32
8
6
Level1
1
0
2021-09-08 2604 views
dont normally post reviews unless i feel strongly, positively or negatively. this unfortunately is for the latter.food was mediocre and extremely overpriced for what it was (tiny portions of food, and the world's smallest glass of beer, which was only filled 3/4). but what made the experience memorably bad was the rude staff and terrible service. 
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dont normally post reviews unless i feel strongly, positively or negatively. this unfortunately is for the latter.
food was mediocre and extremely overpriced for what it was (tiny portions of food, and the world's smallest glass of beer, which was only filled 3/4). 
but what made the experience memorably bad was the rude staff and terrible service. 
(The above review is the personal opinion of a user which does not represent OpenRice's point of view.)
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Decor
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Level1
2
0
2020-01-24 9347 views
Yardbird 🍢🐣好多人會拎兩間比較高級嘅燒鳥來比較,一間係酉玉,另一間就係yardbird。前者以廚師發板形式上菜,後者就a la carte💁🏻‍♀️兩間都試過嘅我就覺得yardbird比較美味,不過前者環境就比較寧靜舒適總括而言這裏的雞肉肉質比較厚身,真正做到啖啖肉,而且廚師因應不同部位配上不同調味料,把材料自身的美味發揮得淋漓盡致,而且生熟度剛剛好,每一串也令我賞心悅目當中oyster, gizzard, skin個人都覺得係必試!特別本身個人本身已經對oyster位情有獨鍾,呢個部位本身已經矜貴,一隻雞只有兩粒,外皮脆內裏juicy☺️而gizzard加上炸蒜,香到不得了🤩
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Yardbird 🍢🐣
好多人會拎兩間比較高級嘅燒鳥來比較,一間係酉玉,另一間就係yardbird。前者以廚師發板形式上菜,後者就a la carte💁🏻‍♀️兩間都試過嘅我就覺得yardbird比較美味,不過前者環境就比較寧靜舒適

總括而言這裏的雞肉肉質比較厚身,真正做到啖啖肉,而且廚師因應不同部位配上不同調味料,把材料自身的美味發揮得淋漓盡致,而且生熟度剛剛好,每一串也令我賞心悅目

當中oyster, gizzard, skin個人都覺得係必試!特別本身個人本身已經對oyster位情有獨鍾,呢個部位本身已經矜貴,一隻雞只有兩粒,外皮脆內裏juicy☺️而gizzard加上炸蒜,香到不得了🤩
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225 views
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187 views
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(The above review is the personal opinion of a user which does not represent OpenRice's point of view.)
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DETAILED RATING
Taste
Decor
Service
Hygiene
Value
Dining Method
Dine In
Recommended Dishes
  • Oyster
  • Sweet Corn Tempura
Level1
1
0
2017-12-31 11633 views
The food is decent, the atmosphere is very San Francisco hipster/trendy, the service is good, but the portions are very small, and the prices are exorbitant.For 3 people, we ordered:- 5 x breast- 1 x miso breast- 1 x thigh- 1 x ume thigh- 1 x inner thigh- 4 x achilles- 6 x meatball- 3 x wing- 1 x rib- 1 x heart- 1 cucumber salad- 1 eggplant salad- 1 XO fried rice- 1 bottle of sake- 1 whiskey lemonade- 1 bottle of still waterThe only skewer that stood out for me was the achilles. The skin had a l
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The food is decent, the atmosphere is very San Francisco hipster/trendy, the service is good, but the portions are very small, and the prices are exorbitant.

