Kichi Jyu Japanese Restaurant
7/F, The Loop, 33 Wellington Street, Central
Hong Kong (click for more Kichi Jyu Japanese restaurant)

Everyone like a great deal. I do.

Kichi Jyu Japanese Restaurant all you can eat Japanese in Central Hong Kong is a good deal but … the space is limited.

But for around $25 UDS, all you can eat items include sushi, a must drink Hokaido soup, skewer, tempura, and other Asian treats.

But truly, the hokaido soup plays center stage. Milky soup married with sea sweet flavors from shrimp is just a great comfort food dish. Their melt in your mouth eel nigiri sushi is worth a few orders.

An all you can eat experience is about have the freedom to order what you like when you like. Loosen you belt and let gluttony meet you head on.

I also really enjoy taking some great food photos.

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Yuyu Sushi
3 Ship Street, Wan Chai
Hong Kong, China(click for more Yuyu sushi restaurant food photos)

Tuna sushi seared with a dash of sweet Korean sauce makes this dish a winner. The Korean sauce seared tuna should be considered Yuyu Sushi’s signature dish.

The squid sushi and raw shrimp have sea sweet tones.

I think that the bbq eel is a bit firm for my taste since I prefer eel that literally melts in my life. With a nice modern decor and attentive service, YuYu sushi is a great sushi destination.

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Urawa Japanese Restaurant
G/F, Tung HIp Commercial Building
224-252 Des Voeux Road, Sheung Wan Hong Kong

Taking off my shoe anxiously like a little kid, I dashed over to the tatami and started gazing at the mile long menu. For just around $25 USD, the all you can order makes eating a pleasure.

I don’t have hold back on what to order.

Must eat items include everything toro aka tuna belly. Toro has butter like texture married with sea sweet taste. Fantastic.

Toro handroll, toro sushi. Give me everything toro.

Another item worth ordering are the uni (sea urchin) hand rolls. Ordering a fleet of nigiri sushi just made my day. For dishes that warm the heart try the shabu shabu.

With tender cheeks, the salmon fish head is also a great order. Service is attentive and great place for Sunday brunch.

Also, all you can drink soda and beer is included.

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Fatty Tuna Toro Rice Set

Ten Sho
G/F, Dei Shing Building,313-323 Jeffey Road, Wan Chai
Hong Kong
(click for Ten Show food pictures)

I run over to Ten Sho for toro (tuna belly) rice set. For about $15 USD, the lunch set is amazing. The toro has rich texture with sea sweet taste. A few drizzle of soy sauce finishes of the rice dish.

Cooked al dente, the udon noodles is great hot dish.

With so many Japanese restaurants in Hong Kong, Ten Sho is one of the few authentic Japanese restaurants. The head chefs is Japanese and his knife skills are noticeable in all the dishes.

Featuring wooden tables, the decor is very minimalistic in style but the service is not up to par.

OH Taisho
(212) 673-1300
Frnt C, 9 Saint Marks Place
New York, NY

With the vibrant sizzling grilling sounds, my appetite gets whet. With an open kitchen, patrons can see master yakatori chefs grill tender meat.

Great yakatori displays charcoal welcoming nutty notes and is glazed with a savory sweet sauce.

Other great dishes include bacon in quail egg yakatori.

The grilled tuna salad is great cool dish to contrast the hot yakatori. For a firmer meat, the duck salad is a great choice.
Raw tuna is also a great sea sweet salad.

But my favorite dish is fried squid legs. The crispy coating just pairs so well with chewy sea sweet squid legs.

This is one of the best meals I had in New York.

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Funayama
(212) 989-2500
24 Greenwich Avenue
New York, NY

RUN Rayfil! RUN!

Like Jack Bauer looking for the quickest escape, I wanted to… so bad.

I wanted to dash out the door and hop over to Joe’s for a cheese pizza.
But, too late. I had been suckered into the worst meal of my life.

I was forced fed bad sushi.

Hands down, the worst SUSHI and meal in my life.
I was caught by surprise.

Located in trendy Greenwich area in New York City, this restaurant should simply not exist.

