness from the charcoal grill.

Neck — Firm, slightly chewy in a good way with the occasional crunch. Again wonderfully smoky.

Breast — My server pointed out that this was near the organ area (exactly what he said) so there was a fair amount of fat attached. It was very tender.

Wing — Not bad.

Asparagus — Surprisingly tender.

Chicken meatball — This skewer of chicken meatballs was pretty tasty. The smokiness was clearly front and centre again. I was slightly surprised it didn’t include some hidden crunch from soft bones. Those are always a joy.

Dessert was a simple lemon sorbet, finished with lemon zest and a touch of sea salt. I was one of the last batches of customers, trying to enjoy things slowly but they kind of wanted to clean the place up for dinner service and rushed us out a bit.

To be honest, it’s hard to assess the meal properly, because it was so short. Everything was served in less than an hour (I didn’t time it, but it felt like about 40–45 minutes maximum). I didn’t really get time to reflect on the last skewer before the next one came out.

All in all, it wasn’t quite the culinary experience I was hoping for although yes, the chicken skewers were really delicious.

Food Rating: 6.4/10

Price: $$$$$

Address: Forty-Five, 43-45/F, Gloucester Tower, LANDMARK ATRIUM, 15 Queen's Road Central, Central, Hong Kong

Closest Metro Station: Central

Tel: +852 3501-8585

Website: https://www.torikaze.hk/

Opening Hours: 12:00pm - 3:00pm, 6:00pm - 11:00pm (Mon - Sat)

Antoshimo Cafe & Bakery Hunghom Wuhu Residence 沖繩二段料理 紅磡蕪湖居店 (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★☆☆

There were two things we did a lot in August this year — having important meetings and hosting farewell gatherings. I’m glad those are finally behind us, and tomorrow will be a new day.

After yet another important meeting this morning, I caught up with a colleague for a quick lunch at Antoshimo Cafe & Bakery (沖繩二段料理) at Hunghom Wuhu Residence (紅磡蕪湖居). But my mind was kind of wandering about 5,614 miles away.

It’s been a while since I last had beef sukiyaki, but in the past two weeks I had two of them already, including this one here. Somehow, the broth was lighter than I could imagine, but the beef was soaking up the essence reasonably well. Not bad.

And there’s always room for dessert. Antoshimo Cafe & Bakery has always occurred to me as an Okinawan doughnut shop, but they’ve also got other sweet treats like waffles served with frosty ice cream. Yum!

The reason why I was so upbeat this afternoon? Tonight, I’ll embark on one of the longest journeys I can remember: 15 days across three European countries, covering who knows how many cities. It’s only our second trip to Europe since the pandemic, and I’m really geared up for it.

The most important part of all, there will be no business emails or conference calls for the next two weeks. Amazing, isn’t it?

Food Rating: 5/10

Price: $$$

Address: G/F, Wuhu Residence, 111 Wuhu Street, Hung Hom, Hong Kong

Closest Metro Station: Hung Hom / Homantin

Tel: +852 3483-6048

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

Ramen Ginza Onodera Pop-Up at Nadaman (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★★☆

Ramen Ginza Onodera (麺 銀座おのでら) is an acclaimed ramen brand from Tokyo’s Onodera Group, celebrated for its French-influenced approach to traditional Japanese ramen. Their menus are conceptualized by Executive Chef Keiichi Terada. They’ve just recently launched an exclusive 5-month collaboration, running from July 31 through the end of the year at Nadaman (灘萬日本料理) Kowloon Shangri-La (九龍香格里拉).

The pop-up is hosted in one of Nadaman’s newly renovated private dining rooms, which has been transformed into a sleek, dedicated ramen haven.

The restaurant prepares signature recipes on-site using noodles and a complex chicken broth that’s shipped directly from Japan.

Their ramen is offered in Shoyu (soy sauce), Shio (salt), and spicy broth styles. Each bowl is generously topped with slow-cooked pork chashu (煙豚肉叉燒), tender roasted duck chashu (燒鴨叉燒), and an ajitama egg. Lately I’ve been especially hooked on shoyu ramen, so I knew exactly what I wanted — Special Soy Sauce Ramen ($148).

The broth was surprisingly light in volume, yet still rich and packed with deep poultry flavor.