For 3 people, we ordered:
- 5 x breast
- 1 x miso breast
- 1 x thigh
- 1 x ume thigh
- 1 x inner thigh
- 4 x achilles
- 6 x meatball
- 3 x wing
- 1 x rib
- 1 x heart
- 1 cucumber salad
- 1 eggplant salad
- 1 XO fried rice
- 1 bottle of sake
- 1 whiskey lemonade
- 1 bottle of still water

The only skewer that stood out for me was the achilles. The skin had a lovely crisp. The meatballs were supposed to be their star dish. On their own, they were somewhat somewhat bland. The raw egg/soy sauce dipping sauce does not add any flavor other than saltiness. All the other skewers were forgettable. The cucumber salad had a simple dressing, and some pine nuts. The eggplant salad was way too sour. The cucumbers in the eggplant salad, the fried onions (I think) and the vinegar-based dressing were the prevailing flavors. The delicateness of the eggplant was complete lost. The rice was good, and was the only reason we left just somewhat full. 

The above quantities are from my recollection, and are approximate numbers. We paid close to $2200 for the 3 people. This place is great for anyone who indexes more heavily on the scene, expat/hipster clientele, atmosphere, or hype than the actual flavors and textures of the food.
(The above review is the personal opinion of a user which does not represent OpenRice's point of view.)
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DETAILED RATING
Taste
Decor
Service
Hygiene
Value
Date of Visit
2017-12-30
Waiting Time
10 Minutes (Dine In)
Spending Per Head
$750 (Dinner)
Recommended Dishes
  • achilles skewer
Level4
539
0
2017-09-19 9287 views
Whenever you walk past Bridges Street in the evening or during weekends, there's always a line waiting to get into this small yakitori restaurant. So last Friday my friend and I decided to get there at 6pm to prevent the crazy crowd.We were seated at the basement as the ground floor was already full at 6. One of the waiters explained how the menu worked to us as it was our first time there. So basically there're 3 categories on the menu- small dishes, yakitori and dishes to share.We ordered a fe
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Whenever you walk past Bridges Street in the evening or during weekends, there's always a line waiting to get into this small yakitori restaurant. So last Friday my friend and I decided to get there at 6pm to prevent the crazy crowd.

We were seated at the basement as the ground floor was already full at 6. One of the waiters explained how the menu worked to us as it was our first time there. So basically there're 3 categories on the menu- small dishes, yakitori and dishes to share.

We ordered a few skewers and fried chicken to share. (We originally wanted to try the fried rice but the waiter said it might be too big for the 2 of us and suggest us order the fried chicken instead)

When the food came, we were so surprised by how TINY the portions were... (or maybe I'm a big eater so I'll leave the photos here for you to judge)

1. Meatball x2 ($96)
These bite-sized skewers are $48 each and they taste just like one of those you can get from the street venders for $10 (at most).

Meatball
$96
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2. Chick Liver ($45)
No comment.
Chicken  liver
$45
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3. Pork Belly ($48)
This is my fav dish of the night but it's way too small. The size IRL is approximately 6cm in length lmao
Pork  Belly
$48
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4. Pork belly + Meatball
FYI you're supposed to dip the meatball into the soy sauce with the raw egg
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5. Fried Chicken ($85)
Last but not least, here's the "dish to share"... There're 5 pieces of chicken in total, but each of them is smaller than a piece of McNugget. This is just a very close-up pic of the dish smh
Fried  Chicken
$85
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We ordered a few more skewers but I wasn't bothered to take any more photos cuz I was too hangry at that time.

