Yardbird (Hong Kong)

Right before my trip to Hong Kong I wrote about Yardbird (Twitter: @yardbirdhk, Facebook: Yardbird HK) in my Hong Kong for the Holidays post (BTW I also indicated that I most likely won't be blogging in / about my eating adventures in Hong Kong on that post...HA! What a joooooke!). My friend Elliot, who I've mentioned quite a few times in my Hong Kong posts, is currently the Beverage Manager at Yardbird, making it an obvious reason for me to visit Yardbird often =P It also helps that the restaurant is located in Sheung Wan, which is walking distance from where I was staying in Hong Kong.


From being named one of the Best Restaurants of 2011 by HK Magazine to getting a mention in the New York Post, it was not surprising that Yardbird also grabbed the title of the Best New Restaurant by TimeOut Hong Kong a month ago (also runner up for Best Service and runner up for Chef of the Year). 

This is what HK Magazine had to say about Yardbird:

"Yardbird is a no-frills yet achingly modern two-story yakitori joint in the happenin’ Sheung Wan district. Helmed by chef Matt Abergel of Zuma fame, Yardbird offers a simple menu of starters, skewers and sides—easy is the keysy here. The skewers are all chicken-based, and taken from every part of the chicken’s body from the heart to the skin. Each skewer we ordered was expertly and uniquely seasoned (garlic, shichimi, welsh onion and yuzu kosho were examples)"

Yardbird is always busy, ALWAYS. I sat at the bar; the dining room is downstairs.

I ventured downstairs once to catch some of the action in the kitchen (that's Chef Matt Abergel in white).

Elliot's Yardbird's drink menu.

Yardbird's own sake (which I brought back to Toronto).

Chu Hai cocktail (left) & Shino cocktail (right)...SO TASTY ♥

I went to Yardbird twice; the first visit was right after I got off the plane from Toronto and the second visit was probably one or two nights after that. I would have loved to go to Yardbird a few more times (as Elliot always took great care of me) but my schedule in Hong Kong afterwards became crazy busy when it came to dinner dates with friends, family friends and relatives :S

The portions were adjusted as it was served to me only so the pictures below are not representative of Yardbird's portions =)

SMALL PLATES

Seared Yellowtail Salad - Yuzu kosho, ponzu, radish salad (FYI there were 4-5 more pieces of yellowtail hidden inside that salad)

Cucumber Salad - Sesame, miso, pine nuts

Maitake Mushroom - Olive oil, sudachi

Akagai Casino

Korean Fried Cauliflower ("KFC") - Yuzu, chili

Sweet Corn Tempura - Salt, pepper

YAKITORI

Chicken Heart

Chicken Thigh

Chicken Oyster

To be honest, this post only touches the surface of Yardbird's menu =( For instance, in terms of yakitori, Yardbird offers chicken breast, wings, neck, meatball, liver, gizzard, tail, skin, and knee. Yardbird also serves bigger plates such as short ribs, fried chicken, and rice dishes like "chicken and egg", "mushroom", and "rice cakes", as well as different soups... none of which I got to try =( 


What I did have though were all delicious. My favourites were the Seared Yellowtail Salad, KFC, the Sweet Corn Tempura and the chicken oyster yakitori (so soft, tender, and juicy!). Service was also spectacular at Yardbird - all the staff were extremely friendly, fun, and outgoing. With such good food and people there, it is no wonder Yardbird is doing so well in Hong Kong...truly well deserved! Keep it up, guys! ^_^