Restaurant review: 298 Nikuya Room, Central - yakiniku
2/F Pearl Oriental House, 60 Stanley Street, Central
Tel: 3568 9298
Open: Monday to Friday noon-2.30pm, nightly 6pm-11pm
yakiniku (DIY grilled meats)
about HK$430 without drinks or the service charge.
more luxe than older sibling, 298 Nikuya Kitchen, in Sheung Wan. The booths are padded and comfortable, and there's communal seating with grills around the open kitchen.
the Warhol-meets-Lichtenstein cow painting near the entrance and the other bovine knick-knacks around the restaurant make it clear that the place specialises in beef. A5 Miyazaki prime kalbi (HK$165) made my guest exclaim, "This is as good as you'd get in Japan", and indeed, it was; the light marinade let the rich flavour of the beef shine through. Thick-cut ox tongue (HK$120 for three pieces) was succulent and fantastic — as good as you'd get at Iroha (my other favourite yakiniku restaurant), but much cheaper. The sirloin yaki shabu with ponzu (HK$180) needed only a few seconds on the grill, and the meat was sweet and soft. Oxtail soup (HK$50 for a small portion) had a flavourful, cloudy broth with a big chunk of meat and delicate layers of scrambled egg. Pork and kimchi pancake (HK$90) was one of the best we've tried; it's thicker than usual, which meant there was greater textural contrast.
some of the servers seemed shy, but they were helpful and friendly.
seasoned bean sprouts and spinach (HK$68) was a generous serving, but both vegetables could have used more salt. The 298 cold noodles (HK$55 for small) weren't cold or beefy enough.
sister restaurant 298 Nikuya Kitchen is at 15 Hillier Street, Sheung Wan, tel: 2799 2818.
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