I have the book at home, and until now I had always wondered what it would be like to eat at Yardbird. Flicking through the pages, I saw some adventurous skewers featuring every part of the bird you can imagine. Finally, this curiosity became a reality when we flew into Hong Kong—our first stop was Yardbird. We happened to walk past the group’s new place, ‘Always Joy,’ on a bit of a power walk as we were running late and saw Matt standing outside. He could see we were trying to find it and pointed to a building, saying, “Next one down”—which was literally next door. “We’ll have to go there as well,” I said, looking inquisitively at where he was standing.
As we entered, it looked so cool—definitely a place you’d want to hang around in for a long time. Rocking up in my trucker cap and trainers was a relief after a long haul; I could waltz in as I was, so to speak, propping up to the bar, camera in hand (of course!).
The atmosphere here is friendly, and if you’re sitting at the bar, it’s quite easy to spark up a conversation with your fellow diners. It’s very chilled, and you can see everyone is here for an enjoyable time. I loved the menu so much that I know I ordered a lot, because at the end of the night I couldn’t move! You could say I played it safe with the cuts—I didn’t take any liver, heart, or gizzard (maybe next time)—but the parts I did choose were excellent.
A brief time into our meal, we saw Matt, who came over to talk to us. I told him, “You are a very clever chef.” If you think about it, taking something as humble as chicken and elevating it to this kind of status is a wise thing to do for many reasons. From a business sense, it’s intelligent. Not only that, but everything I ate tasted brilliant. Chicken can often be underwhelming and sometimes dry, no matter how carefully you handle it—not here. Another thing to mention they catered for a gluten intolerance perfectly, often repeating and making sure no mistakes were made. Service was delivered with flair—collected, cool, calm, and professional.
We mainly tried the yakitori, and there are some interesting things to sample—everything from breast and fillet (which are usual) to the unusual: Achilles, neck, neck skin, bicep, knee, ventricle, even thyroid. The menu also includes rice and noodles, bigger plates, soups, and smaller plates. There is variety, and this is great, but if it’s your first time visiting, don’t skip the yakitori. To make every cut juicy and tender, with the right amount of char, takes skill, and I specifically remember each one I ate being absolutely spot on. I was almost waiting for a slip-up somewhere, but there wasn’t one. Some parts were more impressive than others, but overall, everything was good.
I finished with the monaka ice cream sandwich, which felt very retro—I loved that and wolfed down the lot. (Is it any wonder I couldn’t move at the end of the evening!) Alongside the food, the branding is a powerful tool for Yardbird. You can buy their T-shirts, socks, of course the book, and various condiments. They even give you a couple of sachets to take home. As a whole package, this is a full experience restaurant—you don’t just come here to eat, you come to have a whale of a time. This could be a regular haunt, and it welcomes everybody. Come here, when you went to let your hair down with no judgement, having fun in the process surrounded by very decent food.
