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I hope you guys enjoyed my first travel post – 10 Things We Wished We Knew Before Going To Korea. It’s personal so it may not be the most comprehensive guide but for budget travelers like me, you’d certainly like it.

Now going back to food and travel! Hong Kong is my guilty pleasure. It’s the destination I’ve been going to since childhood. It’s such a teeny tiny city that my overseas friends wonder why I love it so much. There’s not much to do in Hong Kong they say but au contraire mon frere! There are tons to do in this harbour city and it’s a shopper’s paradise. Not only that, restaurants reign this city of many different flavors. You will always find a good place to eat no matter when and where unlike some cities that have restaurants opening really late. It’s the perfect city for a city gal like me.

Let me introduce you to one of my recent finds. I love love Japanese cuisine and if you’re a sushi fanatic like me, you know that the sushi selection that we have in Manila is subpar. My issue is always the freshness. If you’ve been to Japan, you know about a fresh sushi/sashimi’s umami and frankly aside from my find in Singapore (which I’ll blog about as well), I’ve never tasted a really fresh sushi in Manila. Little Tokyo’s Izakaya Kikufuji isn’t fresh at all though it’s probably a 6/10 rating and probably the best in Manila but you can’t beat the quality in other countries.

So in Hong Kong, the port hub of Asia, you know you’re gonna get fresh fish delivered DAILY. So I was very lucky to have eaten at Zuma.

Zuma as mentioned on their website is a Japanese restaurant with a sophisticated twist on the traditional Japanese Izakaya style of informal eating and drinking. Well known by expats, entering Zuma is like entering a totally different Hong Kong because 90% of the guests are foreigners. I usually like restaurants that is local at its heart but my expat uncle told me to get a reservation or else I should regret it and I’m glad I did. Going to Zuma can be quite daunting for middle class folks like me because everything was so posh.

Located at Central in Landmark where it houses most of Hong Kong’s Michelin starred restaurants (I think they have 12 now?), Zuma’s price is at the upper level tier but still attainable unlike those in Tokyo. Zuma may not have a michelin star but it is up there in their class. Let me show you what Zuma looks like

It’s beautiful and you have legit Japanese chefs working their hearts out for us hungry customers. Let me tell you a secret – they offer weekend brunch buffets. I was quite sad that no one told me this beforehand because it was such a bargain with the amount of food that they offered. But on hindsight, I’m glad as well because I was able to try dinner ala carte AND the weekend brunch buffet. My family shares my love for food.

What I had for the Brunch Buffet (I honestly don’t know how I fit everything inside my stomach)

GORGEOUS <3

My brother called this plate the distraction plate. Zuma’s buffet was divided into the sushi sashimi corner and the Western style food. Apparently I was tricked because I got some Western food when I should have just focused my energy on the sashimi! Next time next time.

Beautiful steak! Although the ala carte one was better

Lamb don’t mind if I do!

This was the dessert part. Oh gosh <3 I’ve had better desserts but this tasted great!

The good thing about Zuma’s buffet is that only appetizers are laid out on the buffet table while the main course was a selection from steak, lamb or fish which will be brought to your table. You can also get unli-drinks but with additional charge. I didn’t care for the drinks because my stomach just doesn’t have that capacity!

But wait folks, I want you to try the ala carte dining here. Seriously, if you were to choose between buffet or ala carte dining, ALWAYS GET ALA CARTE DINING. I used to be a fan of buffets but the Japanese have taught me that perfection is what we’re aiming for and how can you do that with a buffet? You need to concentrate on cooking and you can’t get that with the buffet. This proved my theory because… man was the sushi and sashimi from ala carte were from another world (well probably in Japan).

Uni? YES it was the best Uni I’ve ever tasted. T_T

And this sashimi platter? Please get this for the Love of Food God. Look at how shiny and brightly colored they are. I used to dislike Tuna Sashimi because they can never get it right here in Manila but… Oh good Lord that Fatty Tuna slice? I wanted to nibble it. Let this be my last dish on earth if ever!

That beautiful roe on that sushi. The exquisitely cooked rice. Delicious sushi!

But for the main course… okay I’m gonna let you in another secret. Chummy up to the waiters and managers because they’ll let you in the restaurant’s secret too! Like this OFF THE MENU and only ONE DISH AVAILABLE PER DAY – TOMAHAWK STEAK.

I felt like they personally flew this Tomahawk cow from Australia and prepared it just for us. I really appreciate the superb personal service we got at Zuma and for letting us try this out. It may not be a Japanese cow like Wagyu or Matsusaka but as my brother told me, as long as it’s fresh meat, it WILL ALWAYS TASTE GOOD and this… this precious steak is out of this world. UMAMI all over! Everyone on the table was deeply satisfied with this steak. If only we could ask for another one… I was really impressed with this. Honestly, it’s the best steak I’ve had in my life. Hopefully, it’ll still be up there when I go to other famed restaurants as well. For now, this is probably my top food experience ever.

So please do visit this place. Reservations are a must! You can always ask your hotel to reserve for you. Contact them here:

Do leave a comment if you’ve been here (and yes ask for that Tomahawk steak if you’re going!)