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)

Honetsukidori Kushidori Kataharamachi 骨付鳥 焼鳥専門店 串どり 片原町店 (Takamatsu, JAPAN) ★★★☆☆

After a visit to Marugame-cho Green and the Pokemon Center, we took a stroll around Takamatsu Central Shopping Street (高松中央商店街) and it didn't take long before we finally arrived at our dinner venue.

While I was doing my research on Kagawa and the region’s culinary heritage, one dish kept coming up — honetsukidori (骨付鳥). It’s an iconic local soul food: bone-in roasted chicken, typically a whole bone-in chicken thigh, seasoned with garlic, salt, and lots of heavy pepper, then roasted until the skin turns shatteringly crisp.

I figured Honetsukidori Kushidori Kataharamachi (骨付鳥 焼鳥専門店 串どり 片原町店) would be the perfect spot to experience it — especially since it also specializes in yakitori (and my little nugget loves yakitori).

Enjoying Takamatsu's famous bone-in chicken (6 varieties in total) along with over 40 kinds of yakitori at reasonable prices sounded too good to be true.

We have a pretty big group so we were immediately escorted to a private room.

Some of us had a tough time finding our footing at first since the space was a little cramped.

Now, that's a fairly impressive lineup of grilled skewers.

I assumed the metal plate was meant for the bone-in chicken, but we ended up using it to keep the skewers warm too. Of course, nobody was really waiting for anything to cool down anyway (since we were all starving).

Tsukune with grated radish — The Japanese chicken meatballs came topped with grated radish, green onions, and bonito flakes. It wasn’t bad although I felt the minced chicken was a little too smooth and slightly lacking in texture.

Shiitake mushroom — Always a crowd pleaser. We ended up ordering another round of these to satisfy everyone's cravings.

Tsukune — The original version served with just the egg yolk and sweet soy. Yum!

Rice box with three skewers — Everyone was fighting over the steamed rice but not the skewers. I wonder why.

Chicken wing — Really crispy on the outside, but tender and moist inside. 👍👍

Asparagus bacon roll — Not bad.

Pork and kimchi roll — The crunchy kimchi was the real winner here, and the extra kick was spot on.

Now onto the main event tonight. When ordering honetsukidori, you will always be asked to choose between Hinadori and Oyadori. 

Hina (Young Chicken 雛鳥) — Soft, tender, and very juicy. Highly recommended for first-timers including us.

Oya (Parent Chicken 親鳥) — Chewy and tough, but packed with deep, mature umami flavor. Best for true chicken lovers with very strong teeth.

We finished the night by ordering even more skewers, and everyone left with really happy tummies.

A solid start to our trip! I wanted to do more exploring around Takamatsu after dinner, but a few of us were simply too ready to crash early.

Food Rating: 5.6/10

Price: ￥￥￥

Address: 9-1 Kataharamachi, Takamatsu, Kagawa, 760-0040, Japan

Closest Train Station: Kataharamachi

Tel: +81 (0)87-897-5151

Website: https://kushidori-kataharamachi.owst.jp/

Opening Hours: 5:00pm - 10:30pm (Mon - Thu), 5:00pm - 11:00pm (Fri), 4:30pm - 11:00pm (Sat)

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)

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

We had such a good time dining at Yakitori Tsukada (燒鳥塚田) last time that I told myself I’d return again — eventually. But of course, “eventually” turned into today, and this time I came as a solo diner after meeting up with my hair stylist.

Tucked away on the ground floor of Grand Centre (格蘭中心), Yakitori Tsukada offers both regular tables and a counter setup for guests. As is usually the case when I’m dining at a yakitori restaurant, I went straight for the bar table.

Rice bowl with minced chicken and egg omelette ($128) — I spotted this during our visit back in February and it stayed on my radar. Unfortunately, it’s only available at lunch, so I knew I had to come back for it at some point.

When it arrived, I did exactly what the dish seemed to ask for — mixing the egg yolk with the minced chicken patty and the egg omelette, enjoying every ingredient together with a spoonful of rice. 

And as expected, the yolk soaked in beautifully, turning the rice into something rich and satisfying.

The egg omelette was, again, wonderfully succulent.

But the same could not be said about the minced chicken patty. It was way too smooth, with hardly any texture almost like having a purée. It could have been so much more enjoyable with a little more bite, perhaps with the addition of something like soft bones or water chestnut for the contrasting texture. Those elements were sorely missing here.

I didn’t get to try any of their skewers today. The seasonal items like grilled firefly had my attention but I was simply too full to take on more food at this point.

Food Rating: 6/10

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

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