Wineshark Mystery Restaurant - Kuke Shokudo 玖鉞食堂

There are many Japanese restaurants in HK, from sushi, teppanyaki, kappo, izakaya and others, but one that is not so common is oden. After experiencing one in Tokyo many years back, I got a good impression and knowing that one has recently opened in HK, today we come to Gough Street in Central to try it out.

With a neat signage and blue noren showing, we come inside and are seated on the counter, facing the open kitchen where the chef is preparing oden on the stove. There are also a number of booth seats to cater for group of four. Very soon all the counter seats are occupied, testimony to the popularity of the place.

We order a few items on the menu as well as those special ones available on the day written on the board. The first round includes Radish ($38 each), Chikuwa ($20 each), Minced Chicken ($35 each) and Mochi Kinchaku ($18 each). The food has absorbed the flavours from the broth in a subtle and tasty way, with the radish my favourite, fantastic in sweetness balanced with the umami from the broth. The others are also nice.

The second round includes Minced Fish Meat Tofu ($28 each) and Sardines Yamaimo Cake ($28 each). The tofu is good in taste, with the fish meat mixed in, like the Chinese style fish tofu. The other one has a nice texture, with yamaimo cake mixed with sardines for the rich taste of the fish, seasoned with some soy sauce and bit of spring onion.

Then comes Deep-Fried Squid Ball ($68). The squid balls have wonderful texture, bouncy but not to the same degree as the Cantonese ones. With a thin batter on the skin, it is not oily and paired with a bit of mayonnaise it is a good complement to go with icy beer.

The Garlic-Flavoured Wagyu Beef Tendon Simmered in Miso Set ($138) is served in a cast iron pan, with the soft tendon very delicious, absorbing the flavours from the rich miso sauce, as well as the large amounts of garlic slices. The yellow cabbage is sweet in taste and helps to balance the richer flavours overall.

Another snack we added post the initial orders is Mirin-Marinated Dried Fish ($108). The dried cod fish is cut into strips and marinated in mirin before toasting on grill. With a bit of shichimi and mayonnaise on the side as seasoning, it is unstoppable once you start to eat them.

To finish off we have Onigiri with Cod Roe ($38), with my wife going for the grilled version ($48). Quite big in size, it is certainly filling even for a big eater. The grilled one is a bit too dry and salty from the shoyu, so my recommendation would be to go for the simple one instead.

The bill on the night is $966. Service is decent, and while it might look simple, everything is cooked per order to retain its texture without getting too soggy. Considering the overall dining experience and food quality, I would rate this restaurant a Good 65 points, worth trying.