Review: Kanizen

This is one of the restaurants (similar to YOUKA) that I’ve been walking past for so many times without realising it is a restaurant! Kanizen on Thomson Road in Wan Chai.

The dark windows and discreet sliding doors make this restaurant hard to spot – but once you open the door you know immediately what their specialty is: crabs! There is a big tank with three different types of crabs waiting at the entrance. I asked the waiter and he said that they are Japanese taraba and horsehair crabs – plus a third one, which name I can’t remember.

The space is split into a main dining room, a smaller room with booths, as well as private rooms upstairs. As we went there for lunch, we were sat around a cooking counter, in which are set individual hotpots! I opted for the crab tempura and assorted vegetables lunch, Patrick had the crab meatloaf followed by the crab steamed rice.

Both lunches were really a great experience! As soon as we sat down, drank the green tea and used the hand towel, the waiters turned the hot plates on. They served us each a portion of grilled edamame and steamed egg custard with crab.

Then Patrick had his crab meatloaf, while I enjoyed my tempura (ok that’s not true – we actually shared the dishes).

Then they put his rice in a steamer and set it for seven minutes – while my soup water boiled and they brought me a basket of vegetables and udon noodles (if you don’t like udon noodles you can have rice).

The soup was a bit bland, but it felt healthy – lots of vegetables! But the star of the lunch was the steamed rice with crab. A huge portion, the two of us ate plenty! It was very tasty!

Afterwards, we had ice cream – I had the best ginger ice cream in a long time and Patrick enjoyed his coffee flavour!

It was the perfect end to a nice, fresh and tasty lunch at a very reasonable price (given the quality!). We paid around 480 HKD for two lunches and one beer, which is a steal, given that the dinners cost around 1,480 HKD per person! Here’s another positive review about this great crab place, so what are you waiting for, you should give it a go too!

Will I go there again? Yes, definitely to try another of the four different lunch menus… and if someone invites me, maybe also for dinner?!

Kanizen
3 Thomson Road, Wan Chai
Tel. 2866 1618