Kazuo Okada 岡田和生日本餐廳 | Hong Kong

Rating: ❤❤❤

Kazuo Okada was a Japanese kaiseki restaurant I had wanted to try so when I saw that they were participating in Restaurant Week, I made a reservation for dinner. Located near the Hung Hom promenade, it was a bit hard to get to from HK Island since it was not near the MTR, so I ended up taking the First Ferry from North Point to Hung Hom which disembarked close by. The restaurant was located on the 5/F of the Harbourfront Landmark which housed an Italian and Chinese restaurant as well. The decor was grand and much nicer than what I'd expected while the open kitchen concept was interesting for a kaiseki restaurant. 

The Restaurant Week dinner menu cost $438 per person which consisted of 5 courses along with a dessert buffet. It was slightly cheaper than their regular dinner course which starts at $6xx. 

Appetizer with 4 dishes (4/5) :

Trio Skewers and Simmered Bamboo "Tosa" Style - the manager explained to us that they made this appetizer with the seasons in mind. The trio skewers consisted of 3 items with the colors pink (shrimp), white (quail egg), and green (cucumber) which stands for sakura in spring, snow in winter, and grass in summer. The flavors were simple but I appreciate the thought process behind it. 

Simmered Shirauo Fish with Sakura Leaf - along with the spring theme, the shirauo fish had a sakura leaf on top which was really a pickle in pink color. The flavors were a bit weak here. 

Scallop and Tomato with Kimi Vinaigrette Sauce - the scallops were cooked and pickled which was an interesting way to eat it but I'd still prefer my scallops to be seared and half-cooked. The vinarigrette sauce was a delight as it was sweet and tart which was appetizing to eat.

Deep Fried Snapper Clear Soup (3.5/5) - the broth was very light while the fish was overcooked and tough to eat. I'm just not sure if deep frying the snapper was the best way to eat with the soup. 

Seared Salmon with Sansho Pepper Gelee (3.5/5) - the seared salmon was pretty bland and tasteless while the sansho pepper gelee was much more flavorful. It was slightly sweet which contrasted very nicely with the salty salmon roe.

Grilled White Fish Nanbu Style (3.5/5) - the texture of the fish was a bit dry and hard while the flavors of the dish were just average overall.

US Beef with Kinoko Thick Sauce (3.5/5) - the beef was lean and tough while the sauce was too thick and not exciting at all. It just tasted like soy sauce, sugar and corn starch. 

Lotus Roots & Dried Shrimp Rice (5/5) - the rice was the most impressive dish of the night. It was very delish with lots of chopped lotus roots and dried shrimps which enhanced the rice with different flavors and textures. The texture of the rice itself was just right as I could taste each grain of rice separately.

Dessert Buffet (3/5) - we ended the night with the dessert buffet which took place at a lounge on the same floor as it was a collaboration with the other 2 restaurants for Restaurant Week. The desserts were pretty average and common with your typical tiramisu, mango mousse, and creme brulee. It was a bit disappointing not to be able to taste the desserts made by Kazuo Okada. I'd rather have one good dessert than a buffet of mediocre ones.  

Verdict - the meal we had at Kazuo Okada was pretty unimpressive as the ingredients chosen for the Restaurant Week dinner menu was average and mediocre at best. I can't tell if it was the fault of the ingredients or the skills of the kitchen. Perhaps it's just a simple case of you get what you pay for, but based on this experience, I'm not sure if a return visit is warranted either. 

Kazuo Okada
5/F, Harbourfront Landmark, 11 Wan Hoi Street, Hung Hom
3746 2722 

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