To conclude, Yardbird is really overpriced (and overhyped) in my opinion and the food was just so ordinary. I'd expect A LOT MORE paying that $.
(The above review is the personal opinion of a user which does not represent OpenRice's point of view.)
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Decor
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Dining Method
Dine In
Spending Per Head
$350 (Dinner)
Level2
5
0
2017-08-06 6444 views
I hope to do a better job of exploring the food scene here but I just keep coming back to Yardbird for its addictive meat on a stick offerings and the friendliest service ever! The staff loves pouring sake for you whether you want it or not! I'm addicted to the hatsu moto, which usually runs as a special and is supposedly some elusive artery adjacent to the heart. The texture oscillates between rubbery and delightful in the best way possible. Also addicted to the mushroom rice, and get the clams
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I hope to do a better job of exploring the food scene here but I just keep coming back to Yardbird for its addictive meat on a stick offerings and the friendliest service ever! The staff loves pouring sake for you whether you want it or not! I'm addicted to the hatsu moto, which usually runs as a special and is supposedly some elusive artery adjacent to the heart. The texture oscillates between rubbery and delightful in the best way possible. Also addicted to the mushroom rice, and get the clams if they're running as a special! Love me some meaty clams and these are always the meatiest. The inner thigh is also erotically delicious and a must. The wings are small but pack a flavor punch. You can't go wrong here!
Mushroom  Rice
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(The above review is the personal opinion of a user which does not represent OpenRice's point of view.)
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Decor
Service
Hygiene
Value
Date of Visit
2017-08-05
Waiting Time
60 Minutes (Dine In)
Spending Per Head
$400
Recommended Dishes
Mushroom  Rice
  • Mushroom Rice
  • Sweet Corn Tempura
  • Meatball
Level2
9
0
2017-06-25 4274 views
Cool Place, delicious food and obviously over crowed (arrive early and With all your guests to grab a table!).KFC and corn balls are crazy (as the house bloody marry)!
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Cool Place, delicious food and obviously over crowed (arrive early and With all your guests to grab a table!).KFC and corn balls are crazy (as the house bloody marry)!
(The above review is the personal opinion of a user which does not represent OpenRice's point of view.)
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Level4
174
1
2017-05-30 3823 views
My first time to this place and definitely won't be my last. relatively small shop with an underground floor. All the staff were very ABC like and spoke very good english. Depsite a crowded space and uncomfortable chairs, I find Yardbird to be one of the finest yakitori restaurants in Hong Kong. The meatball, the mushroom salad, the tempura corn and the duck meatball were all great and I really enjoyed the food here. I think services were reasonably good also given such packed space and a busy n
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My first time to this place and definitely won't be my last. relatively small shop with an underground floor. All the staff were very ABC like and spoke very good english.

Depsite a crowded space and uncomfortable chairs, I find Yardbird to be one of the finest yakitori restaurants in Hong Kong. The meatball, the mushroom salad, the tempura corn and the duck meatball were all great and I really enjoyed the food here. I think services were reasonably good also given such packed space and a busy night.

It is rare to see a restaurant that is almost full when you go in at 6:15pm. I think people line up for a reason.
$680
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90 views
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3093 views
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(The above review is the personal opinion of a user which does not represent OpenRice's point of view.)
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DETAILED RATING
Taste
Decor
Service
Hygiene
Value
Date of Visit
2017-05-30
Dining Method
Dine In
Spending Per Head
$650 (Dinner)
Recommended Dishes
  • Sweet Corn Tempura
  • KFC
  • Meatball
Level2
16
0
2017-05-21 2857 views
5月18號星期四晚上7:45pm 到大約等咗20分鐘所以企响bar枱點了個茄子沙津$128好味但唔值呢個價抺茶粉是自己帶的(減肥中必備)因為靚仔生日必點之選配呢個toast真心好食但包咁厚食兩塊已經好飽呢串雞好滑又juicydeed fried corn 🌽 又貴又冇特別新menu 腐皮包肉碎(又一冇特別之作)靚仔點既miso soup炸雞皮雞蛋配飯飯口感似糯米飯有咬口配爽口青豆絕配雞軟骨雞肉串、個sauce 太咸homemade peanut butter icecream 又係咸味幾特別不是我杯茶附送7味粉沒帶走、因屋企之前攞咗好幾包都冇用唔好浪費總結:音樂太嘈不是三五知己聊天吃飯的好地方、價錢偏貴、呢個價錢有好多選擇、可以一試!
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5月18號星期四晚上
7:45pm 到大約等咗20分鐘
所以企响bar枱點了個茄子沙津$128
好味但唔值呢個價
抺茶粉是自己帶的(減肥中必備)
Eggplant  salad
$120
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因為靚仔生日必點之選
配呢個toast真心好食但包咁厚
食兩塊已經好飽
肝配toast
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呢串雞好滑又juicy
91 views
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deed fried corn 🌽
又貴又冇特別
107 views
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新menu 腐皮包肉碎(又一冇特別之作)
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靚仔點既miso soup
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炸雞皮雞蛋配飯
飯口感似糯米飯有咬口配爽口青豆絕配
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雞軟骨雞肉串、個sauce 太咸
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homemade peanut butter icecream
又係咸味幾特別不是我杯茶
Homemade  peanut  butter  icecream 
$45
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附送7味粉
沒帶走、因屋企之前攞咗好幾包都冇用
唔好浪費

