‘Beauty hotpot’ the draw as newly opened Tsukada Noju in Tsim Sha Tsui makes play for women diners with collagen-rich stew
Japanese izakaya woos female guests with its special chicken hotpot that is stuffed full of collagen, but men will also enjoy its various fresh spring rolls
Tsukada Nojo, an izakaya chain that started in Japan, stands out from all the other Japanese restaurants that have opened in Hong Kong recently in that it’s focusing on female diners. That’s because its speciality is bijin nabe, literally “beauty hotpot”, a collagen-rich stew made from free-range chicken raised in Miyazaki Prefecture in Kyushu.
A pot was placed on the small induction stove in front of us, and in it was what resembled a large, round creamy pudding, which turned out to be the gelatinous chicken stock. The restaurant claims the chicken bone-based stock has simmered for more than eight hours making it rich with collagen, iron and vitamins A, B1 and B2.
The “pudding” melted into a delicious savoury stock, with very little oil in it.
The bijin nabe was quite healthy because most of the ingredients were vegetables. The minced chicken – shaped into small meatballs – was soft, with a sweet flavour.
Ironically the chicken itself didn’t have much flavour – probably because most of it had already been extracted for the stock.
Tsukada Nojo, Shop OTE 202, Level 2, Ocean Terminal, Harbour City, 17 Canton Rd, Tsim Sha Tsui, tel: 2467 0777
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