Firstly, I know my food. I was a food writer for a newspaper in San Francisco and have been to Tokyo for authentic real sushi.

Staying on point. The all you can eat at Funayama is below par.

I would rather have eaten my mom’s cooking, and trust.. she is not much better.

For around $23, I thought I give this place a try.

The Chinese sushi chef should have been a red flag.

Sushi rice is suppose to be slightly tart and welcomes the senses, served below room temperature.
Instead, the chef was using rice straight from the rice cooker.

No! No! No!

The rice was too warm.
Raw fish serve on a bed of warm rice.

This is not your high school home economics class.

Sushi needs to have the proper dressing and fanned carefully.

Instead, the rice had crunchy texture. Nasty.
Also, the knife skills were just lacking.

Non uniform pieces revealed this.

Under trained chef, warm/crunchy rice, and nominal service.

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Japan Center: On the Bridge
(415) 922-7765
1581 Webster Street
San Francisco, CA

When a restaurant specializes in a certain dish, the dish must be remarkable. Remarkable defined as something worth talking about or something worth tasting again.

Unfortunately, On the Bridge in Japantown San Francisco does not deliver good curry. Served luke warm, the curry lacked nutty rich notes.

Good curry should be served piping hike especially since it is a comfort food dish. My fried pork chops also lacked a crunchy crust.

So save some bucks and avoid this restaurant.

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Cafe Mums – Home of Shabu Shabu
(415) 931-6986
at the Hotel Tomo, Japantown, 1800 Sutter Street
San Francisco, California

If you’re craving meat, Cafe Mums is a great all you can destination. Located in Japantown San Francisco, Cafe Mums features tender beef.

A few swish swish in the hot pot, the beef is ready to eat in a few seconds. Paper thin slices of beef is tender and the marbling on the beef makes the beef so flavorful.

A quick dip into the shabu shabu sauce mixed with daikon and crunchy onions cools down the heated meat.

For just about $30 USD, the all you can eat offering is a great choice especially on foggy days. Noticeably, the service is friendly as the waiter promptly brings out plates of the all you can eat beef.

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Taraval Okazu Ya Restaurant
(415) 759-6850
1735 Taraval St
San Franciso, CA

Previously, I had written a detailed blog on Taraval Okazu Ya Restaurant.

Today, I just wanted to high light a few dishes.

The golden colored sea urchin (uni) taste sea sweat but taste better with a quick dunk into Ponzu, a Japanese citrus based sauce.

Try wasabi tobiko which are colored with wasabi and definitely bring a strong kicker to the palate.

For diners that like crunchy sea sweet texture, the geoduck (muragai) is a great choice.

Taravel Okazu Ya has had great business because it is one of those Japanese restaurants run by friendly owners such as Mike and Joanne.

Expect friendly service and fresh fish. This restaurant is great for casual dining but not for intimate dates.

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Itamae Sushi
G/F 24-26 East Point Road Causeway Bay
Hong Kong

After about half an hour wait, we finally got seated. Kaiten conveyor belt sushi is fun since diners can select their own dishes over the moving belt.

Nutty notes from the fried sushi nigiri sushi made it a good choice. Brushed with a sweet glaze, the unagi eel nigiri was a great order.

Kaiten conveyor belt sushi is an experience since diners can order dishes at their own pace and people watch as well. Itamae sushi often gets crowded so I suggest eating early or late for dinner.

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Kanoka Kamaage Udon
Shop 3 G/F Podium Plaza 5 Hanoi Road
Hong Kong

Great restaurants have great hospitality training. My father, a former Food and Beverage director for Marriot, taught me that the “customer is king.”

At Kanoka Kamaage Udon, I kindly asked if I can have my shrimp tempura served on a plate and not inside the soup to ensure crispiness.

The waiter said that the udon must be served “as is” in the picture.

So not only was my shrimp tempura soggy, the udon was over cooked.
Proper udon should be cooked al dente to highlight chewy texture.

The interior is clean but the food lacks stellar execution for a simple easy to make dish such as udon. I won’t be coming here again.