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總結:音樂太嘈不是三五知己聊天吃飯的好地方、價錢偏貴、呢個價錢有好多選擇、可以一試!
(The above review is the personal opinion of a user which does not represent OpenRice's point of view.)
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DETAILED RATING
Taste
Decor
Service
Hygiene
Value
Date of Visit
2017-05-18
Waiting Time
20 Minutes (Dine In)
Spending Per Head
$500 (Dinner)
Celebration
Birthday
Recommended Dishes
肝配toast
Homemade  peanut  butter  icecream 
$ 45
Level1
2
0
2017-05-20 1289 views
First tried some of Yardbirds food at Taste of Hong Kong. Being a foodie always trying new restaurants & we'd thought we'd give it a go! We were told there would be a long wait and we didn't mind waiting. Being regulars at Hoo Lee Fook & Chom Chom staff regularly check up on you & tables turn quickly so the wait ends up being okay. At Yardbird it's the opposite. From what we could see food was coming out super slow & we saw new people (clearly not on the waitlist) rocking up & walking right in t
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First tried some of Yardbirds food at Taste of Hong Kong. Being a foodie always trying new restaurants & we'd thought we'd give it a go! We were told there would be a long wait and we didn't mind waiting. Being regulars at Hoo Lee Fook & Chom Chom staff regularly check up on you & tables turn quickly so the wait ends up being okay. At Yardbird it's the opposite. From what we could see food was coming out super slow & we saw new people (clearly not on the waitlist) rocking up & walking right in to get a table before us. Not cool. Quite rude! Obviously needed to be a regular or know the staff personally. We ended up leaving before our table became available. Do not recommend especially when we've been to so many amazing restaurants in Hong Kong.
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Level2
8
0
2016-12-23 5491 views
Yardbird has been on our list since quite sometime! Have heard of the name at many places on the internet as a must have for yakitori. As this place gets occupied very quickly, so its always recommended to make reservations before dropping in! Also as they cook limited quantity food, its advisable to drop in around 7ish in the evening. The recommended food there according to the ones we tried is sweetcorn tempura with black pepper, yakitori wings and breast, duck fried rice. Since they serve in
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Yardbird has been on our list since quite sometime! Have heard of the name at many places on the internet as a must have for yakitori.
As this place gets occupied very quickly, so its always recommended to make reservations before dropping in! Also as they cook limited quantity food, its advisable to drop in around 7ish in the evening.
The recommended food there according to the ones we tried is sweetcorn tempura with black pepper, yakitori wings and breast, duck fried rice. Since they serve in really very small quantities, so make sure to order ample amount in the first go. For ex-minimum of 4-5 dishes for starters.
If you plan to have duck fried rice, order it along with the starters as its reallyyy takes long for it to be cooked. That was one place where we went wrong. We missed to order it with the initial order. And when we ordered it after our starters, it took around 30-35 mins for it to be cooked. So, this much gap between the two food kind of bored n eventually frustrated us.
But in all, it was a good experience. Go for this place, if you are not expecting to have some peace. Coz its a loud place with loud music! Also, this place will be on a higher side on your pocket.
Oyster
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Wings
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Breat
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Sweetcorn  tempura
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Duck  fried  rice
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(The above review is the personal opinion of a user which does not represent OpenRice's point of view.)
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Taste
Decor
Service
Hygiene
Value
Dining Method
Dine In
Recommended Dishes
Wings
Breat
Sweetcorn  tempura
Duck  fried  rice
  • Sweet Corn Tempura
Level5
2016-05-11 10052 views
This is a contemporary style Japanese izakaya restaurant that specializes in yakitori located on Bridges Street, a hip neighborhood in Sheung Wan. With no reservation service, we came early to get a table and already the restaurant is quite packed. We are seated on the lower level looking at the kitchen.Quite frankly the environment was very noisy and a bit crowded, but maybe that would be expected in such restaurant. We ordered a Yardbird Caesar Salad to start, which is a normal Caesar Salad wi
