Xenri No Tsuki: Second Chance at Love

I don’t really remember any specifics from the first time I went to Xenri no Tsuki. I remember the food being up-to-par (we ordered a whole mess of à la carte items), I remember loving the low-key quiet atmosphere, I remember dropping a whole lodda’ money on the meal. I remember not really being blown away…

(Amuse bouche trio: setting the tone)

… but for some reason, I also remember telling myself that this place had more to offer. And that I should give it a second chance.

Thank God I did. Because if visit #1 was promising, visit #2 made me realize that Xenri no Tsuki was one of my favorite restaurants in the whole of Hong Kong. No joke. I’ve been back three times since my 2nd visit. Why? Because it’s crazy good.

(Rice bowl with minced tuna and uni: The Nelson's starting choice)

After polishing off our beautiful amuse bouche trio, The Nelson and I decided it would be wise to order a small bottle of chilled sake. I was in super girly mood, so meekly suggested we try the seasonal Arabashiri Junmai Ginjo “Spring” sake from Masumi Brewery. Beautifully sweet, with rich floral aromas—really tasted like springtime in a bottle :)

The Nelson went à la carte, starting with a rice bowl topped with minced tuna and fresh uni. Not really wanting to think about what to order, I went with the seasonal Chef’s Recommended Kaiseki set ($500 – $800. I went with $600). I had no idea what I was in for… and I had no idea I would be so blown away by what they had in store for me. First course rolled up—a thick round of daikon on miso paste. Clean, simple presentation to match the clean, simple flavors. A very classy start. Next up was the artistically-presented “five point” appetizer—five tidbits arranged on a giant white plate sprinkled with purple shiso flowers. Fish fin tempura on sliced cherry tomatoes, duo-colored egg, sliced tuber with miso on shiso leaf, chicken roll with burdock and sprouts, mozuku kombu… each item was carefully thought-out and delicately presented. I was definitely impressed by this point.

(Daikon + miso paste)

("Five Points" - prettiness on a platter)

The highlight of the meal though came in the form of course no. 3—seafood dashi teapot soup. The clear broth was fortified with all the goodness of the waters. The first cup was subtle but delicious already. I let it steep for a while. Second cup. Better. Third cup. Amazing. Fourth, fifth… it just got bolder and bolder, better and better. I’m being completely honest when I say that this is the first time I’ve ever been blown away by soup. It was magical almost…

(Seafood dashi teapot soup: the soup that blew me away)

But apparently, the Xenri chefs were just getting warmed up. The next plate to grace my table was a generous sashimi platter. This generosity included fresh uni that tasted like all the sweetness of the sea, a delectably rich jumbo sea scallop, and my personal favorite—creamy-fleshed sweet ebi shrimp. And as an extra testament that Xenri no Tsuki is the real deal—they serve their sashimi with freshly-grated wasabi. Don’t let them tell you otherwise—it does make an effin’ big difference.

(Sashimi: for the love of ebi)

After all the delicate flavors, it was finally time for something big and substantial. Enter the restaurant’s award-winning “Kobe Wagyu Housyou Yaki”—a thick slab of premium Wagyu beef blanketed in a thin, crispy parcel made from beancurd sheets. It was a huge serving… I was trying to calculate how these people are profiting from this $600 dinner, because there was even MORE after this prime Wagyu steak. Yes, a whole lot more. There was a whole salt-broiled carp fish more (milky fleshed and broiled to perfection). There was a seared nigiri platter, which included eel, tuna, uni, salmon and my love-in-fish-form of engawa (flounder dorsal fin). I will forever be grateful to Xenri no Tsuki for introducing me to the wonders of this cut of fish—it has such a wonderful taut bite that melts and melds into an addictive film of fish oil that coats the tongue. Oishii.

(Kobe Wagyu housyou yaki)

(Salt-broiled carp)

(Seared nigiri: bottom left = LURVE of an engawa)

To round off the near-perfect meal, I was expecting just some boring scoop of green tea or sesame ice cream (as much as I love traditional Japanese cuisine, I can’t say I’m particularly inspired by trad. Jap desserts). But thank God the Xenri team kept the surprises coming all the way to the end. My trio of tofu ice cream (silken and refreshing, with a subtle hint of nuttiness), matcha pudding and glutinous warabi mochi left me with a giant idiotic grin on my face.

(Dessert trio: inspiring until the end)

I was well fed and well sake’d. I was happy. It also helped that Xenri no Tsuki’s floor manager is one of the most attentive, friendly and professional people I know in the HK F&B industry. She was on the A-game all the way with her recommendations and explanations (and believe me, I asked many many many questions throughout the meal) and she kept checking in regularly to make sure we were enjoying our meal. And of the many times that I’ve been back, she’s always been just as awesome.

So there sums up why I love Xenri no Tsuki. As much as I love Hong Kong, it’s hard to come by a restaurant that combines kickass food, five-star service, comfortable environs and won’t-burn-a-whole-in-wallet prices (seriously, all that above food for $600…) in one neat package. So when you DO find a place that combines all those things—i.e. Xenri no Tsuki—you’re golden.

It may not have been love at first bite, but I know now, it’s definitely love.