True to its French fine-dining lineage, each bowl is served with a small side of homemade herb butter. Diners are told to enjoy the clean, pure flavor of the broth first then sink the herb butter into the soup midway through. That creates a richer, creamier transformation without losing the essence of the original base.

The bamboo shoot was thick-cut and juicy.

The seasoned soft-boiled egg was spot on, and even the presentation looked perfect.

The smoked pork char siu (煙豚肉叉燒) was tender, and slightly chewy in a good way with subtle smokiness

The grilled duck char siu (燒鴨叉燒) was succulent with a deep gamey duck flavor. It tasted a little better than the pork char siu but that's coming from a grilled duck lover.

My only complaint was the noodles: they didn’t absorb the broth’s essence as well as I expected.

I didn't get the chance to try their truffle pork wontons and mini charsiu rice bowl, both of which are supposed to be famous. I guess those will have to be my next mission.

Food Rating: 6.6/10

Price: $$$

Address: Nadaman Japanese Restaurant, Kowloon Shangri-La, Lower Level II, 64 Mody Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong

Closest Metro Station: East Tsim Sha Tsui

Tel: +852 2733-8751

Opening Hours: 12:00pm - 2:30pm, 6:30pm - 10:30pm daily

Shinsaibashi Ujien Honten 宇治園心齋橋店 (Osaka, JAPAN) ★★★☆☆

I split up with my team right after our tonkatsu lunch near Kuromon Market (黑門市場). While they decided to spend some shopping time in Namba, I went on to visit a couple of pastry shops on my own.

When I returned to Shinsaibashi, I still had another half an hour to spare before our meeting time. So, to maximize my me time, I stopped by Ujien Honten (宇治園) for a quick look.

Located just across from Daimaru Shinsaibashi Store (大丸心齋橋店), Ujien Honten is best known as a souvenir shop for Uji tea products for tourists. However, they also have a small tea room on top of the souvenir shop.

With my new-found me time, I decided to head up to the tea room for a quick drink to quench my thirst.

Green Tea Float (880 yen) — There it was: a large scoop of matcha ice cream floating on top of cold green tea. It was absolutely thirst-quenching.

Of course, Ujien’s signature item is their Mont Blanc dessert. Chefs pipe fresh matcha, hojicha, or chestnut purée onto a combination of cream, sponge cake, or a crispy tartlet right in front of you. Mom would have loved it but unfortunately, I didn’t have the time to bring her here. Well, I guess there’s always a next time.

Price: ￥￥￥

Address: 1/F-2/F, 1-4-20 Shinsaibashisuji, Chuo-ku, Osaka, 542-0085 Japan

Closest Metro Station: Shinsaibashi 

Tel: +81 (0)6 6252-7800

Website: http://www.uji-en.co.jp/

Opening Hours: 10:30am - 9:00pm daily

Sobayoshi Shinsaibashi そばよし 心齋橋店 (Osaka, JAPAN) ★★★☆☆

For our last night in Osaka, I was hoping to have something special to end the trip on a high note. It didn’t have to be fancy, perhaps a hearty bowl of ramen would have done the trick for me. But in the end, we had buckwheat soba at Sobayoshi Shinsaibashi (そばよし 心斎橋店).

Anyone who knows me well knows for a fact that I don’t eat buckwheat soba noodles. Yes, I have them from time to time, but I simply don’t enjoy having them. I consider them a waste of stomach space when I could be having something more exciting. (And to be clear, I’m not saying soba noodles aren’t tasty. It’s just not my cup of tea.)

Apparently, little nugget felt the same way too, and he’s having prawn tempura and scrambled eggs at a soba restaurant! Way to go, kid!

As a bit of a protest, I am ordering this small bowl of soba noodles with a thin slice of bean curd. I was also hoping that I could sneak out after this meal for a second meal. That plan was just wishful thinking (which didn't materialize at the end).

