The Place
With a menu touching on both Japanese and Taiwanese cuisines (but mostly Japanese), Kenichi draws a valid and under-appreciated connection between these two island regions. Set in the basement floor of Wongtee Plaza in central Futian District, Kenichi is hardly distinguishable from the rest of the restaurants in the vicinity. That may have something to do with a thin layer of greenery that surrounds the restaurant’s comfortable (and heated!) outdoor sitting area.
The Food
While a large portion of the menu is given over to fish-based dishes, like sashimi, crab rolls and sushi, the folks at Kenichi know precisely how to tenderize a good steak. We began our feast with the grilled rib eye (RMB680), which was tender, juicy and pulled apart at the slightest touch of our teeth. While this slab of meat is paired with a thick chunk of cheese, we preferred to eat it dry, or rather with just the company of the meat’s juices.
Image by Rason Wu/That's
Next up we tried our hand at the tuna tartar (RMB98). While this dish is beautifully presented, the taste and aftertaste left much to be desired, from our point of view, anyway. We washed it down with a special whiskey sour (RMB88), which was sweet and floral, with a vermouthlike flavor and barely a whisper of whiskey.
Image by Rason Wu/That's
Image by Rason Wu/That's
After this we tucked into a plate of skewers. Our favorite amongst these was the pork belly with green onion (RMB22), although the beef tongue (RMB45) was about as tender a bit of tongue as we’ve tasted in Shenzhen. As we say, these folks know how to make a piece of meat. We finished our evening with a peanut butter old fashioned (RMB88). While we’ve tried peanut butter beer, we’ve never had a peanut butter cocktail. On first sip, it tasted quite the same as a glass of whiskey. After a second or two, however, the sharpness of the whiskey gave way to a sweet aftertaste. We went back for another taste, and then another. Needless to say, we were charmed by this new-fangled old fashioned cocktail.
Image by Rason Wu/That's
The Vibe
We arrived at Kenichi on a quiet weekday evening. Reclining into our chairs we sipped on delicious cocktails and forgot about the bustling crowds no more than 20 feet from where we sat. Like the islands whose food the folks at Kenichi cook so well, we felt tucked away, separated from the rest of the world by a layer of sea, of calm.
Price: RMB200-400
Who’s going: Japanophiles, meat-freaks
Good for: sashimi, tenderized steaks, fancy cocktails
Nearest metro: Convention and Exhibition Center (Exit D), 2 minutes’ walk
Open daily 11am-2am. See listing for Kenichi.
[Cover image by Rason Wu]
0 User Comments