Tempura Suzuki 天婦羅鈴木 (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★★☆

My team is off to meet up with Madame Taekwondo in Shenzhen this weekend leaving yours truly behind in Hong Kong. Rather than going up to SZ myself, I decided to stay local. Tempura Suzuki (天婦羅鈴木) and Tempura Tenon (天婦羅天御) have long been on my to-do list so this was the perfect timing to cross one off that list. Tempura Suzuki eventually got the nod with its proximity to my next destination after lunch.

I didn’t recall visiting the 10-seater counter-only restaurant before but judging from how they replied to me via WhatsApp with my surname (I didn’t initially tell them my name), there was a chance that I have visited a restaurant within their group before.

During lunch service, there was a choice of two tempura sets: a basic course set ($580) and a premium omakase course set ($1,580). Since I wasn’t in the mood for a big feast, I went with the simpler tempura set.

Deep-fried sesame tofu (胡麻豆腐) — The thin batter of the homemade sesame tofu worked really well with the dashi.

The delicate, deep sesame flavors were complemented nicely by a subtle hint of wasabi.

Shrimp head — I got not one but two shrimp heads!

As always, crispy and very delicate.

Shrimp — Fresh and springy. No wonder it’s always a fan favorite. (And no, I didn't get two shrimps despite having two heads!)

Red eggplant (赤茄子) — Crispy on the outside and soft, melt in the mouth inside. 

One of the best memorable item of the meal this afternoon.

Thread fish (姫魚) — Silky but not overly oily. I liked the mild flavor of the fish with minimal seasoning, and just a few drops of the zesty lemon juice already made a huge difference.

Myoga ginger (茗荷) — As expected, there was some extra heat from the ginger but it was relatively light.

At this point, I took a break from the deep-fried goodness. Next up, a refreshing dish of cuttlefish sashimi. 

The cuttlefish itself was soft in texture and not overly flavorful, but fortunately, the bonito consommé jelly, tomato, and perilla flowers came to the rescue. A touch of shiso helped elevate the overall flavors.

Japanese red pepper🌶️ (紅椒) — Very very juicy.

Love this.

Scallop — Two thin slices of scallop tempura were served with truffle salt.

Maitake mushroom (舞茸) — Apart from the shrimp, the vegetables has apparently become a highlight of this meal. The highlights started with the eggplant and red pepper, and continued with this maitake: crispy, tender, and deeply satisfying.

Sea eel (穴子) — Another one that works well with the thin batter.

This looked like the same sea eel tempura but served with a homemade sea eel sauce (鰻魚汁), topped with sancho pepper, and wasabi. Of course, the highlight of the dish was the crispy fish bone which delivered a lovely crunch.

I usually choose tendon (天丼) with a freshly fried kakiage whenever possible but this afternoon, I wasn't offered a choice anyway.

The tendon was served with some nice pickles.

And a bowl of red miso soup.

Dessert was a scoop of coconut ice-cream and homemade yokan (羊羹). A sweet ending to my relaxing tempura lunch.

Service was outstanding today, and that matters especially with all the different Japanese ingredients in the meal. The only thing I felt a little gutted about was not choosing the more luxurious set with all the premium ingredients.

Food Rating: 7.1/10

Price: $$$$

Address: 1/F, 11 Stanley Street, Central, Central, Hong Kong

Closest Metro Station: Central

Tel: +852 2861-0018

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

Opening Hours: 12:00pm - 3:00pm, 6:30pm - 11:00pm daily

Sister Wah Beef Brisket 華姐清湯腩 COCO Park 店 (Shenzhen, CHINA) ★★★☆☆

I wrote about Sister Wah Beef Brisket (華姐清湯腩) opening in Shenzhen back in April after I stumbled upon its (then-future) One Avenue (卓悅中心) outpost. This new location should save diehard fans some serious headaches, considering the long queues in front of their Tin Hau (天后) flagship. In fact, a couple of weeks ago, I saw a Facebook post somewhere mentioning a certain Hong Kong mogul lining up there like us ordinary citizens. It really spoke volumes about the quality of Sister Wah — but my main question was whether they could maintain the same standard with ventures across the border.

I was running errands near Coco Park in Shenzhen this afternoon, and what I didn’t realize was that, apart from One Avenue, they were also opening another branch there. Guess I gotta find out about their beef brisket after all.

To my major disappointment, a few of their signatures were unavailable this afternoon including my favorite skirt steak (崩沙腩)!

Beef brisket in clear broth (清湯腩) — My consolation prize.

I have chosen egg noodles instead of flat noodles and it worked beautifully with the clear broth.

To my pleasant surprise, the beef brisket was much fattier than I thought. Even the meat wasn’t rough and chewy like I had first feared. Not bad.

The chilled cucumber was packed with a surprise extra kick (chili?).

Sister Wah Beef Brisket wasn’t my first choice to begin with but I was glad I unexpectedly bumped into its new location at Coco Park. Crossing it off my list didn’t even break a sweat.

Food Rating: 6.4/10

Price: ¥¥¥

Address: B1F 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 一期负1楼 B1

Closest Metro Station: Shopping Park (購物公園)

Tel: +86 13265884747

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

Map: https://j.map.baidu.com/a8/14TM 

All Day Chicken Lab Tsuen Wan 全日雞實驗所 荃灣店 (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★☆☆

All Day Chicken Lab (全日雞實驗所) is a highly popular Singaporean restaurant chain in Hong Kong known for its Hainanese chicken (海南雞). It first gained fame in Sham Shui Po thanks to its signature "thermal immersion cooker" technique, which carefully controls the water temperature to give the chicken a silky, melt-in-your-mouth texture. It was voted No. 1 "Hainanese Chicken Rice" by some local food groups one year.

The restaurant operates a few branches across Hong Kong but I have never come across any one of them until my co-worker told me about them this afternoon. Thanks to my love for Singaporean food, I decided to give it a try.

I ordered the Hainanese chicken set (溫泉雞套餐), featuring their Hainan chicken cooked using the onsen technique, accompanied by steamed rice (no, I didn’t order the fragrant rice), soup, and the usual condiments (chili sauce, shredded ginger, etc.).

The chicken breast was seriously tender without being too soft. Unlike some other Hainanese chicken joints, the flesh was flavorful and didn’t have that rubbery feel. Of course, the portion could’ve been a little bigger but considering the price, it’s a fair deal.

Their kaya toast has also been getting rave reviews, so I was curious how it stacks up against others in the market. Without hesitation, my co-worker and I ordered one to share.

This was quite decent. The crispy, thin toast reminded me of the style of Singapore’s Ya Kun (亞坤) but it really needs more kaya jam.

Food Rating: 5.3/10

Price: $$$

Address: G/F, 16 Shiu Wo Street, Tsuen Wan, NT, Hong Kong

Closest Metro Station: Tsuen Wan

Tel: +852 6277-7845

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