Food Rating: 5/10

Price: ￥￥

Address: 3-8-11 Minamisenba, Chuo-ku, Osaka, 542-0081 Japan

Closest Metro Station: Shinsaibashi 

Tel: +81 (0)6 6251-3933

Website: https://www.sobayoshi.com/shop/shinsaibashi/index.html

Opening Hours: 11:00am - 3:30pm (Mon, Wed - Fri), 5:30pm - 9:30pm (Mon, Wed - Fri), 11:00am - 9:30pm (Sat - Sun)

Nakajima Taishodo Daimaru Shinsaibashi Store 中島大祥堂 大丸心齋橋店 (Osaka, JAPAN) ★★★☆☆

Nakajima Taishodo (中島大祥堂) is a historic and highly regarded Japanese confectionery brand that dates back to 1912. Known for its premium Japanese–Western fusion pastries, cookies, and seasonal gift boxes, it’s a familiar presence in the food halls of major department stores across Osaka.

We first stumbled upon their boutique while heading to Le Pont Du Ciel for dinner. As a fan of the prized Tamba chestnuts (丹波栗), of course mom didn’t hesitate to peek at the shop’s signature offerings made with Tamba chestnuts. 

But surprise surprise, we ended up not grabbing any dessert that day.

This time around, mom was determined to finally cross it off her bucket list. So when she spotted a Nakajima Taishodo counter at the Daimaru Shinsaibashi Store (大丸心齋橋店) this morning, she couldn’t hide her excitement.

Chestnut kayabuki (850 yen) — Nakajima Taishodo’s signature Mont Blanc cake, crafted to resemble the traditional thatched roof of their historic main store in the Tamba region of Hyogo Prefecture. It’s especially touted for the extensive use of rare, premium Tamba chestnuts — highly prized across Japan for their large size and rich, deep flavor.

I didn’t get to try it myself, but according to mom, it was totally worth the stomach space, and we’ve got plenty of it especially after skipping breakfast this morning!

Food Rating: 5.8/10

Price: ￥￥￥

Address: B1F Food Hall, Daimaru Shinsaibashi, 1-7-1 Shinsaibashisuji, Chuo-ku, Osaka, 542-8501 Japan

Closest Metro Station: Shinsaibashi 

Tel: +81 (0)70 2273-1057

Website: https://www.ntdshop.jp/

Opening Hours: 10:00am - 8:00pm daily

Mugi to Tori 麥×鷄 (Osaka, JAPAN) ★★★★☆

We finally got our rental car back to the car rental company. Since it was already getting a little late for lunch (around 2:00pm), we decided to go to a familiar favorite for today’s meal.

Mugi to Tori (麦×鶏) is a wildly popular ramen shop in Osaka, especially known for its “foam-style” Tori Paitan — a creamy chicken-broth ramen that has become a fan favorite for both locals and tourists.

The shop features a modern, clean, and bright interior. With primarily bar seating, it’s a comfortable spot for both solo travelers and families.

The menu focuses on classic ramen and tsukemen (dipping noodles), with a range of broth variations. There was also a seasonal chilled sweet corn ramen available.

As much as their standard tori paitan was an obvious hit, there was no question what we’d be ordering for lunch this afternoon: their signature sea urchin chicken ramen (Mugi x Uni / 麦x雲丹).

Right before serving, the rich, collagen-packed chicken broth is whipped with a hand mixer until it becomes a smooth, airy, velvety white foam — almost like a cappuccino. The result is a broth that tastes incredibly flavorful and luxurious without feeling heavy.

This is the ultimate crowd-pleaser for seafood lovers.

Fresh sea urchin paste is blended directly into the foamy chicken broth, creating a rich, sweet, umami-forward flavor profile — decadent yet surprisingly light compared to some other broths on the market.

The soft-boiled egg wasn't bad.

Thick-cut bamboo shoot

The chicken breast was again very tender and juicy.

The thin sliced pork shoulder loin offered a totally different mouthfeel.

What really stood out, though, was how beautifully the noodles cling to the broth. Every bite felt pure joy — rich, smooth, and perfectly balanced.

Overall, this was the perfect start to our Osaka stay: a hearty, satisfying bowl of ramen to kick things off.

Food Rating: 7.4/10

Price: ￥￥￥

Address: 3-1-16 Minamisenba, Chuo-ku, Osaka, 542-0081 Japan

Closest Metro Station: Shinsaibashi 

Tel: +81 (0)6 6121-7601

Website: www.instagram.com/mugi_tori

Opening Hours: 10:30am - 3:00pm, 6:00pm - 10:00pm daily

Kushiage Kitchen Dan EKIZO Sannomiya 串揚げキッチン だん EKIZO神戸三宮店 (Kobe, JAPAN) ★★★★☆

The last couple of years, I’ve fallen in love with kushikatsu (串揚), a popular Japanese comfort food made of deep-fried, skewered bite-sized meats, seafood, and vegetables.