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This is a contemporary style Japanese izakaya restaurant that specializes in yakitori located on Bridges Street, a hip neighborhood in Sheung Wan. With no reservation service, we came early to get a table and already the restaurant is quite packed. We are seated on the lower level looking at the kitchen.
Yardbird Caesar Salad
$120
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Quite frankly the environment was very noisy and a bit crowded, but maybe that would be expected in such restaurant. We ordered a Yardbird Caesar Salad to start, which is a normal Caesar Salad with some shredded seaweed on top. That provided another dimension to the salad which is decent as an appetizer.
Inner Thigh
$42
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Of course coming here the main attraction is their yakitori. We ordered Inner Thigh, Wings, Achilles and Meatball. The Inner Thigh is probably their signature skewer, with the juicy tender chicken thigh meat grilled perfectly, and plus a few lemon juice really made it memorable.
Wings
$42
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The Wings are sprinkled with the chili powder, adding the spiciness to it. Again grilled perfectly, the only thing I would hope is maybe a bigger portion. The wings are really tiny in any standard, while this may be due to the type of chicken (I am not sure...) still it looks a bit pathetic in my opinion.
Achilles
$42
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The Achilles is recommended by the waiter, which is a good size chicken meat less tender and juicy than the thigh but more filling and chewy. This I would say is more mediocre than the last two but still quite decent on the taste.
Meatball
$46
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The meatball is minced chicken meat, with a soy sauce and egg yolk to dip. The skewer itself is already tasty and nice, and dipping into the sauce provided further sweetness and savory to it which is another must try in this restaurant.
Maitake mushroom
$135
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We also had a grilled Maitake mushroom but that honest speaking is not particularly impressive. There is an oily smell on the mushroom and while it did not got dried up, overall it was not something I would re-order.
Duck Fried Rice
$150
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Finishing off we had a Duck Fried Rice, again a small portion dish, with finely chopped basil adding the flavors and fragrance to the rice, which is fairly good. The duck was grilled and added a nice bite to the rice, which helps to fill us up on the night.
Service was quite good, with our waiter coming to explain the restaurant, the menu and recommending the dishes. As to the price, with a skewer per person, the total bill for three of us was $1,181. Very expensive considering the types of food and the restaurant setting, it is not a place for you to eat and get full, but more to enjoy the company of friends and have a small bite.
My overall rating is 45/100.
(The above review is the personal opinion of a user which does not represent OpenRice's point of view.)
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Decor
Service
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Value
Date of Visit
2016-05-11
Dining Method
Dine In
Spending Per Head
$400 (Dinner)
Level2
6
0
2016-01-06 7519 views
Yard Bird is apparently quite famous in Hong Kong for its supposedly 'Great Food' and more importantly 'No Reservation' concept.I think its the latter part of the concept which has created all the hype which leads the human instinct fall more for it.Two failed trips in last two years , because each time there was a two hour wait .... (lots of two's !!)Finally we got a table rightaway for a dinner on a holiday which was pretty surprising.A small restaurant in Sheung Wan but apparently better to c
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Yard Bird is apparently quite famous in Hong Kong for its supposedly 'Great Food' and more importantly 'No Reservation' concept.
I think its the latter part of the concept which has created all the hype which leads the human instinct fall more for it.
Two failed trips in last two years , because each time there was a two hour wait .... (lots of two's !!)
Finally we got a table rightaway for a dinner on a holiday which was pretty surprising.
A small restaurant in Sheung Wan but apparently better to come from Central (Mid - Level Escalators) if you want to avoid a steep staircase from Sheung Wan MTR station.
Yard Bird is basically a Yaki-Tori Japanese Resto at heart with imaginative starters thrown along. Sadly there is not a single dish friendly for vegetarians in the Yaki-Tori section which was a little disappointing.
We opted for 2 starters : KFC (Kentucky Fried Cauliflower) & Corn Cobs with 1 Mushroom Udon Noodles.
1. Amongst all the dishes, KFC was a very unique and tasty dish which you must have not eaten anywhere else. Its on a sweeter side but stays good tills its warm.

