Sashimi and Sake: OKRA quietly opened its doors a few months back, but it wasn’t until early March that the official menu got confirmed and the modern Japanese restaurant was ready to face the public.

Look & Feel: This ground-floor resto in Sai Ying Pun actually looks quite inconspicuous on the outside. Inside, you’ll find a gray and neutral-toned bar with a smattering of seats either around the open kitchen or along the wall.

Meet the Chef: Sushi chef Max Levy was quite the figure in Beijing, helming sister restaurant Okra 1949 as well as making his name in a bunch of high-profile restaurants like Traitor Zhou’s Kaifeng Nonkosher Delicatessen.

On the Menu: It’s all sharing platters, separated into smaller and bigger plates. While most of the dishes are Japanese-influenced, you’ll also notice some Hong Kong ingredients sneaking into the repertoire. There is also a well-curated selection of sakes, some exclusively sold at OKRA.

Service: If you sit at the bar, you’ll be especially well attended to.

Jeng: The Chicken Fried Buri ($258) is a tasty yellowtail dish with meaty white flesh covered in delicately seasoned batter. The roasted beef love handle ($188) is perfectly charred and a brilliant (and tasty) shade of red in the middle. The Unagi Fun ($168) is one of our favorites of the night — think steaming hot pot of crispy rice topped with juicy, savory-sweet eel pieces. If you’re a sashimi fan, the Tuna Tasting ($368) platter of aged and fresh cuts, including lesser-seen tuna cheek, should do the trick. Sake-wise, any of the glasses from Fukuoka, Nara and Kyoto will be a safe bet.

Not So Jeng: The portions are small, so be prepared to pay up if you want to fill up.

Great For: Drinks and dinner all at once, a light meal, small groups

FYI: Chef Max Levy makes his own XO sauce — order the tofu if you want to give it a try.

This writeup was based on an independent tasting. The Loop HK doesn’t guarantee/sell restaurant review coverage. See our editorial policy here.