Japanese food is just one of those fixes I need every now and then. I probably can almost eat it everyday, but I won't - don't ask me why because I can only give you a contradictory answer that I cannot explain. I was in a Japanese lunch mode today so I went to Sakaegawa in Causeway Bay, operated by the the same crew behind the namesake restaurant at the bygone Ritz Carlton. I have always wanted to try out this place but never got around to it until now.I think Sakaegawa is a nice lunch thrill (I think Qube is the best lunch thrill, but that's another story). Its neighborhoody, rustic, fish-markety, rowdy ambiance is decidedly different from the typical attempted serenity at most other Jap eateries in the area. It is also unlike izakayas like The Mon, which tries to be dark and trendy instead. Being not completely authentic (as IMHO none are in HK) and a tad Hong Kong-esque (e.g. greeting in Canto-Japanese) actually added charm to Sakaegawa's personality. I quite like this setup, if in the mood for some fun.
I ordered the Hokkaido donburi @ HKD 138, and a stewed baby awabi for HKD 25. The awabi came first. Small indeed it was, not too much bigger than that "HSBC abalone" for online transactions. Cut in half, the taste was rather good, not overally chewy, but too icy cold - clearly it was served just out of the fridge. Anyway, this has the basics for a nice snack I think, maybe at dinner time it would be served at a better temperature.
The donburi came with the usual salad-soup-pickles accompaniments. The soup stood out for me because it was so MSG-sy, almost like the instant noodle variety except lighter in colour and came with good portions of tofu and kelp. Strangely this was a change from the norm and I liked the fact that it reminded me of childhood instant noodle fixes.
The quality of the sashimi in the rice bowl was acceptably fresh and fine for the price. Variety was nice - Canadian(?) uni on cucumber (a nice touch), hotategai, ikura, sake...the best bit was the big botan ebi. This was quite scrumptious, and not normally found in a donburi of this price. My picture of the bowl doesn't quite do the trophy botan ebi justice, with it hidden behind the shiso leaf!
The finale green tea ice cream surprisingly passed my "test". Often Japanese restaurants in Causeway Bay skim on cost at lunchtime and serve green gunk that looks like mint ice cream and tastes like plastic. This time the portion was small, but the flavour was dandy for me.
In all, I look forward to coming back for a proper, noisy dinner with a bunch of friends. The pictures I saw in Openrice.com (stewed kinki fish, tai sashimi etc.) looked very promising and the waitress said she would make sure the head chef gives me something fresh and special next time! There is a good sake collection too. Yeah!
Sakaegawa, 7/F Continental Building (aka Geech Building (private joke)), Causeway Bay
