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Yardbird Hong Kong

November 8, 2018 by Jennifer Che 1 Comment

Yardbird Hong Kong
I would like to think I’ve had my fair share of very good yakitori.

Although I don’t seek it out nearly as often as I seek out sushi when I’m in Japan, I’ve still dined at some pretty good places, such as 1-Michelin starred Bird Land (made even more famous because it’s located next to Sukiyabashi Jiro) and another lovely slightly less-discovered place called Nakameguro Iguchi. Because of that, I think I have a pretty decent benchmark when it comes to yakitori.
Yardbird Hong Kong
We knew about the insane lines and never-ending popularity of Yardbird in Hong Kong. In general, Hong Kong diners have short attention spans and constantly seek out the newest, latest, hottest restaurant. It’s hard to stay “hot”, yet Yardbird has managed to stay in high demand for seven years, even after moving from Soho to a bigger location in Sheung Wan at the end of 2017.

People say they love that the restaurant is family-owned and not run by a huge restaurant group (which describes many of the non-Chinese restaurants in Hong Kong). They feel that the restaurant has heart and passion. Chef and co-owner Matt Abergel is from Calgary, Canada, and fell in love with yakitori during a trip to Japan when he was 17.  He pursued that passion, moving first to Vancouver to work at a Japanese restaurant before spending time at Masa in New York, Zuma in London, and then Zuma in Hong Kong.

He opened Yardbird in 2011, and lines have been out the door ever since.Yardbird Hong Kong
Mushroom salad (HKD135) shungiku, mizuna, and wasabi

Our strategy to avoid the lines: arrive right at 6PM opening time. In fact, we arrived about 10-15 minutes before opening and stood outside to wait. There were about 10-15 other guests who had the same strategy. There was no problem getting a seat.

When we arrived, the server asked us whether we wanted to sit in the front or the back. The front has high top tables, the bar, and standing tables (for bar patrons and people waiting for a table). The back is quieter and all the seats and table are normal height.

“Which one’s more fun?” I asked.

“The front.”

“Alright then!”
Yardbird Hong Kong
Sweet Corn Tempura (HKD 110)

Although chicken is definitely the focus, there are other things on the menu such as salads, various types of vegetables, tartare, rice and noodles, and soup.

We were thrilled to learn that you can request half orders of the menu items. For example, the Sweet Corn Tempura (HKD 110) typically comes with four fritters, but we were able to get just a half order of two fritters, one for each of us.
Yardbird Hong Kong
Chicken skin HKD45

Of course, the chicken is the star here, and you have to order at least a few yakitori skewers. Yardbird uses really special local Hong Kong yellow chickens. These chickens, which come from the nearby Sheung Wan market, are slaughtered same day.

According to Chef Abergel, the yellow chickens in Hong Kong are better than any other chicken in the world. He says he has tasted chicken in Japan, Australia, and France, but “nothing comes close in flavour to the Hong Kong yellow chicken.”
Yardbird Hong Kong
Come early, for certain choice parts get sold out quickly. This is what the board looked like around 7PM, not even an hour after opening. Sometimes it’s surprising to see what’s popular.
Yardbird Hong Kong
Chicken Neck with yuzu kosho and pepper was fantastic. [HKD45]
Yardbird Hong Kong
Chicken liver [HKD45]
Yardbird Hong Kong Yardbird Hong Kong
One of my favorites: Chicken Meatball served with tare and an egg yolk (you’re supposed to mix the tare with the egg yolk to form a dipping sauce). HKD48
Yardbird Hong Kong
Yum. So good!
Yardbird Hong Kong
Chicken gizzard came covered with crispy garlic. [HKD45]
Yardbird Hong Kong
Bryan loves Chicken hearts, and Yardbird’s version, smothered in fresh spring onions and ginger, did not disappoint. [HKD45]
Yardbird Hong Kong Yardbird Hong Kong
We ended the meal with a unusual Chicken and Egg Rice [HKD165]. The chicken fried rice with peas came topped with crispy chicken skin and an onsen egg. Of course we had to break the egg and mix everything up.
Yardbird Hong Kong
This was good too, and it was nice to have some rice to balance out the protein-heavy meal.

Yardbird Hong Kong

I am not at all surprised why this restaurant is so popular. The yakitori is excellent. I especially enjoyed the little creative touches that they put on the various pieces so that it’s not just pure chicken chicken chicken. There’s yuzu kosho with the neck, crispy garlic with the gizzard, and mounds of spring onions and ginger with the heart.

For even more variety, there are many, many great dishes to choose – everything from tartare, salad, and scotch eggs to fried rice, noodles, and soup. I can’t wait to come back and try more things, especially some of those exotic ones that sold out so fast.

Yardbird Hong Kong
154-158 Wing Lok Street
Sheung Wan HONG KONG

This is the eighteenth post in the updated #50Postsin50Days – Take 2 Challenge. Other posts in this series will be added to the bottom of the original post.

Filed Under: Asian, Cuisine, Japanese, Michelin, Michelin1, Restaurant, Review, World Travel, yakitori

« Chifa Dumpling House Hong Kong
Okonomiyaki Dohtonburi Hong Kong »

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  1. 50 Posts in 50 Days - Take 2! Exploring Hong Kong in 2018 - Tiny Urban Kitchen says:
    December 5, 2018 at 11:47 am

    […] Spoon (Vietnamese) Galician Beef at La Ramba (Spanish) Chifa Dumpling House (Chinese Peruvian) Yardbird (yakitori) (Japanese grill) Okonomiyaki Dohtonburi The Chairman Four Person Set Menu Northern Yuan Dumpling […]

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Welcome to Tiny Urban Kitchen!

JenChe

Hi, my name's Jen and welcome to my cooking, eating, and travel site! I am a Boston to Hong Kong transplant, born and raised in Ohio with parents from Taiwan. Feel free to head on over to the About page if you want to learn more about me, or just explore away, maybe starting with the Recipe Index or one of the travel pages! I hope you enjoy this site!
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