Kiku, another Japanese Restaurant

I was strolling on my day off at Central and stumbled across this restaurant, Kiku – I have read a couple of reviews on this restaurant and was pretty stocked when I stumbled across it. I have to admits - It's not the cheapest Japanese Restaurant, it is one of the fanciest Japanese restaurant I have been thus far in Hong Kong. Décor was simple with traditional Japanese design features. It does get extremely busy and booking even for lunch is a must! I was lucky to be there early enough to get a table, however, I was told that I had to leave after about 1 hour, which suits me fine.

Menu was quite intensive – almost all styles of Japanese cooking and fresh seafood played an integral part on the menu – grilled, simmered, steamed, you name it, they had it! Prices also varied pending on what you order. Unfortunately, I was dining solo, which means my ordering was limited to just one person! I wanted a salad to start off with, saw Smoked Salmon and Mango Salad – and thought perfect! I am a huge fan of agedashi tofu – and tofu is usually light so ordered that and a I was craving chicken karage – so I ordered that too!

The salad came first – smoked salmon and mango salad – it was just too pretty to eat! The salad consisted of shredded cucumber, lettuce, bit of onions and carrot, which was topped with a generous serving of smoked salmon, mango and Japanese caviar roe with mayonnaise dressing. The combination of it all was simply divine, the mix salad, with the saltiness of the smoked salmon, the sweet mango and the creamy mayonnaise… I savoured every single mouthful I took… it was just absolutely delightful – I could have definitely eaten another plate of that!

Agedashi tofu came not long after, and it wasn't what I expected! I was expecting a bowl of tofu cut into small pieces, instead just one tofu served in a small plate with seaweed and mushroom. Probably a good thing, as I may have ordered too much! Agedashi Tofu is silken firm tofu, cut into cubes lightly dusted with potato starch or cornstarch and then deep fried until golden brown. It's then served in a hot tentsuyu broth made of dashi, mirin, and sho-yu (Japanese soy sauce) topped with finely chopped negi (a type of spring onion), grated daikon or katsuobushi. (One can easily make this at home – however, I am not big on deep frying food at home!). The tofu was definitely soft with a crunchy exterior and sauce was a little tangy.

Last but not least – chicken karage. I went through a phase this week where I was craving chicken karage. I was a little disappointed with the chicken karage – the chicken was not as moist / juicy / tender as I have hoped - It was a little try. The tempura was perfect, it wasn't heavily coated, however, if it was a more tender and moist, it would definitely have been better!

All in all – it was a great meal. Will definitely have to bring Hubby here, so I can try more things. I hear there is a Japanese grill, which provides an excellent smoky cod in miso sauce (is it as good as Nobu though?) and the stone-grilled Wagyu sirloin is also a favourite! Next time!

Kiku
B/F The Landmark,
16 Des Voeux Rd, Central
Hong Kong