Yardbird
Rating: 8.2/10
Price: Around 400-500 HKD per person (incl. drinks)
I had been dying to go to this restaurant that seemed to be making the top list of almost every HK-restaurant-related blogs! So when my friend suggested we try something 'Asian' just as we were walking through Sheung Wan, I knew this was the chance to drag him to go try Japanese Yakitori.
Convincing him was easy enough, and by the time we walked in (which was actually rather early at 6:00PM) the whole place was already getting quite full with drinks being poured, converstaions already flowing and dinner being served. I loved the atmosphere in the restaurant as well, and the waiters were so friendly guiding us to our table (which is shockingly rare in HK) that I already started secretly loving the place before we even started eating.
I had planned to wow my german friend through my in-depth knowledge of the asian cuisine, but upon seeing the Menu i was just as lost as he is.. we had absolutely NO idea what to order, how much to order and what was even edible! (they had everthing from chicken kidneys to oysters to hearts!)
Just as I was getting slightly panick-y and regretting the on-spot decision to come to Yardbird without really looking into how and what i'll be eating, our incredibly friendly and helpful waiter swept in to recommend and help us plan our dinner for the night...
Following his advice, we started with the Cucumber Salad with Miso Dressing (70HKD) which i have to say was one of the best cucumber salads I have ever had in my life! The miso dressing went perfectly with the fresh cucumbers and the pine nuts, and we ended up eating everything.. down to the last sesame on the plate.
The portions are rather small, so make sure to order a couple! The waiter sugested we order around 2 appetizers, 3 or 4 skewers each, 1-2 main dish and if still hungry (we weren't)... rice or noodle plate!
Our next appetizer was this Sweet Corn Tempura (85 HKD). Although I had no inkling of what it would look like, this puffy corn ball was the last thing I had expected! And it tasted as good and surprising as it looked!
Oh, they also have an extensive drinks menu with funky sake and sochu (and cocktails) but we stuck to Draft Sapporo Beer .. which was rather disappointing only because they gave it to us in such tiny glass... boo...
Anyhow after a great start to our meal, we were finally ready to eat some Yakitori
As this extremely cute logo of Yardbird, it was all about chicken tonight! :)
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| Source: Yardbird |
All three were wonderful.... and the chicken was so juicy and succulent that even my friend who was skeptical as to how good skewered chicken could be was won over! The meatball also looked like a huge larvae (but even the resemblance didn't stop us from gobbling it up), the best part was as our waiter lavishly promised was Chicken Oysters.
Now. I have no idea why they are called oysters... In Korean i'm pretty sure it is what we label 'butt-hole'... to which in comparison guess 'oysters' is a better name..
As soon as I saw it I recognized what it was! (but thankfully didn't yell out 'it's the BUTTHOLE!'
My brother and I used to fight over this part of the chicken, as it was the fattiest, juiciest and absolutely best part of the chicken (unless you're one of those diet-frenzy-fat-free people).
AND.... it was MUCH better than how I had remembered it to be. Leaving me with a huuuuuge smile as shown below! :)
And Alas, it was time for our 'main dish' which was called KFC (which can't be anything except...fried chicken...could it?) BUT despite the place being all about chicken, and the obvious connection to FRIED CHICKEN... in Yardbird, KFC stood for Korean Fried Cauliflower (75HKD), which is basically the same dressing and flavoring as what we would put on Fried Chicken back hom in Korea but done on Cauliflower.
And... although I do intensely love chicken, this dish was delectable to a degree that did not leave me missing the fried chicken in Korea! Plus.. it made me less guilty about eating it than fried chicken too :)
In the end it was a lovely dinner, and although we skipped on getting the rice dish as neither of us were really hungry to begin with, I think if you come in for a proper dinner you should aim to include one more main dish and maybe a rice dish to share! The total bill came to 300HKD (yardbird has no service charge), i'd guess it would usually be roughly around 200HKD more if you include one or two more dishes and a cocktail!
Although it was a little indulgent, it was totally worth the price and we left the place enthusiastic about our new found interest and amazement in Yakitori and could not wait to return one day for more! Maybe next time (although he insists he won't) will finally get my friend to try out a heart or two.
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