Thanks to the recent opening of K11 Musea, the dining scene of Tsim Sha Tsui has finally looked up! With more than 60 restaurants, cafes and gourmet shops already open and a handful of them to be unveiled in the next couple of months, it's definitely an exciting time to be visiting this part of the city.
Today, I'm going to check out KAIYŌ (海陽 居酒屋), an upscale Japanese izakaya that offers Japanese sushi, grill, skewers, tonkatsu, curry, donburi and tempura all from one single menu.
Some complimentary appetizers to start off the meal including a pretty nice chawanmushi (steamed japanese egg custard).
Assorted tempura don ($198) - This came with two pieces of tiger prawn tempura.
Also some vegetables including eggplant, green pepper and mushroom. Thankfully, no fish.
This was pretty decent. My only complaint was that the sauce didn't seem to spread out nicely among all the ingredients.
For the same price, there're probably 50 other options out there in the same mall. I'm probably not coming back soon.
P.S. There were negative comments about their service from all over the internet. Now having dined here once, I can honestly confirm that service was pretty cold and spotty but it didn't bother me enough to write a long rant about it. I guess I'm pretty used to the poor service level in Hong Kong already that I accept it as a norm.
Food Rating: 5.5/10
Price: $$$$
Address: Shop 103-103A, 1/F, K11 Musea, Victoria Dockside, 18 Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong
Closest Metro Station: East Tsim Sha Tsui
Tel: +852 2117-0985
Opening Hours: 11:00am - 10:00pm daily
I was looking for a place for a quick meal before little guy's rugby lesson in Causeway Bay this afternoon. Comfort food at Greenhouse Times Square sounded like something that would be welcomed by everyone.
Last time I was here, I was part of a media group (with a small number of self-proclaimed foodies) who was offered a complimentary dinner organized by Gaia Group, the folks behind this fusion restaurant concept. That was quite a number of years ago, when Greenhouse was first opened.
Signature Caesar Salad ($148) - Something to keep us healthy. Surprisingly, there was more soft shell crab there than romaine lettuce and tomato. This was a pretty nice start. I love the deep-fried egg with the soft, runny yolk.
Baked pork belly rice ($118) - But as usual, things were bounded to regress. The truffle rice with roasted pork belly, tomato sauce, pineapple and cheese looked like one of those bargain deals at Cafe Coral. Apart from the underwhelming presentation, what was even more disappointing were the flavors.
Spaghetti Bolognese ($128) - Little nugget wanted spaghetti and he did get his wish this afternoon. This was slightly better than the baked pork belly rice but again, nothing worth raving about.
Stir-fried flat rice noodles ($168) - This one was on me. I was supposed to order their Singaporean rice noodles with lobster (same price!) but I gave our server the wrong item code. This was easily the second best dish behind the Caesar salad. The foie gras and truffle paste worked well with the flat rice noodles but the prime beef really didn't come with the rich flavor and succulent texture one would expect from a prime beef.
My sincere apology for the poor quality of these photos. I usually pack light when I am going outdoor with little guy and these were taken with my old iphone which wasn't working well under the dim lights. Time for a new phone perhaps?
One good dish, one borderline pass one and two that didn't make the cut. I guess there are far better options out there in CWB at this priceline.
Food Rating: 4.5/10
Price: $$$
Address: Shop 1004, 10/F Times Square, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong
Closest Metro Station: Causeway Bay
Tel: +852 2383-4022
Website: www.gaiagroup.com.hk/restaurant/greenhouse/
Opening Hours: 11:30am - 10:30pm daily
