Ootoya

Ootoya @ Tsim Sha Tsui

It was 3pm and I was in TST thinking of options for a late lunch.... Ootoya was near and since i've never been I thought i'd give it a go... 

Upon looking at the rather limited afternoon menu, we decided on the following.

House-made Tofu ($20)

There was not a lot of flavour in the tofu, and the portion was pretty tiny.... (4/10)

"rice with vinegar ootoya special soy sauce flavoured raw tuna" ($100)

close up of the tekka-don (tuna sashimi on rice)

Minor errors with the english name on the menu, but language aside this set was quite enjoyable. 

the maguro was marinated in a soy sauce-based marinade and so additional soy-sauce dipping was unnecessary. the thin slices of fish was clearly the star here, succulent and the marinade was very light and didn't kill the taste of the raw fish.... the rice was also really good, plump grains which retained a slight bite, and pre-seasoned with vinegar.... (8/10)

chawanmushi

served alongside the tekka-don was this little cup of steamed egg. perfectly smooth but a little too light on the flavour... the dashi might have been missing.?? (6/10)

miso soup

also came with the tekka-don, not bad.

"rice bowl with deep fried breaded chicken and cold udon (in a wooden box)" ($72)

close up of the chicken katsu, on a bed of shredded cabbage and rice (7/10)

whilst the chicken katsu was pretty good, with tender chicken wrapped in a golden and crispy panko-crust, the rice underneath was normal long grain rice, and slightly too 'wet'... would've loved it more if it were the Japanese rice (unseasoned) that came with tuna rice set above. On the side was a vinegary and slightly sweet katsu sauce to go with it. 

cold udon noodles spread in the wooden box...

these udon noodles were pretty good texturally, though my favourite remains the thin inaniwa udon noodles. the mentsuyu (in a sake-like jar next to the cucumber in picture) was far to light in taste, so when the udon was dipped in and slurped out it was still very bland..... my guess is that it was too diluted. (7/10 for noodles only)

Ootoya is an affordable and tasty option for popularized Japanese food....though I think I'll need to return during dinner, with hopefully with a fuller menu and better execution of the dishes.

Food: ♥♥♥

Service: ♥♥

Price: $$$

Ootoya

1/F, Imperial Hotel, 32 Nathan Road, 

Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong

Tel: +852 2312 2675