2. Corn Cobs are good sized sweet corn cobs fried with some spices. Its good, but the portion is quite huge to fill you up, and eventually its too much of Corn !!
3. Mushroom Udon noodles were the most disappointing of all dishes, because the noodles were chewy and not like the ones we have had in other Japanese restaurants.
The portions of starters are huge , so you need to order accordingly. The service is efficient.
For a nearly 2 year wait, plus the steep hike from Sheung Wan to the resto, and then somewhat disappointing food, Yard Bird is not worth it. You can find better vegetarian friendly restaurants serving Japanese food.

Check my blog for pictures
(The above review is the personal opinion of a user which does not represent OpenRice's point of view.)
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Dining Method
Dine In
Level1
1
0
2015-09-05 8550 views
(The above review is the personal opinion of a user which does not represent OpenRice's point of view.)
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DETAILED RATING
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Decor
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Hygiene
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Dining Method
Dine In
Recommended Dishes
  • Clam corn bacon
  • Spicy whitebait
  • Asparagus
  • KFC
Level4
What are the chances, I mean seriously! We're living in a city with over seven million inhabitants and more than 79,000 restaurants. So what were the chances of inadvertently sitting next to our dining companions from the previous week's dinner catch up? Well, if you're talking about one of the hottest restaurants around, one so desirable, that it's almost impossible to get a table, I'd have thought pretty non existent. Apparently not!Yardbird is a tiny little yakitori place that SC had visited
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What are the chances, I mean seriously! We're living in a city with over seven million inhabitants and more than 79,000 restaurants. So what were the chances of inadvertently sitting next to our dining companions from the previous week's dinner catch up?

Well, if you're talking about one of the hottest restaurants around, one so desirable, that it's almost impossible to get a table, I'd have thought pretty non existent. Apparently not!

Yardbird is a tiny little yakitori place that SC had visited a few weeks back, while I'd been travelling OS for work. She'd been so impressed with the place, she'd pretty much not stopped talking about it, so of course we needed to get along so I could write about it. With a no reservations policy, you need to take your chances with Yardbird, and we'd had a couple of false starts before we eventually scored a table.

If you've not been to a yakitori restaurant before, they pretty much only serve the many different parts of a chicken, including the heart, liver, oyster, neck, skin etc. Usually cooked over a traditional binchotan charcoal grill, Yardbird is perhaps the best example of the modern izikaya-style restaurant I'd come across. Not surprising though, given that Yardbird is from the crew that run funky little Sunday's Grocery and uber cool bar/restaurant Ronin.
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So, we were sitting at the bar, about to order from the menu when we recognised a voice at our shoulders. WH was waiting for BH to turn up for a celebratory dinner and as luck would have it, they scored the seats right next to us. Like I said, what are the chances!

