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2021-06-21
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I love to hear about other's food adventures as often I find new places I never heard of to eat. One such place was Kagura. The name was mentioned here and there among Japanese foodies. An izakya with a focus on oysters. Intrigued boyfriend and I went to go give it a try. It's a good thing we planned ahead and booked as the place was packed! I guess word did get out.Located in Causeway Bay, the first thing that hits you when you enter is an array of oysters and a greeting from the Japanese che
Located in Causeway Bay, the first thing that hits you when you enter is an array of oysters and a greeting from the Japanese chef.
The place isn't too large as it's mostly centered around an open kitchen with bar seats. There are also tatami seats for bigger groups.
At the front of the restaurant is a display of various seafood. This is the catch of the day and each is priced upon market price.
When you sit down, a wait staff will bring you a platter of what the catch of the day is, the cost and any questions you may have. The selections are limited and things do sell out.
Menu is in Japanese, Chinese and partial English.
As it was an izakaya type of place, we started with drinks which they have a wide selection. But it was the Iwate Oyster Stout Beer ($88) that peaked boyfriend's interest. The beer was a dark rich beer with dark chocolate coffee undertones. There was a umami type flavor that was very subtle. Probably from the use of oyster shells in it's brewing process. At the bottom of the bottle, you can still see precipate from the shells. This was an excellent craft beer and went extremely well with seafood. A extra nice touch was the glass provided was fresh from the fridge so it was extra cold.
I had KAGURA Lemon Soda ($48). A very sour and refreshing nonalcoholic lemonade with soda water.
We saw a number of diners order this and we heard this was the item to get. So we chose the Steamed Oysters in a Tin ($220 for 6). A tin box was placed in front of us with a portable stove. A timer of 8 minutes was set and we waited in anticipation.
When the timer went off, the lid was opened, revealing six big oyters. The staff informed us these were oyster from Hiroshima and then started to open them one by one, placing them on the plate in front of us.
They were so plump and round!
They also gave us two Lemosco sauces: the original and a spicier version. You add a few drops to the oysters for an extra punch. But honestly, the oysters were so fresh, they didn't need anything! They were already so sweet and delicious.
While opening the oysters, one of them was a bit smaller than normal. We didn't think much of it as it was just bad luck on our part. But then they gave use two extra oysters on the house to compensate for the smaller oyster. WOW! That was so nice and we were definitely surprised. Talk about service.
We ordered an item off the daily catch as it was something we hadn't tried before. These are Goose Barnacles ($42). They were like little claws. The bottom was a web-like and easy to peel back and pop out the flesh. The flesh itself was already cooked and very sweet. It had a more intense clam-like taste. Definitely worth a try if they have this available.
Seared Skipjack Tuna ($108) is something we loved during our trip to Kochi so we decided to order it here. Just as wonderful as we had it in Japan. The fish was fresh with a light seasoning, complimented only with a bit of spring onion and ginger.
Next up was the Toro Scallion Roll ($88). These were nice little bites, easily poppable into your mouth without much thought. The toro was delicous. Sweet, creamy and flavored with the spring onion on top.
Then we got serious. We started in on a round of yakitori. Yakitori from left to right: pork belly ($38), beef brisket ($48), beef tongue ($48), pork wrapped oysters ($38), chicken heart ($38). All with a lemon slice and a bit of hot chilli paste. We chose to have it with a sear of marinade and what can I say? One of the best yakitori I've had in Hong Kong in a long LONG time. The marinade was not heavy handed. The meat was seared to borderline cooked. It wasn't over or under cooked. It was perfect. The chicken heart was delicious and reminded me of the side streets of Tokyo where I often hav this. The highlight was the pork wrapped oysters. That is highly recommend. The oysters were juicy and gave it that salty briney pop that complimented the pork meat.
We didn't want to share a Tsukune ($76) so we ordered two. The plating was beautiful. The yolk in the soysauce ... almost like the sun was looking up at you. The minced chicken was so fluffy and well seasoned. Little soft bones were found to give it that crunchy texture that I love so much while eating this.
While drinking, we decided to order something else from the daily catch. This was Sea Grapes ($78) and it's a good thing we ordered it as it then sold out! Salty pops of bubbles. It was lightly marinaded in a dashi soy sauce and had salmon roe added as well. For that extra salty popping sensation.
Like all izakaya evenings, we ended with a yaki onigiri so we orderd an Oyster Yaki Onigiri ($58). Surprisingly this arrived on a stick as well! And this...This was a perfect ending to the meal. The rice was still soft while the sear gave it crunch. It had the saltiness from oyster.
One of the best izakayas I've been to in Hong Kong. The service was wonderful. The place was so clean (be sure to visit the washroom for a lot of hidden goodies). The food was delicious and was very close to what we often have in Japan. It's no wonder the place was busy and filled with Japanese expats. They know exactly where to eat. Will definitely be back. ご馳走様でした!
張貼
