This yakitori restaurant is located at Macau Yat Yuen Centre in Causeway Bay, famous for ageing chicken meat to use in its skewers. Coming out from the lift, the staff leads us to our seats at the counter, with a glass screen blocking the fumes from the open kitchen, where the chef is busy preparing food and grilling them over charcoal.
We order the Omakase menu ($580 each) which included two appetizers, mixed local and Japanese yakitori 8 kinds, dry aged premium pigeon breast and leg, local yakitori offal 2 kinds, vegetables 3 kinds, main, and seasonal dessert. I also have a bottle of 花の香酒造 産土 穂増 ($1,288) to go with the food.
The starter is Rice Paper Roll, with marinated garlic in miso to go with. While the roll has only some rocket and fennel inside and does not have much taste, the miso and the garlic helps to balance so making the whole starter nice. A thoughtful start.
The first yakitori is Three Yellow Chicken Wing aged for 12 hours, with a crispy skin and juicy meat, flavourful from the seasoning. Very nicely done.
The second is Three Yellow Chicken Thigh Meat, aged for 24 hours. The tender meat is served two ways, one in original flavours, the other with shiso and marinated daikon.
The third is Three Yellow Chicken Thigh Soft Bones with Meat. Combining the texture of the crunchy soft bone with the juicy thigh meat to a wonderful experience.
Taking a break of yakitori, the next one is Grilled Romanesco. With some nice char, the cauliflower has a good bite with some hints of nutty taste.
Resuming yakitori, the fourth is Three Yellow Chicken Oyster Meat. The most tender piece of the chicken, it is a prized cut as only two pieces are available per chicken.
The fifth is Three Yellow Chicken Fillet, which is the leanest of the meat, and very tender. With very minimal amount of fat, it is favoured by many ladies.
The sixth is Three Yellow Chicken Tail. With more fattiness on this part, after grilling it is bursting with the fragrance of the chicken body fat.
Next is the Homemade Chicken Liver Pate with Rice Cracker. The rich liver pate is delicious, and together with the crispy cracker it is a nice break before more yakitori.
The seventh is Three Yellow Chicken Leg Tendon, with the tendon having a nice chewy bite but not tough, another special part not often seen unless in specialty diners.
The eighth is Chicken Tsukune, the minced chicken skewer is also paired with the prized Japanese Ran-oh egg, very flavourful and delicious. One I want to encore.
An interesting addition in the menu is the Aged Pigeon Breast and Leg. The pigeon has a more gamey note than the chicken, offering another delicious meat that are masterfully grilled, pink and not overdone.
The other two vegetables skewer are Japanese Yam, with a pinch of seaweed sprinkled on top to give a touch of umami to the light flavours of the yam.
And the other is Maitake Mushroom, with the mushroom grilled nicely, keeping it moist without having the whole mushroom dried up.
The two offal include Chicken Hearts, which are tasty and having a firm bite in texture. It has no weird taste and should not have any reason to be afraid.
The other one is Chicken Gizzard. The muscular texture offers a good chew but not tough, with deep and rich flavours, and is the best match with icy beer.
We have an additional skewer of Three Yellow Chicken Tendon ($32 each), with the ligament offering a good bite along with the attached tender meat.
Wrapping up there is a White Chicken Broth with Fish Maw, very rich in taste and searing hot in serving temperature, very delicious and I want to have one more.
The Rice with Ran-oh Egg has the reddish egg yolk of the prized Japanese egg added in the bowl of rice, with some bonito flakes and marinated kombu to add flavours.
Dessert is a Buffalo Milk Pudding with Strawberry and Pearls. The pudding is silky soft, with a rich milk note and not too sweet.
Service is good, with the staff coming to introduce each of the yakitori, but they are so busy so cannot spend too much time going into the details. The bill on the night is $2,840. Considering the overall dining experience and food quality, I would rate this restaurant an Excellen 75 points, worth returning.