FOOD: 4.75/5
SERVICE: 4.75/5
ATMOSPHERE: 4/5

XENRI NO TSUKI ($$$$/$$$$$)
6/F, Jardine Centre
50 Jardine's Bazaar
Causeway Bay
www.xenri.com

Bitte Bitte: The Virtue of Trying

I had heard the hype about Bitte Bitte before. But, not being a particularly big fan of hotdogs (thanks to too many tasteless, boiled frozen sausages, served dry in a Garden brand hotdog bun during my childhood days), I didn’t think it was something worth noting. That is, until we were told straight up to give this place a try. I figured, as long as I didn’t have to queue up for an hour for a hotdog (à la that RIDICULOUS episode at Pink’s Hotdog, Los Angeles), I’d give Bitte Bitte a shot.

(Alligator MESS!)

We trekked out way behind the Causeway Bay Sogo and found the open-air, shoppe. After perusing the many… and I mean MANY, topping-sausage combinations (six different types of sausages and a myriad of different Japanese-inspired toppings), we settled on the Alligator Bites Dog ($27) with avocado, tomato salsa and mayo.

The dog was actually pretty good. The bun was toasted and was fluffy on the inside. The sausage had a nice taut, pop to it on the first bite, which yielded to a well-seasoned, meaty center. The flavors of the toppings worked well too. Our only complaint though would be that the sausage was pretty much sitting on TOP of the bun, instead of being sandwiched IN it, making the whole thing unbelievably impossible to eat without appearing like the district’s clumsiest and unmannered brute. We had mayo smeared across our faces, bits of avocado dropping all over the table, and a sausage constantly in danger of slipping out of its bun.

(Fries: YUMMMMM)

But to end this on a positive note, the fries are abso-effin’ stellar. So beautifully golden and crisp on the outside, flecked with just the right amount of salt. A bite revealed the fluffiness of the potato.We were so enamored, we asked the staff who their fries suppliers were. They didn’t reveal, of course, answering merely “local suppliers” with an awkward smile. Ah well, at least we tried. And sometimes, trying is the most important part.

FOOD: 4/5
SERVICE: 3.75/5
ATMOSPHERE: 2/5

BITTE BITTE ($)
Shop B&C Hoi Tao Court
15 Cannon Street
Causeway Bay
2777-7220

Xenri No Tsuki: Check the Bill

I was tipped off about this 6th floor Japanese eatery, Xenri no Tsuki, by a foodie friend. From what I was told, this place does old-school, traditional Japanese cuisine, and… they do shirako (male fish genitals). I was actually enticed by the shirako (I’ve never tried it before), but that night, was told by the sushi chef that they were out of that. No dice. Ah well, maybe next time.

(Amuse bouche: Nippon style)

After we made our orders, we were presented with a lovely amuse bouche platter. A bite-size serving of shrimp with jelly and caviar followed by a square of bonito-topped pumpkin and a tamago-esque concoction of some sort. A very welcoming start that heaped automatic brownie points to Xenri. Then came the first of the few small dishes we ordered. The marinated baby squid were slimy and intensely salty. Sooooo perfect with the sake. Then came the chilled uni tofu, which personally, I thought was no surprises there (not that it was not fresh or well-made… but it was just a little boring). Next up, stingray tempura. I’m not sure if I liked the stingray itself – it didn’t really seem meaty enough for my liking, but the tempura itself was perfectly executed. It was crispy and not the least bit greasy. I popped them, piece by piece into my mouth like peanuts, along with the accompanying mayo.

(Sake-perfect squid)

(Uni tofu: fresh but "meh")

(Stingray tempura: like peanuts)

(Cucumber with miso: complimentary from the chefs)

And having nabbed a seat at the sushi bar, there was no way we could bypass the daily specials. We tried a chef-recommended fish, which was diced up and dressed in a light and tangy sauce which really elevated the freshness of the fish. We also gave the jumbo shrimp sashimi a go. This was beautifully prepared, with an accompanying sauce made from all the delectableness in the head of the shrimp. And waste-not – they deep-fried the shrimp head for us afterwards, for our crunchy eating pleasure.

(Fresh fish sashimi of the day)

(Shrimp sashimi with sauce)

And wanting our share of carbs for the evening, we placed an order for my beloved ikura sushi (savory yumminess), and also the grilled eel sushi, which was interesting served with the slice of eel rolled around the rice. How pretty…

(Sushi: carbsssss)

In terms of service, I had absolutely no complaints about the chefs, who seemed like a nice bunch of dedicated, and friendly folk. Our serving waitress, on the other hand, though not unfriendly, seemed only half-awake (we ordered the onigiri, she brought us the teapot rice). But overall, I was impressed with the dining experience at this tucked-away gem… that is, until our bill came. Just as we had been commenting on how cheap everything seemed to be, our waitress handed us the bill, which turned out to be a few hundred $$ over what we had calculated the bill would be. But of course, being not the smartest people in the planet (and finishing a whole bottle of sake didn’t make things better), we didn’t realize this until we had paid the bill, left the restaurant… without taking the receipt, of course. Damn…

So kids, here’s the moral of the story: enjoy the food, double-check the bill, and drink the sake responsibly.

FOOD: 4/5
SERVICE: 3.5/5
ATMOSPHERE: 3.75/5

XENRI NO TSUKI ($$$$/$$$$$)
6/F, Jardine Centre
50 Jardine's Bazaar
Causeway Bay
2576-1880