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Senryo
2/F, Hang Lung Centre, 2-20 Paterson Street,
Hong Kong

It is hard to find a good kaiten conveyor belt sushi in Hong Kong. First, great sushi is hard to find.

I have tasted “rookie” sushi operators serve food that is below par but thank goodness that Senryo was above par.

Both their locations at Causway Bay and IFC /a>delivers exception quality. Their vinegared rice is on note while their fish is vibrant and fresh.

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Bushi -Tei Bistro
(415) 409-4959
1581 Webster Street
San Francisco, CA

With a dark trim interior, Bushi Tei Bistro presents fusion in a successful way. Fresh tuna and shrimp served over a mound of sushi rice, make up the charashi.

Sea sweet scallops served with mashed potatoes is delightful. Great appetizer such as steam clams add character to a good meal.

The apple pie is all about temperature contrast. Chilled ice cream contrast so ever well with the apple pie. All the dishes were on par along with noticeably friendly service.

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Located in a tall commercial building, Oriental Sake Bar Yu-Zen is a charming sake restaurant bar. With dark interior trims, the restaurant delivers a large range of sake choice but also a few great bites.

The seared beef is tender featuring blushing pink colors and well seasoned. The wait staff is attentive and charmingly dressed.

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Romankan Yokohama delivers a juicy pork cutlet sandwich. With a crispy texture, the pork cutlet is served in between two soft white breads. A slice of sweet tomato and crunchy onions are great side actors.

Hearty fries come with their sandwich set along with refreshing lemon ice tea. With dark wooden decor, the interior is simple allowing the food to play center stage.

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“I’m horny for ramen!” and I reached climax. Clap! Clap! Santouka, similar to their locations in California, delivered awesome ramen.

With my anxious palms, I caressed the bowl in a gentle manner…just like carrying a newborn. After all, everything in the bowl was meticulously prepared.

Before I examined each detail, I slurped the soup. ahh

I knew I had reached comfort food heavy and was floating on Cloud 9.Few diners around me understood how to really cherish and eat ramen.

For rookie diners, they merely saw noodles and soup.

But like an art lover that examines a revered painting, oh yes.. there is much more.

Whet your lips. The velveting milky soup is a perfect combination of savory and distinct nutty notes. I ordered #1 which was the salty pork ramen that featured UNAMI, the 5th sense.

Shoots add just enough crunch as side actors.

Cooked al dente, the noodle are chewy and tender.

Tender roast pork can literally be cut through with the tongue. Thin layers of fat just give it enough of flavor but does not overwhelm the palate.

For flavor enthusiast, try the spicy ramen. With a crispy crust, the gyoza (potstickers) are a great side dish.

Save the hassle, come on the weekdays to beat the crowd.

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Animal activist, look away! I was about to take my first bite of foie gras sushi. With a dash of gold flake, the creamy liver just melted in my mouth. The vinegar rice added just a hint of tart touch that lightened the dish.

Spectacular!

After eating nominal kaiten (conveyor belt) sushi in San Francisco, I had very low expectations. But unlike the ones I have eaten before, the selection in Hong Kong was more vibrant. There were creative selections such a seared tuna and foie gras.

I can see why kaiten sushi is popular. A diner can just choose from the sushi go around and choose what they like to eat. It is fun and the vibrant variety just keeps the meal exciting.

Crunchy tones can be found in tempura sushi. The seared sushi takes sushi to another level. Try the trio seared selection (scallop, eel, tuna). Searing the seafood adds nutty notes. The seared scallop has the sea- sweet taste with a crispy crust. The creamy sweet eel is also a winner. Seared tuna brings out a temperature contrast.

A must order is the soft shell crab hand roll. With creaminess from the crab roll and sea sweet meat, this hand roll is finished with an appetizing sweet mayonnaise.

As for pricing, each order of nigiri (two pieces) range from $2 USD to $5 USD. Salmon is one of the least expensive while just one order of foie gras sushi is around $5 USD.

My cousin and I ended up eating around $25 USD per person. Everything was just aligned, from properly vinegar rice to fresh ingredients.

The interior has soft wooden touches and the service was good. One thing to note is that they do not serve beer but they welcome diners to bring their own beer.

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