Ronin

Oh god this was such a old post I desperately need to vigilantly update my blog. Ronin is the 2nd restaurant from Yardbird's Matt Abergel and Lindsay Jang and is named after their son. Yardbird is hands down one of my favorite restaurants so I was super excited to finally nab a spot for dinner here with H. Unfortunately I was not blown away by Ronin and probably will not be planning to return any time soon. The food wasn't bad, it just wasn't extremely good either. While Yardbird focuses mostly on chicken, Ronin aims to serve up the city's freshest seafood with interesting flavor combinations. Unlike Yardbird, Ronin does take reservations up to 7 days in advance by email. There are also walk in seats available. The restaurant is quite hidden and it takes one a little time to find it as all you see as your approach is a neutral sliding door with no sign. The space is rather small and is decorated simply. Service is great as always with friendly waiters who are very knowledgable and helpful regarding the menu.

Shigoku Oysters, Red Shiso Vinegar
The oysters were quite fresh and sweet but there weren't any special addition to the oysters which stood out. The red shiso vinegar did have a nice tart flavor yet was not too different from the regular mignonette that you put on oysters. I could order these oysters at any decent seafood restaurant. 

Tai Sea Bream Sashimi, Karasumi, Yuzu
The sashimi was a bit too hard for me but this could be due to personal preference. The texture of the fish was just not to my liking, I also felt that the yuzu zest was a tad overpowering and this dish was also not overly impressive to H nor I. 

Flower Crab, Mitsuba, Uni
This dish, while very anesthetically pleasing, was not equally impressive on the palate. The amount of crab was very decent and it had a clean sweet flavor, yet once again it did not offer any level of innovation or particular flavor combination which left a mark on me. The overall flavor was relatively bland. 

Smoked Silver Beltfish Tempura
This was probably my favorite dish of the night. The sea bream was light, fluffy, and encased in a delicate and crispy batter. The seasoning was just right with a wonderful smokey touch and each piping bite of tempura was thoroughly enjoyed. 

Unagi, Kinome, Chirashi, Rice
This dish was also quite enjoyable but like I said previously, it did not contain any exciting additions. The eel was grilled perfectly and the rice was also seasoned well, yet if I wanted to order unagi rice I could just go to any reputable japanese restaurant and order that instead of putting in more effort to get a reservation at Ronin.

Kogashima Beef, Maitake, Egg Yolk
I believe that this is a dish that is very popular in instagram and is the definitely of food porn. Yes, it looks pretty damn amazing but unfortunately the beef was simply too fatty and the dish severely overly salted. A friend had suggested that I get the beef to be cooked to medium which is usually a sacrilege to me but now I understand why she told me to do so. The beef is very very fatty and therefore at this level of rawness it simply feels soft and unappealing in your mouth. This may have been slightly better if you had a large bowl of rice but not too enjoyable if eaten plain. I feel like if this was cooked more and less salty it could be quite good as all the elements for a delicious dish is there. 

Overall, Ronin did not meet my expectations. Perhaps I was too excited since I am such a big fan of Yardbird. Dishes were not bad, but just did not impress me enough to warrant a second visit.

Ronin

8 On Wo Lane

Central

Hong Kong