Yardbird @ Hong Kong

Not to be confused with other Yardbirds that specialise in Southern Fried Chicken, this one is a Hong Kong-based yakitori restaurant.

Located in Hong Kong’s bustling Sheung Wan neighbourhood, Yardbird is a modern izakaya that specializes in yakitori – Japanese-style skewered chicken that’s grilled over binchotan charcoal.

Owned and operated by Chef Matt Abergel and Lindsay Jang, Yardbird is a family-style, neighborhood restaurant that combines the highest level of service with the best quality food and drinks in a fun and relaxed environment.

Since its inception, Yardbird has garnered a great deal of local and international praise. In 2014, it ranked #45 on San Pellegrino’s list of the ‘50 Best Restaurants’ in Asia. In 2019, its book “Chicken and Charcoal” took home the James Beard Award. In 2021, it was awarded its first Michelin star.

There are two main dining halls, where you can choose bar seats or regular dining tables. There are also banquette-style seats which are more cosy and private. The dining ambience is boisterous and relaxed. 

Yardbird has been going for a decade now and has gained a global following in that time, centred around its chicken offal yakitori and good-time izakaya vibes. The drinks offering is Japan-centric, as you might expect, with beers, a great choice of sake, shochu and umeshu, alongside an impressive dedicated Japanese whisky list. 

Yakitori became popular in Japan in the mid-1900s after the end of World War II, when a more stable supply of chicken became available.

The main draw is without doubt the 20-plus types of yakitori skewers made with local ‘three-yellow’ chicken from beak to tail, grilled over binchotan charcoal. And they sell out before the evening is over.

Unlike traditional Japanese yakitoriya, they provide a hot sauce as well as a shichimi togarashi that uses their own mix of seven spices. I didn’t use any of them, as the chicken skewers were really well seasoned.

Kanpachi Tartare, Tosazu, Potato Chips

Our first appetiser was a kanpachi (amberjack) tartare mixed with bits of tempura crisp, shredded shallots, chopped scallions and dressed with tosazu 土佐酢, with its exquisite flavour of smoked bonito, luxurious umami notes and perfectly balanced acidity.

The portion of the appetiser was quite generous, no wonder they asked us to order only one portion to share among us.

The potato crisps were provided to scope up the tartare. Deliciously balanced of umami and acidity with the fatty amberjack.

Liver Mousse, Milk Bread, Crispy Shallots

I didn’t expect a sharing portion of this size when it said small plates in the menu. Six slices of toasts made from milk bread, accompanied with deep fried shallots and a half jug of chicken liver mousse.

The waiter told us to mix up the liver mouse with the scallions real good and spread it onto the toast.

The deep fried shallots were like tiny onion rings, they provided texture and more fragrance to the lot.

After the appetisers, we started our gastronomic journey of the different parts of the chicken. We paced ourselves with three skewers at one time, so that they would not arrived too quickly and became cold.

Knee (Sake, Garlic), Oyster (Sea Salt, Lemon), Neck Skin (Flagrant Ponzu, Lime)

The two chicken oysters | soriresu (M) are some of the juiciest, tenderest meat on the whole bird. Beautifully grilled and seasoned with sea salt, there is a piece of lemon provided to add a few drops of lemon juice to further freshen up with a nice citrus note. The chicken neck | seseri (R) was interesting with a spicy, tangy note. The chicken knee | nonkotsu (L) has that soft bone crunch and infused with garlic, something not usual with traditional yakitori, which is either seasoned with shio (salt) or tare (yakitori soy sauce).

Tail (Sake , Sea Salt), Miso Breast (Parsley, Basil, Garlic), Gizzard (Crispy Garlic, Soybean)

The item I loved ordering was the chicken tail | bonjiri (L). Fatty and soft, but with a crispy exterior, they are very good eats despite being the chicken bottom. The chicken breast | mune (M), which wasn’t my favourite cut of chicken, had a soft texture and borrowed its flavours from the miso and parsley-basil sauce.  I find the chicken gizzard | sunagimo (R) overdone and over seasoned with the crispy garlic.

Tsukune | Meatball (Tare, Egg York)

I saw the chefs working on this and told myself we needed to order these bad boys. Called tsukune or chicken meatballs, these are considered a test on the skills of the yakitori masters.

The super heavy sauce with the sous vide egg yolk was a nice touch, but over heavy-handed for the already well-seasoned meatball.

Rib (Sansho, Tare), Ventricle (Tare, Kyoto Shichimi)

Chicken ventricle | kokoronokori (R), which is the part of the chicken that connects the heart and liver, is a rare part seldom seen outside of Japan. The chicken rib meat | engawa is a leaner cut has been nicely grilled and brushed with tare sauce, and then sprinkled with sansho to give a bit of spiciness.

Liver (Sansho, Tare), Tendon (Tokyo Negi, Ponzu), Thyroid (Sake, Sea Salt)

The chicken liver | reba (L) has been grilled with tare sauce, and sprinkled with sansho to give spiciness, but I find it a bit gamey. The chicken thyroid | otafuku (R) carried a creamy texture and intense chicken flavour, and was my favourite of the night.

Yardbird Chicken Broth, Burdock

The chicken soup was packed with flavours from boiling a copious amount of chicken carcass, feet and neck to make a stock for shredded burdock egg drop soup. Remember to ask them to go easy with the parsley if you don’t like it. The burdock gives the savoury soup a slightly bitter taste like ginseng.

The bill came in the form of a QR code, and accompanied a small catcher of shichimi torigashi for you to bring home. Traditional Japanese yakitori this is not, but it isn’t as liberal as Hatch in LA. The atmosphere is very San Francisco hipster/trendy, the service is good, but the portions are very small, and the prices are exorbitant.

If you are looking for the traditional yakitori, you will leave disappointed. I seriously doubt how they manage to get the star. If you are here for the atmosphere and people watching, it is constantly filled with beautiful people. I wasn’t impressed, so I wouldn’t be returning anytime soon.

Yardbird Yakitori Restaurant
Winsome House, 154-158 Wing Lok Street G/F,
Shops A and B, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong
Tel : +852 2547 9273 (Reservations)

Visited Nov 2024

Michelin Hong Kong and Macau Guide 1 Star 2021-24