Unfortunately, there aren’t nearly enough kushikatsu restaurants in Hong Kong, so I can only get my fix during my trips to Japan. And what better place to have them than Osaka, where kushikatsu originated in Shinsekai in the early 1900s?

But wait — we were in Kobe. Yes, but tonight’s dinner venue, Kushiage Kitchen Dan (串揚げキッチン だん), is an off-shoot of the flagship Ishibashi Store (石橋店) in Ikeda City, Osaka. It’s also the casual sister of Kitashinchi Kushikatsu Bon, which earned a Michelin star from 2010 to 2023.

Kushiage Kitchen Dan is located in EKIZO, a dining complex right next to Sannomiya Station (三宮駅). 

Like most kushiage specialists, Kitchen Dan works around a spacious counter with the chefs working diligently behind (this place was full when we entered!).

With six of us including this guy, it was better that we were given a private room in a quiet corner of the restaurant.

I missed the introduction of condiments when I slipped out for a doughnut at nearby .donut, but the dipping options looked pretty standard (left to right): a light soy sauce, a mustard sauce (infused with ponzu/yuzu?), a traditional sweet-and-savory Worcestershire-based tonkatsu sauce, and of course, some specialty salt.

We were really hungry since we didn't have much to eat all afternoon. Needless to say, when this platter showed up, everyone's eyes immediately lit up.

Premium black wagyu beef chateaubriand — I was given the premium center-cut to kick off the meal. Not surprisingly, it's one of the restaurant's signature items.

The absolute thickest, most tender center cut of the beef tenderloin (極上黑毛和牛), elevated by the intense, buttery marbling. Beautifully cooked too!

Lotus root — Crunchy, but I always thought it wasn't the best choice with a thin, crisp batter but that's just me.

Black tiger prawn — Very bouncy and as always very very tasty.

Foie gras over zucchini — The foie gras came with incredible smokiness. Very nicely done. It was my first time enjoying grilled foie gras paired with juicy zucchini, and it was such a hit that I ended up having two of these.

Onion from Awaji island — Pretty juicy and worked well with the soy sauce.

Creamy corn and bacon croquette — Pretty decent.

It was absolutely packed with runny corn cream and corn kernels. No sign of the bacon though.

Wheat gluten rice cracker — Japanese rice cake covered with rice krispies. I thought this was kind of cute but everybody from my team thought it looked weird.

The texture was sticky and chewy almost like a mochi.

Sillago with tartare sauce — Surprisingly meaty. The tartare sauce on top was a nice complement.

Green asparagus — The light and crisp batter gave the green asparagus a nice, delicate texture, while the cottonseed oil added a subtle nutty, buttery notes. Love this~

Scallop — Pretty decent but I wasn't a fan of the pickled red onion on top. 

Crab claw — Pretty delicious but I still thought our Chinese version was better.

We ordered four skewer sets, so we got four choices of chicken rice, egg over rice, and/or wonton noodle soup. It looked like everyone wanted some eggy noodles, but it turned out to be glass noodles.

Dessert was a choice between fried bread (our server described it as "French toast") served with ice-cream, fried mochi, and fried sweetened red bean paste.

The fried mochi tasted a little funny.

The disk of red bean paste was served with a scoop of ice-cream. Not bad as a palate cleanser. 

 

What I love most about a kushikatsu meal is the texture—the way the meat, seafood, and vegetables come out light, crisp, and non-greasy, with a delicate bite that never feels heavy. This was a really, really good meal, and I’m glad I chose it over Kobe beef which often turns into a tourist trap.

Food Rating: 7.3/10

Price: ￥￥￥

Address: Zone B Kobe Sannomiya Hankyu Building EKIZO, 4-2-1 Kanocho, Chuo-ku, Kobe, Hyogo 650-0001, Japan

Closest Metro Station: Sannomiya

Tel: +81 (0)78-381-7116

Website: http://www.kitchen-dan.jp/

Opening Hours: 11:00am - 3:00pm, 5:00pm - 11:00pm (Mon - Fri), 11:00am - 11:00pm (Sat - Sun)