A new yakitori-cum-sushi rice bowl restaurant, Yokai is the first restaurant themed around the works of manga artist Shigeru Mizuki.
Here’s a little history lesson for you. Themed restaurants trace their origins back to the late 1980s, when themed supper clubs – in this case modelled on death, hell and heaven – opened in Paris. Similar restaurants soon found their way across the Atlantic to New York, where they found equally willing punters.
As cars became more common, restaurants were opened in the shape of vehicles, animals, and even food, in an effort to catch the eye of the road-tripping family. Tiki restaurants and bars gave diners a chance to explore the South Pacific over a meal, cowboy-themed diners the illusion of the open prairies, and, with the arrival of the theme park, theme hotels and even more elaborately themed restaurants quickly opened across the land.
While the Europeans eventually cooled on the themed restaurant, the Americans continue to embrace their kitsch surroundings and many classics still exist, including the Heart Attack Grill in Vegas, the forest-themed Clifton’s Republic, and San Francisco’s Tonga Room.
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Of course, Hong Kong has its own themed restaurants, ranging from Kwun Tong’s Gudetama Lazy Egg Cafe to aviation restaurant The Galley by Cafe Proud Wings and now it has one themed around the manga creations of artist Shigeru Mizuki.
Hosted by the spirits of the Yokai Picture Book, Yokai specialises in yakitori skewers and Bluefin tuna, with dishes served amidst interiors dressed with the 764 spirits and 112 deities of Mizuki’s most famous work. A selection of these characters come to life on the walls of Yokai thanks to the addition of traditional Japanese lanterns.
Chef Okuma Horofumi will man the grills, tapping into his 20 years’ experience to serve up a variety of chicken skewers – think tender, tail, heart, liver, and gizzard – with birds sourced from Japan and Hong Kong. In addition, the hungry might like to try the Premium Pork Roll, Japanese scallops, sirloin steak, prawns, and oysters.
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If sashimi is more your thing, Yokai will also source tuna belly from Japan’s top tuna merchant, Yamayuki, and serve a variety of tuna belly rice bowls, which can be paired with a wide selection of boutique sakes.
Even if you don’t enjoy manga, you’re likely to sense the spirits of themed restaurants past, so get in quick.
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