Tono Daikiya

Japanese buffet heaven

Sashimi selection

Usually I shy away from buffet restaurants, the reason is simple, there is a high chance the quality of the cooking, as well as the ingredients, are no where near as good as cook to order dishes, and most buffet dishes would be pre-done so the freshness can be very questionable. However, a close friend of mine strongly suggested Tono Diakiya, a Japanese restaurant that offer premium buffet experience in Hong Kong, all you can eat, as well as drink (beer, house wine and sake) for £30 is something I am more happy to give it a go. The selection of food is massive, ranging from sushi to plenty of hot dishes, such as pan fried beef and baked scallops.

Sushi with truffle

Grilled sushi

Grilled sliced wagu beef

I was impressed with the solid range of sashimi, the highlight had to be the tiny sweet prawn which a melting sensation with a lovely freshness. The razor clams were also solid, the smooth texture and the pleasant flavour of the sea mean soy sauce wasn't really necessary.
The smokiness of the grilled flatfish sushi was also outstanding, it works wonder when combed with the sourness of the rice and the sharpness of the wasabi. Moving on to the hot dishes, I found the grilled lamb chops were pretty decent with a lovely moist texture but it was a touch over-cooked. The grilled scallop was overshadowed by the heavy salad cream dressing. The cold dishes at Tono Daikitya was a notch better than the hot stuff without a doubt.

Japanese beef pot

Baked scallops

Grilled lamb chops

The lunch at Tono Daikiya was an impressive encounter, while the sushi can not compare to the very high end sushi specialists. The quality was good enough for the price I was paying for, not to mention you can have as much as you want. The hot dishes, while not exceptional, it was well above the average Japanese dishes you would get in most Japanese restaurants in London. My advice: Come early, take your time instead of trying to whale down all the food with a few cups of warm sake in between. In terms In term of value vs cost, it is fair to say that Tono Daikiya is right up there with the best, also, do skip breakfast or lunch!


Food 3.5/5

What I paid: 
£32 per head

Average cost without drinks and services:
£30

1/F, 26 Kimberley Road, Tsim Sha Tsui

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