Based on my positive experiences with chicken cuisine in China, we decided to try Torisawa, a Japanese yakitori brand brought over by Shanghainese F&B group 植庭集团.
”One common issue with these 'conglomerate' restaurants like Torisawa is that they tend to taste the same - soulless.
Mr. Chow2025.02
What's Good
The Torisawa menu features 22 yakitori items, and we ambitiously decided to order everything. Arriving at 5:20pm when the restaurant was still empty, we received good and attentive service initially. Our first skewer at Torisawa, the diaphragm meat (Harami / 橫膈膜), was tender and juicy. The chicken oyster that followed was equally delicious and succulent. At this point, my friend and I were quite pleased.
and What's Not
However, the Torisawa experience took a sharp downturn. The wing skirt, neck and skin were all excessively fatty. The beauty of charcoal-grilled yakitori lies in how the grilling process typically renders away excess fat, resulting in less greasy, crispy meat. Unfortunately, these pieces remained fatty and lacked the desired crispiness, making them rather unappetising.
At Torisawa, the chicken breast was surprisingly juicy but was ruined by a thick, sweet plum sauce that completely overpowered the chicken’s natural flavour, leaving only regret and unnecessary calories. The shoulder, meatball, and drumette were passable but slightly overcooked, with flavours that felt generic and uninspired – a common issue I’ve noticed in many ‘famous’ Hong Kong yakitori establishments.
The ovary at Torisawa was unremarkable, and my friend’s portion wasn’t even properly heated through, with the centre barely warm. The chicken thigh with shiso was particularly disappointing – while both the meat and shiso were excellent individually, they were ruined by another layer of that overwhelming sweet plum sauce hiding under the shiso.
In Essence
Rather than detailing every mediocre skewer at Torisawa, I’ll summarise: the meal started promisingly but declined as the restaurant got busier. This might be attributed to the team’s limited skill set and the fact that only one visible yakitori station serves the entire restaurant. While Torisawa’s food isn’t necessarily bad, it’s bland and soulless – typical of chain restaurants that are all too common in Hong Kong. To add to the frustration, their refrigerator kept beeping every time it was opened, which was bloody annoying.
Taste: 8.5 / 10
Service: 9 / 10
Ambiance: 8.5 / 10
Tempo: 8 / 10
Last Bites
”Value for Money: 6/10. At HKD533 per person, the pricing is on the premium side for Shenzhen dining, though relatively affordable by Hong Kong standards. However, the mediocre quality of most dishes makes it difficult to justify the price point - after all, what's the point of reasonable pricing if the food isn't enjoyable?
Welcome to feedMrChow
feedMrChow began as a Hong Kong food blog in 2019 dedicated to expressing my personal and honest opinions on restaurants. Being born and raised in Hong Kong, along with having a mother who cooks exceptionally well and a hospitality degree from Switzerland, has cultivated my high standards for food, hotels, and other finer things in life. I am excited to share my perspective with more people!
Where do you find good skewers in Shenzhen? Share your recommendations with me in the comments below!
