Ronin

Ronin was so impressive… but then again, it’s a spin off of Yard Bird so we knew the quality was going to be high. The food was creative, impressive presentation but most of all it was damn good. I was heading to Japan in a few days and hadn’t had enough good Chinese food yet but this place was calling our name. The basic, karaage wasn’t basic… they’re spin was so much better than what you normally get. Grilled sardines were excellent, as well as the KFC crab… the drinks here were impressive. Cocktails were on the generous side. A must if you haven’t been

I can honestly say that dinner at Ronin was top 10 dinners I’ve had. My wife and I were lucky to get a table without a reservation.
Everything in this fine restaurant is top notch, beginning for the staff that is very helpful and friendly, they will explain everything and make very good suggestions, to the menu (that changes daily) to their great selection of Japanese whiskey and sake.
Keep in mind that the restaurant is not too big, so I don’t think it will work well for a large crowd, but perfect for a nice upscale dinner/​date.

Food is way better than I expected. Service was superb. Now I know where the entrance is, I need to go back again!

Awesome restaurant owned by friendly chef, Matt.
It’s a bit difficult to spot, as it’s fronted by an inconspicuous door with no signage whatsoever identifying it, or signalling its location. It’s a well kept secret, but you’ll no doubt find it if you look closely.
The food, quality, presentation and service are all top. It delivers on it’s pretentions by putting out plate after plate of delicious, unusual, creative flavors.
Their whisky selection is justly famous; let their resident expert Elliot guide your selection, and you’ll be in good hands.
There are only two seatings per night, with what appeared to be a maximum of 15 eats along the bar… so book early.

The fancy version of Yardbird (same owners), with an EVEN MORE impressive — and incredibly extensive — Japanese whiskey selection.
The interior is long, narrow, and understated, with about 16 bar seats (can’t remember exactly how many) available for reservations. There is also a long bar with standing room for walk-​in patrons interested in a nosh and a cocktail. I love the darkened, cool, understated ambience of the interior. .. as well as the exterior. (There is no signage outside of the restaurant, and the door is just a nondescript gray sliding panel that blends into the exterior wall of the building — so keep an eye out!)
The menu is very seafood-​centric, with only a few meaty items, which suited me just fine. I’ve been here twice so far and have gone the omakase route both times. I’ll continue to do so for future visits, given the quality of the recommendations. The uni dish that was suggested to me was incredible, as was the sardines tartare. Oysters are a must. The udon noodles were also quite tasty. Seriously, just leave it to them to decide what you’re gonna eat. You won’t be sorry.
This is a great spot for any folks with gluten intolerances (self-​imposed or otherwise), as the vast majority of the menu items are gluten-​free. Guilt-​free indulgence!
Speaking of guilt-​free, please note that there is no dessert available at Ronin. But why fuss with that when you can just have dessert in liquid form (i.e., whiskey cocktails)?
Cannot wait for my next visit here. And I cannot WAIT to see what Matt Abergel and Lindsay Jang (the folks behind Ronin, Yardbird, and Sunday’s Grocery) bless this amazing island with next! Their concepts are incredible. Love.

Very solid Japanese restaurant/​bar in Hong Kong. Didn’t find the entrance too hard to find (slide not push/​pull the door!) since it is just a huge wooden door. Came at 10 pm on a Saturday night and even though the bar stools were all occupied, the standing counter was empty. VERY large selection of Japanese whiskey to choose from in a range of prices. They also had two different Japanese beers on tap (one lager and one stout). Now down to the food. Started with half a dozen oysters with cucumber water and yuzu kosho which were pricey but I was seriously craving. Very fresh and flavorful (Americans tend to overload on cocktail sauce and ginger that can mask the oyster flavor so I always enjoy oysters prepared in this way). Next up was a generous helping of uni with nori and panko. Was flip flopping between this and the flower crab with uni dish when I was placing my order but in the end decided to focus on the uni flavor. Definitely mix it all around to fully release the flavors and can’t wait to try the uni with the flower crab next time! After this, my waiter recommended the tigerfish with honey, kyoto shichimi and chestnuts. The tigerfish was very tender and fried perfectly, pairing very well with the harder pieces of chruchy chestnuts. I also think this was probably the most value for your buck out of the entrees. Finished with the Unagi Chirashi and I was seriously stuffed after this. Can’t really remember the last time that Unagi and rice tasted this good. All in all, excellent spot to get some fresh, well prepared Japanese food and quite trendy later in the night for drinking and small bites. But be warned, it can get pricey. I spent over 1,400 hkd by myself on 4 dishes and 3 drinks but I also had a lot of food

A wonderful, hard to find place with amazing staff and a mouth watering menu.
The staff there is super friendly and will help you out with all your questions. They will also come sit and talk with you and even have a drink with you.
The drink selection is very impressive, a great place to try new sakes and Japanese whiskeys and beers.
Place is a bit tight but makes for a intimate and friendly atmosphere.
Food is super fresh and the combinations are delightfully intriguing.