Anyway, after we'd spent some more time catching up, we set about constructing a meal from the seriously great looking menu. The Yardbird menu is split out into 'smaller' entree sized share plates, the yakitori menu, which included just about every part of the chicken you could imagine (and some you'd rather forget about) and some 'bigger' bites. We ran down the list and ordered a fair bit from the yakitori and a little from the rest.

Of course we ordered a small side of edamame, sprinkled with sea salt, a staple when venturing to any Japanese restaurant. There's not much to say about edamame, apart from the fact that the delicious little soy beans are totally addictive.
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However, as addictive as they were, the were completely forgotten when the first of our dishes arrived. The sweet corn tempura with sea salt and pepper looked amazing, little balls of sweet corn, somehow held together to make perfect little spheres and covered with a light tempura. They were a perfect way to present sweet corn, quite easy to eat, and were stunningly delicious. I'm not normally a fan of purely vegetarian style dishes, but I really loved that sweet corn.
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Up next was the asparagus, with a onsen egg and nori (edible seaweed) and while it didn't look spectacular, the mix of panfried asparagus and the slow cooked egg with creamy egg yolk was intoxicating. Mixing the whole concoction together added a little texture from the egg white, allowing the use of chopsticks to get the asparagus in our mouths. The dish was quite salty, but balanced on a knife's edge. Any saltier, it would have ruined the dish, but the chefs at Yardbird got the balance right and presented another memorable dish.
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It was yakitori time and our first part of the chicken to devour was the 'oyster', which are the two small oyster shaped pieces of dark meat that lie on either side of a chicken's backbone. One of the most succulent part of a chicken, the oysters were seasoned lightly with sea salt and after a squeeze of lemon were quickly devoured. The soft flesh was incredibly tender and full flavoured, with the grilling process really enhancing the flavour.
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As we were sitting at the bar, we were able to interact with the wait staff, who were super friendly in that very confident way that comes from working in one of the hottest restaurants in town. I was intrigued by one of the team just chipping away at a block of ice, turning them into spheres, and when I asked about it, was told that they'd normally chip away forty or fifty in a night to go with their famous Japanese whisky. Cool!
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We'd been given a little container to throw our used skewers into and it got a huge workout as a rapid succession of yakitori hit the bar. Next was the 'breast' with wasabi and soy sauce. The breast was an obvious piece to get, but is often the least flavoursome part of a modern chicken, but the addition of the wasabi and soy sauce helped fix that. Obviously succulent, but sweet as well.
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The 'ume thigh' came served with thinly sliced shiso, which in Japanese cooking is often turned into a delicious condiment or spice that goes well with most types of meat. The thigh was full flavoured and was provided an interesting mix of sweet and slight bitterness from the shiso.
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Now, I'm usually a huge fan of chicken skin and when I have roast chicken, it's the part that I go for first (even though I know its the fattiest), so I was intrigued to see what the 'skin' with sake and sea salt would look like. The thinly sliced skin had found it's way onto the skewers and was crispy and fatty at the same time, there was an interesting flavour that I couldn't quite place, but must have been the saki. It was good, but not my favourite dish of the night.
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While yakitori is pretty much exclusively chicken 'bits', I'd spied some 'pork belly', served with ponzu and welsh onion. I had to have it, and was pretty pleased when it came. Hidden under a pile of thinly sliced onion, the pork belly was thin and a little crispy while still retaining that wonderful pork fat. Served with perhaps my favourite sauce, a ponzu, the whole dish was one of my favourites!
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One of the dishes that SC had most raved about from her first visit was the meatball, which was a skewer filled with grilled chicken flesh and a bowl of tare with an egg yolk. Tare is a Japanese sauce often used with yakitori but the addition of the yolk was genius, taking an already beautiful sauce and making it even better. After mixing the tare and yolk together, it was time to dip the meatball and take a trip to heaven. Well, not quite. It was a seriously good piece of very simple cooking, but I didn't love it as much as the girl did.
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When going to Yardbird, practically everyone who has ever been will say 'get the KFC', or 'Korean fried cauliflower' with yuzu and chili. It's a dish I'd had before when visiting a restaurant back in Australia, with a well known Brisbane restaurant running with the same dish. The cauliflower was coated and then deep fried and covered with chili, to provide a crunchy, creamy and spicy hit. Not bad, but my chili sensitive mouth had taken a beating, so I'd left the last piece to SC.
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Last up was one of the specials and was not at all what I was expecting. The duck hamburger ended up being nothing like a traditional burger and was essentially a duck meat patty presented in it's frying pan and covered with an unknown cold puree. Try as I might, I couldn't place the very familiar tasting puree, but whatever it was, it worked nicely with the panfried duck patty. I think I was actually a little relieved that it wasn't a traditional burger, I was pretty stuffed by the time it came along.
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I can now see why Yardbird is so hard to get into, the food is sensational, the atmosphere electric and the staff wonderfully friendly and engaging. The interesting thing about the spot is that there is no service charge, so the staff rely heavily on the generosity of diners to tip. Does that add to the high level of engagement from the staff? I couldn't say, but I was extremely satisfied with the service and would go back for the service alone (of course it helps that the food is glorious).

