Zoku Restaurant & The Terrace | Wan Chai Japanese Restaurant | 灣仔日式料理餐廳 — Restaurant in Hong Kong Island

Unpretentious restaurant which blends the culinary arts of Japanese cuisines and varied menu with sensible size portions, efficient service and a nice atmosphere.

Zoku is located on 2/F of Hari Hotel with dining area and outdoor seatings. The Japanese menu and long shoshu list naturally draws a mixed scene of steady flow of picky Japanese diners, local Hongkongers, business and curious travelers.

It turns out that reservations were a bit difficult to secure on a Mothers-Day’s Sunday, but we managed to reserve a table on the following night. We were given the loveliest table right by the terrence- it was just perfect on a gloomy day.

We drawn in by the tailored 6-courses experience tasting menu, each comes in petit form which was enough for us. But if you’re a larger eater, there's always more food on the A La Carte menu stands by you.

We went on a full celebration mode and opted in for the 5 cocktails 6 shochu pairing, WILD.

The food was excellent. Of the trio of appetizers, we loved the wagyu daikon caviar the most.

Crab potato rice and a stunningly fresh sea snail chawanmushi had our mouths watering.

Paired with Kagami - tasted like lime, summery and boosted our appetites for the next courses.

Next, we were served a perfectly clear Mackerel. The fish had a fresh, so tender that it almost disintegrated on the tongue. The wasabi was creamy and rich, top notch.

Wine pairing with cool mini shochu - strong but brought out the freshness of the fish. I waited the ice melted a little to take a sip.

Next up, was a Katsu Sando: Crispy pork belly with spring onion and panca chilli and Yazakuma (sen) sour for pairing which gave lime, sweet potato notes.

Moving on to the main, this was the perfect lead in to the dish we’d all had our eye on - Kurt-Dai (Black Sea Bream form Miyazaki).

We were honor to have chef Edwin Guzman come and serve our table which made it the highlight of our evening

Shishito pepper, shimeji mushroom and mint smoothed in grassy flavor with subtle notes of citrus and pepper. Paired with Umai (Rokuchosshi, cointreau, umamibitter, ginger beer shikuwasa) Meaty and savory that deepens the flavor of Rokuchosshi

Zosui: Kumamoto rice, lobster, coriander oil The server called it “Lobster sauce on a lobster”. And she was right! So luscious, rich and buttery without being too overwhelming. . The lobster was cooked perfectly and paired well together with Shiso Oyuwari.

Our friendly bartender had been enthusiastic about the cocktail before serving it- he said oolong tea + honey is unbeatable duo. Not to mention, served in a warm pot just tasted delightful! Also less alcohol because I was a little light headed after the penguin bottle (cool mini shochu). Lol

It's a unique flavor that shines in creative cocktails, mocktails, and culinary creations (perfume ingredients even!).

The dessert course of Shima Tofu The fresh strawberries, tofu that tastes like sorbet dusted with Okinawa brown sugar.

Pairing with another “strong” shochu called Kurouma Kunteki to make a perfect end.

The overall dining experience was phenomenal and unforgettable. The stories behind the tasting and wine tasting menu, from the Western-Japanese wooden tableware and decor to the fresh handpicked ingredients...

I have always wanted to try zoku from The Hari, finally got a chance to try for my fd’s birthday ! The first Friday that dinner back to service , we were super excited about this meal.

First of all, the environment is stunning, we chose the outdoor Terence seat, lovely ambiance, and the service was superb, all of the staffs were very attentive and friendly, and they even waived the cake cutting fees for us!

About the food, the portion was on a small side, quality was good tho.. I was having dinner with a group of small appetite ladies this time, so I thought it was acceptable, but now I know I should’ve order a little more food, even the small appetite women told me they had to cook instant noodle after they got home 😅

What we ordered: toro tartare $288 yellowtail ceviche $258 soft shell crab tempura taco $128 assorted tempura $288 wagyu avocado roll $168 hamachi roll $158 tuna roll $158 shrimp tempura roll $128 hamachi collar $198 egg fried rice $88 wagyu steak $428 curry udon $168 spicy seafood udon $198 quinoa okonomiyaki $168

I really liked the starters, especially the toro tartare and hamachi ceviche, so refreshing.. the wagyu steak from the main was great too, so tender and topped with foie gras.. hamachi collar was surprisingly good too, not dry at all.

Overall, I think everything was up to standard despite the portion was very small, I just realised actually I should double my order😂

$600pp including 2 bottle of wine.. (share by 9 ppl) is a lot cheaper than I thought but I guess just coz we ordered not enough Food.. I was expecting...

So disappointing and overpriced, go to zuma instead for the same price…

We came 2 years ago and we really liked it so on Father’s Day, I decided it was time to go back, convinced it will be a success.

Firstly, it’s set brunch where you can’t get any refill. Oysters was part of the brunch in May 22 not anymore, you need to pay extra. In 2022, there were only losbster or sea urchin where you needed to be extra. Today, 6 dishes required to pay extra including sushis.

In term of quality, I’m sure the ingredients were good but only 2 things we eat we thought « that’s really nice » : the wagyu sushi and the lamb chops. For the chicken tights meatballs for example, you could taste so many pieces of cartilage. The wasabi prawns, so much fried dough that it’s too greasy. The fish for the main tastes dry. The desserts they were 3 different types, far from amazing instead of 5 in 2022. They asked to take a photo of us for their reference, why? Weird.

On a positive note, the setting is nice and the service staff were good and we were given a photo as a present for Father’s Day.

Overall, the brunch is mis priced. It’s the same price than zuma, so go to zuma, you will get a much better and special experience.

Very disappointed and we...