Torimatsu

Nearing the end of our quick trip to LA, we were not super excited to travel too far for food.  So we ended up heading somewhere close by while also being tasty.  This brought us to Torimatsu in Gardena.  They are known for their yakitori grilling for all to see in their open kitchen.  I originally missed the place as I drove by since their sign was not lit up at night.  Once inside, we were greeted warmly and sat in one of their smaller tables (which wasn't that convenient for all the food we ordered).

At our table, we found 3 choices for seasoning our yakitori including salt, togarashi and seven-spice powder.  For our first round of skewers, we had the Chicken Meatballs, Duck, Chicken with Green Onion and Stuffed Lotus Root.  We particularly enjoyed the meatballs as they were juicy and well-seasoned.  The lotus root had a nice crunch while cheesy.  The duck had its usual delicious gaminess while still being moist.  As for the chicken and onion, the chicken was also juicy and nicely charred.  The onion brightness did influence the pieces of chicken adjacent to it.

The next set of skewers included Asparagus, Shiitake Mushroom, Chicken Giblets, Chicken Livers, Chicken Hearts and Fried Tofu.  As you can see, the asparagus wasn't grilled too aggresively, so it still retained a bite.  The mushrooms were at their earthy best while cooked through.  The chicken offal were all good with the giblets have that classic firm meaty crunch and the livers being soft and not overdone.  The hearts were meaty with the usual squishiness.  Loved the fried tofu with its crispy exterior and chewy interior.

We also ordered a few smaller dishes to compliment our skewers in the Deep Fried Chicken Cartilage and Deep Fried Squid.  If I had to choose a favorite, the squid would've been my choice.  It was lightly battered being crispy on the outside.  The squid itself had an appealing chew to it.  As for the cartilage, it was soft enough to easily eat, but still had a light bite.  The white meat chicken attached to it was a bit dry, but not too much so.  A squeeze of the wedge of lemon really brightened things up.

Served on a separate plate, the Grilled Japanese Eggplant was a bit smoky and cooked all-the-way-through.  It retained some texture still while being tender.  To add some carbs to our meal, we got the Zaru Soba.  This was textbook with chewy cold noodles with a side of tsuyu sauce.  Nice balance of sweetness and umaminess.  Overall, the meal at Torimatsu wasn't fancy or anything, but it was satisfying and did the job.  Prices were reasonable and the people there are super nice.

The Good:
- Solid eats
- Reasonable pricing
- Super nice people

The Bad:
- Tight seating arrangements (typical for these types of restaurants though)

Yardbird

You'd think that having access to the largest variety and choice of Chinese food in the world would make us happy campers right?  Well, yes and no.  After back-to-back-to-back etc... days of Chinese food, we were about ready for a break.  Now we weren't talking about burger and fries here.  Rather, we made our way out to Yardbird north of Sheung Wan MTR station.  Now when I mean north, I mean up the hill and many stairs.  By the time we arrived at opening, we were a sweaty mess.  But it was worth it though as Yardbird is one of the hottest spots in Hong Kong, serving up some mean Yakitori.

Since we were without the kiddies (thanks to my Uncle), we could enjoy ourselves properly at Yardbird (not really a place to bring kids).  After ordering some sake, we started with the Liver Mousse with milk bread and crispy shallots.  The thick and dense mousse was smooth and natural-tasting.  Many times, pates and mousses are seasoned to the point where we can't taste the liver, not in this case.  The brightness of the onions and the crispy aromatic shallots were a nice compliment.  Next up was one of their signature dishes being the Sweet Corn Tempura looking tasting and majestic.  These balls of batter and corn were delicious and texturally-pleasing.  Only lightly seasoned with salt and pepper, the sweet pop of corn nestled in a crispy and light batter did the heavy lifting.

Next up, we moved onto the Yakitori with a selection including the Duck Meatballs.  These were beautifully lacquered and caramelized where the outside was smoky, sweet and slightly crusty.  Inside, the meat was juicy, tender and mildly seasoned.  The little nuggets of white onion were still a bit crunchy where it added both texture and another level of sweetness.  We also got a variety of Chicken Skewers including Inner Thigh, Neck and Rib.  Our favourite was the inner thigh as it was super juicy, nicely brined and tender.  It was lightly charred on the outside where the flavours were impactful while the natural sweetness of the dark meat came through.  The neck and rib were a bit fattier and had more of a rebound texture.

Staying with chicken (as the place is called Yardbird), we had the Chicken Meatball formed onto the skewer.  This was served with a side of tare and raw egg yolk that was mixed into a dipping sauce.  The chicken skewer was nicely grilled on the outside while the inside was soft, moist and spongy (in a good way).  The sweetness was nicely accented by the salty and smooth yolk dip. Moving away from chicken with our last yakitori was the Pork Belly with daikon ponzu and Welsh onion.  This was also caramelized with a smoky and sweet crispy exterior.  The belly was fatty and also meaty at the same time where it was tender.  The brightness of the onions balanced the heaviness of the belly.

Onto another signature dish, we had the Korean Fried Cauliflower coated with a spicy and sweet gochujang sauce.  It barely clung onto each piece which meant that the whole dish wasn't too saucy nor wet.  Hence, the coating remained somewhat crispy and didn't become gummy.  Inside, the cauliflower was tender and fully-cooked.  I would've liked it firmer though.  Whatever the case, I loved the impactful flavours including the tartness of yuzu.  Even better was the Fried Chicken with garlic and kewpie.  Looking very much like chicken karaage, these large nuggets of dark meat sported completely rendered and crunchy skin.  The meat itself was juicy, well-brined and tender.  The side of sweet Japanese mayo was the natural compliment.

Totally covered with Japanese herbs and drizzled with a mustard vinaigrette, the Ox-Tongue was well-seared and buttery.  It was tender, but still retained a rebound and chew.  Due to the fat content, ox-tongue can be rather heavy.  However, the brightness of the greens and the acidity from the vinaigrette helped balance the dish nicely.  Our last dish was the Duck Fried Rice with shiso, myoga and onion.  This was probably our least favourite items as it had very little pop.  It was well-prepared though with chewy rice, plenty of duck and an interesting herbal finish.  For me, it just paled in comparison to the rest of the dishes.   However, the rest of the items were on point and delicious.  This was a good break from Chinese food.

The Good:
- The yakitori does not disappoint
- Lively atmosphere
- Something different that Chinese food (for us)

The Bad:
- Can get pricey
- Small place, tight seating and you'll have to wait