Hong Kong - Kenjo 見城日本料理

Teacup with Kenjo san's caricature

It's an old name on the Sushi scene in Hong Kong.  And it still commands a crowd.  Despite the recent backlash on Japanese restaurants from the earthquake and resulting radiation disaster in Japan, the Kenjo name doesn't seem to have suffered.  And the jolly ole Sushi chef is still a friendly personality to have moulding your rice into perfect mounds in front of you.  Unfortunately, he didn't do all of our courses, and our overly serious chef wasn't up to Kenjo san's standard.  Still decent nevertheless.

Sashimi was decent and fresh but not spectacular. Hana Sakazuki wins there.  The Baby Tuna was good though, and very pretty....

Baby Tuna

But when it comes to Sushi, Kenjo is by far the most enjoyable.  It really is the rice...  The consistency of each mound of rice, deftly moulded into the same shape for each and every piece, well balanced in stickiness and acidity, complemented each piece of fish, crustacean or shellfish perfectly.

Here are some memorable pieces:

Mackeral

Seared Tuna Cheek

Sea Urchin

Grilled Sea Eel

Edge of Scallop Muscle

Botan Shrimp

Yellow Tail

Cooked food wasn't too bad also, and it's always nice to have a break between all the raw so you enjoy it that much more.  Some might say it detracts from the palate but I have a short attention span, and really don't think the intermission counts against much except to bring a pleasant change.  And all the gurus say, Change is Good.

Grilled Squid with Roe

This was by far the most spectacularly executed grilled squid I've had in a long while, and carefully done to leave all the creamy roe intact, this was something to savor slowly, especially with a cold Sake.  I can almost still taste the memory..  Sauce was also very good.  Sticky enough to cling but not overly gooey nor sweet, as with some lesser places.  Brilliant piece of work.

When we started the meal, we were asked if we chose Sashimi or Sushi, and unbeknownst to us, the pricing is based on course rather than amount consumed.  So although we chose to have more variety but less pieces, and mix the 2, we were whacked hard without concession.  However, I am told that if you just choose the Sushi, it's a very reasonable price.  And seriously, that's really what Kenjo is famous for, and at that quality, quite a steal to eat for dinner.  Strategy for next visit done.

G/F, 30 Minden Ave
Tsim Sha Tsui
Tel: +852-2369 8307