Gonpachi — Restaurant in Hong Kong Island

I used to despise Japanese restuarants operated by Hong Kong locals due to their lack of hygiene standard and rip-you-off mentality. But this place brings new hope to the izakaya scene in Hong Kong.

Here's a summary of what I had for dinner: Duo tuna sashimi (meh) Uni sushi (meh) California roll (yum) Veggies with crab roe dip (innovatively good) Grilled ox tongue skewer (fantastic) Grilled lamb chop (fantastic) Grilled cheese (fantastic) Hida beef Sukiyaki (Bravo)

The meal was not cheap but the fact that it was at the same price range as those dingy, wannabe izakayas located on Tang Lung Street or adjacent to SOGO whose staff received no training and washrooms are disgusting, this one is preferable.

Sitting at the tatami section, I was happy to see how the staff did not finger-grip our tea cups when refilling tea despite how low the table was. Kudos to their effort and training from managment.

However, more training is required in order to deliver a fuller experience: 1.Perfect your pronunciation of menu items. Orion the beer is pronunced as "oh-RYAN" not "orien(t)". 2.Don't drag your feet while walking in sandals(yes, servers wear sandals with socks for the convenience of serving tatami section shoeless). 3.Make sure everything is spotless clean. While I didn't dig deep to find dirt, I did question for a second if the special food containers, table, condiments, seats and the tatami floor were spotless clean.

I will be...

4.5 stars Venue: Signage isn't very clear in the quiet shopping mall. Retro Japanese style decor. Spacious. Good vibe for gathering --- 8/10 Service: busy. Booking is recommended. Warm welcoming. Very good service. Considerate and helpful staff. Keep filling hot tea. Normal waiting for serving food. They have a membership system --- 8.5/10 Food: wide selections of Japanese food. Good presentation. High price. Good food quality. Normal portion. Delicious. Premium Sashimi Platter, $768: they asked our preference when placing order. We didn't want salmon sashimi. 7 kinds of fresh taw seafood. Sumiyaki Charcoal Grilled Tsukune, $78 and Tanuki, $58 Assorted Tempura, $288: there are 2 sea urchins, 2 kuruma prawns, 2 matsuba crab claws, and vegetables (Shiitake mushroom, okra, eggplant, sweet potato). Served with dipping sauce, matcha powder, Seasalt, and curry powder. Grilled Premium A5 Waygu Sirloin Steak, $488: didn't ask us how to cook we like. But it's good Gyu-tan Beef Tongue, $78: well marinated. 3 Thick slices. Very tender. Desserts weren't so attractive, so...

This Japanese restaurant serve decent lunch sets that comes with appetizer, salad, soup, dessert and coffee/tea. There are 20 choices on the Chef's Lunch Recommendations menu to choose from, ranging from $158 to $388, which is not difficult to find an appealing set. The place is quite spacious where I was quite far away from the people at the next table which is a plus in the midst of COVID. The food portion and quality are up to standard which was totally worth it. 1) grilled eel with minced chicken and pickled leaf mustard rice bowl set - not only the eel was large enough to span across the bowl, it was so flavorful when mixed with the eel sauce and even better with the minced chicken and rice 2) char-grilled assorted skewer set - great variety of sizzling and tasty skewers 3) saikyo style grilled halibut set - the halibut was grilled to perfection with a delicately...