Not fair to finish the entire review as we were just there for drinks. Under the same umbrella of Yardbird, I was always wonder how they will introduce the NYC dinning scene for Japanese cuisine here.
It was not the plan at all. I first had some dinner which happened to be Japanese as well. Then cannot go home without another Friday drink. My friend is up in Gough Street for the hidden bar. She picked me up and I was amazed by the deco and vibe. How could I never know such a thing! Then my friends were saying this is a sake bar and recommend me to try. Oh yes rice liquid, totally my thing. I usually love hot ones but here they only serve cold and normal temperature. When the menu arrives, I saw yardbird and questioned the server. Haha I sit my ass in Ronin. I had the Yardbird Jumai. Quite light compared to ordinary ones as this one has so much water… But still, very drinkable.
I am craving the dishes on my neighbours table. This is a must comin back list.

I absolutely loved my meal at Ronin at the weekend. However, it almost ended in disaster. The restaurant is hidden behind an unmarked door. You really need to know where you are going because even when you are right outside, the location is far from obvious. I only stumbled upon it because a couple of other diners had just walked in ahead of me.
Once inside, I knew I was going to like the place. The décor was stylish and cool without being achingly hip. The staff found that perfect balance of providing both high quality service while being friendly and personable. I was on my own — as a solo diner you really notice this kind of thing.
The restaurant itself is small. Only 14 bar stools down one side of the room with standing tables down the other. As a result reservations are a must. The booking hotline opens every Monday, although if you call the restaurant itself at about 6pm, you might get lucky.
So, to the food. Dishes come in tapas sized portions which make it great option for either solo diners or for couples. Starting with some sashimi, I then moved into hot dishes, ranging from crab with uni which is rightly highly praised to Ronin’s take on KFC (Korean Fried Crab). Every dish was interesting to taste and wonderful to look at. I devoured every scrap and will be coming back for more sometime soon.

a bit difficult to find since there is a door with no sign and it’s on the side street. crab uni dish was amazing (and piled high). lot of regulars come here.

Hidden in a side alley of Gough Street, lies a mystical gem called Ronin. It is so humble that I couldn’t even find the door. There is no sign, leading doorways, obvious entrance, just a sliding grey door that camouflages against the grey wall thats part of the building it is in! Finding it was a mission on it’s own. Once, found, I already fell in love. The door slid open and right there before my eyes was what looked like a cave that delve down narrowly with people enjoying themselves. The space is small and narrow and packed with people. There are tables alongside the wall with no seats if people opted to stand. I sat down since I was prepared to have a long dinner with drinks included. I was ready to taste this famous yet humbly hidden restaurant, Ronin. The menu is like any other trendy restaurant. You have the sharables and the sashimi and bigger plates. There what caught my eye was «tasting menu» for $ 980 for two people. First place at a restaurant with good Japanese whiskey and a tasting menu option? YES PLEASE! I asked the waiter if the infamous, beef carpaccio was on the tasting menu, he said it wasn’t but for $ 100 HKD more you can add it. I asked if I can exchange one of the dishes on the tasting menu for it and he said that it wasn’t allowed. I didn’t really appreciate this uptightness but whatever, I didn’t let that ruin my mood. We ordered whiskey and listened to the smooth house music in the background while we people watched and waited for our first course to arrive. The tasting menu is 12 courses, small plates. Some were more impressionable than the other, for example the smoked Saba with Daikon and the flower crab with uni. Those are must– orders and served a la carte if you don’t go for the tasting menu. Another dish that stood out was the sardine tartare with served with freshly fried potato chips. I quite enjoyed this. Overall, I am pleased to say that I tasted the tasting menu BUT going forward, I will be ordering a la carte at Ronin. I really wanted to try the beef carpaccio that wasn’t served on the tasting and there were just too many so-​so dishes that I would have chosen to not have tasted. But duly noted! As for drinks, try their Bureau which is usually made with Gin but I asked for whiskey instead, mixed with lemon juice, ginger and soda water. Very yummy. I’ve also heard that Ronin is a sister restaurant to Yardbird, but in my opinion YardBird was a completely different experience in terms of food and not to mention crazy lines. definitely come with friends to enjoy good drinks, great ambiance and great small dishes.