Taku

Brunch used to be a big thing for me until another one of my interests started taking up my weekends. Since I want Saturday to be sleep in day and Sunday to be activity day, there really is no day for brunch on a normal week unless it's brunch for a special occasion. In any case, since this week we get a massive 5 day super duper long weekend, I accepted a colleague's invite to brunch at Taku on Saturday.

The last time I went to Taku was quite late at night and friends and I were craving yakimono in Central. I thought it was ok but recall the price being quite steep (well either it really was expensive day or I was having a Grinch day). In any case, this time I thought the brunch was a really good deal since it was $308 (+10%) which includes all you can eat sashimi, rolls, yakimono, fried food, noodles, dessert and alcoholic/non-alcoholic drinks (beer, sangria, soft drinks).

The food came really fast at the beginning and kinda tapered off towards the end, perhaps because it was a quiet day and they were expecting to end earlier and didn't prep extra food. Other than that small hiccup I would say I enjoyed the overall experience.

In comparison to Zuma which is I think more than double the price, I would prefer coming here since I actually find the food more fresh as it's "made to order" rather than a buffet style like Zuma. I've never been a fan of champagne (except for the times when I was drunk and demanded a glass of champagne for god knows what reason), so the Zuma brunch appeals to me even less. The thing that does appeal to me about Zuma actually has nothing to do with the food - it's the natural daylight. Taku is a bit dark if you are sitting further inside the restaurant. When I think of the perfect brunch, I'm thinking of a bright sunny happy day, probably because I feel like if I'm waking up early on a weekend to go out and eat, there really should be a lot of sunlight.

Anyway, for around $350 I would recommend you trying this place out. I really think it's a good deal.

Website: http://www.taku.com.hk/
Location: 35 Elgin Street, SoHo, Central

Ozawa 小澤

Had a whole post drafted for California Vintage but deleted the whole thing after going there on Monday. Their lunch sets are now so generic that there is no longer a point in going there, for me at least. Sigh, I guess that's the thing about Hong Kong, things change, FAST. If you know about a good lunch deal, you got to write about it before it's morphed into another generic piece of ______!

With that said, I would like to introduce Ozawa to you before it turns... sour. This is a small Japanese restaurant on Graham Street next to The Globe and Chilli Fagara, introduced to me by one of my colleagues. They have a really good lunch deal which is $100 for your choice of 3 sashimi on rice / rolls / sushi / tempura / gyoza etc etc. There are probably close to 30 things you can choose from so it's one of those places where you can keep going back to until you discover your magical combo that works best for you.

Given the price, you can imagine that there won't be things like uni or toro on the menu, but then again if you are on this blog I'd sure hope those aren't the things you are looking for at LUNCH. Save your baller moments for other times... Anyway, for $100, I think their sashimi is quite fresh (I'm pretending I know what that really means). I have no standards so maybe this would be a better point of reference - my colleagues find their sashimi quite fresh, so for $100 it really is a steal.

I have yet to discover my magical combo, but I think I really like the following:

• diced sashimi on rice (like... chirashi?)
• spicy salmon roll
• minced salmon with spring onion on rice

I've tried the following as well which were not bad:

• unagi on rice
• unagi/cucumber rolls
• spicy scallop on rice
• scallop sushi
• tempura

I must stress that you will HAVE to book a table in advance, because this place is very very small. So small that they can only have one server working, which is why you can imagine how (not) happy she is manning all these tables at once. She is quite rude but can be ok after you get used to it =D At night time I am thinking their menu would be pricier, but I have no idea how much pricier so... go for it if you would like.

Spicy scallop, minced salmon with spring onion and diced sashimi on rice, oh and a miso soup! It might look small but trust me, 3 bowls of rice will fill you up even if it's just a small bowl! You even get a small scoop of ice cream (flavor changes every... day I think). So far I think sesame was their best flavor.

Website: NA
Location: Shop C, G/F, 49 Graham Street, Central









Shugetsu 周月

I 've never been a fan of soupy ramen, though I love almost any other kind of soupy noodles. I am talking about actual ramen and not instant noodles. It irritates me when people call instant noodles ramen. Dude, stop trying to "class it up", it's just gong zai mien. Anyway, it's something about the texture that I don't like. Japanese and Shanghainese ramen both have that consistency. Anyway, so naturally when S suggested Shugetsu to me I was like fo realz? Ok fine, I will try it, since even though I am not a super fan of ramen, it's not like I am allergic to it or hate it.

Anyway, with skepticism we got there and luckily we got a seat. S explained that this is not a soup ramen, but a "dip" ramen, where the ramen is served dry on the side and you have to dip it into the sauce to eat.

When you order this, they will ask you a couple of questions which has no affect on the cost.

1. how many grams of noodles would you like? 100 / 200 / 300
2. would you like your noodles cold or hot?
3. would you like the sauce (soup) to be light or strong in flavor?
4. would you like the sauce (soup) to be less greasy?

My answers:

1. 200 grams. I have tried 300 grams before but it was just way too much. Even for me.
2. cold - I think this makes the noodles more chewy which is how I like it
3. strong - I've never tried the light
4. less greasy... which is already quite greasy. Plus why would anyone want extra grease? Doesn't add to the flavor

I never thought I would like ramen but Shugetsu sealed the deal for me. I guess the reason is because their ramen is more like udon than ramen, and I love udon. There is just the sufficient amount of pork in the sauce, and of course don't forget the egg on the noodles. Price used to be $85, but today they finally jacked it up to $97! Oh well, I still really like them so I will let this slide.

A lot of people think I am a foodie, but really I am starting to think that S is the real foodie. I can't recall any one of her recommendations disappointing me. The cheese and the chocolate chip cookies from Mark and Spencers, the croissants from Urban Bakery, Shugetsu. S - you've got excellent taste.

Location: Gough Street by the Kau Kee Beef Briskets.
Website: http://www.shugetsu.com.hk/