I was still a little blown away that we'd so randomly encountered our sometimes dining buddies and even more so that they were sitting right next to us at a the bar. It was pretty cool though and added an extra dimension to our meal.

And that's the thing about Yardbird, it's the type of place that you want to tell people about, then go and share a meal with them. Easier said than done though, the first couple of times we tried to go together, we were told there was a ninety minute wait, and that was only twenty minutes after opening. If you hate queues and wait times like we do, then you can carefully plan and get there on opening, or if you're really lucky, you can have a drink inside and wait your turn.

Either way, get there and check it out, you won't be disappointed

@FoodMeUpScotty
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The sweet corn was amazing, simple and probably my favourite
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There is a cock on this guys t-shirt. The team were pretty darn friendly
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A rare moment of change over and I managed to get a photo of spare seats!
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The full bar

(The above review is the personal opinion of a user which does not represent OpenRice's point of view.)
Post
DETAILED RATING
Taste
Decor
Service
Hygiene
Value
Date of Visit
2015-05-15
Dining Method
Dine In
Spending Per Head
$400.00 (Dinner)
Level1
4
0
2015-04-23 5466 views
There's always a line up at this restaurant and we decided to go there early. The staff at the reception seemed nice and we were taken to a steep staircase leading to the basement. Overall the decor of the place is modern and clean but the tables are arranged very close to each other and there weren't much privacy. The music was too loud, so everyone has to speak loud in order to be heard. We could hear every word of our neighbouring table. Our server was actually yelling to us and right behind
Read full review
There's always a line up at this restaurant and we decided to go there early. The staff at the reception seemed nice and we were taken to a steep staircase leading to the basement.

Overall the decor of the place is modern and clean but the tables are arranged very close to each other and there weren't much privacy. The music was too loud, so everyone has to speak loud in order to be heard. We could hear every word of our neighbouring table. Our server was actually yelling to us and right behind my ears which I found very annoying. He also tried to be helpful by making a lot of suggestions which I found too intrusive.

The yakitori are all parts from the chicken and they tasted good. Some comes with a squeeze of lemon juice, some with chives, chopped onion and dip sauce which makes each special but overall they taste much the same and I found them all too salty.

I wouldn't mind coming back another time for the food but was very much deterred by the particular ill-mannered server who will have much affect on how I rate this restaurant.

(The above review is the personal opinion of a user which does not represent OpenRice's point of view.)
Post
DETAILED RATING
Taste
Decor
Service
Hygiene
Value
Date of Visit
2015-04-20
Dining Method
Dine In
Spending Per Head
$550 (Dinner)