A newcomer to Tsim Sha Tsui’s dining scene, Busy Suzie brings the theatrics of Japanese robatayaki dining to our fair city. Anyone who’s been to Inakaya or Gonpachi in Tokyo will know what we mean: the shouted welcome greeting, the hand-clapping staff. Busy Suzie takes it a step further with its circular layout. Diners at the bar encircle the yukata-clad chefs, who kneel for hours preparing dishes on the robatayaki grill. The drama of the setting is added to by Busy Suzie’s sultry, Zen-chic décor in smoky shades of black and charcoal, combined with mellow mood lighting from enormous, round Japanese lanterns. To one side is a mod-cool lounge bar and an outdoor terrace with laidback white benches; the perfect place for chilling out with a cocktail pre- or post-meal.

Busy Suzie serves up robatayaki classics such as grilled vegetables, chicken skewers and the deliciously buttery, salty-skinned Kinki fish, an in-house specialty. If you sit at the bar, the chefs will present each dish to you on a paddle, a fun touch that harks back to the theatrics of Inakaya. Along with the Kinki fish, must-tries are the juicy chicken fillet skewers (HK$65 each), grilled eggplant (HK$60) and the onion wrapped in bacon (HK$40 per skewer). The ox tongue (HK$60) looks nice and pink but the chewy, tough texture ruins this dish. Alongside robatayaki items, Busy Suzie serves up tempura, sushi and California-style maki rolls. The maki are tasty, the fish fresh; however, each maki seemes to have egg in it, and egg doesn’t always mix well with sushi – especially not with the likes of the eel with avocado roll (HK$88). The meal is perfectly rounded off with the house’s specialty dessert, the Hokkaido black sesame milk pudding (HK$78). The dish arrives in a pretty little pot, rather like an old-fashioned, glass yoghurt jar, served on a wooden board. A perfect ending to the meal: the pudding is sweet without being too sweet, creamy in texture but not overly so. The black sesame flavours stand out, with mildly milky undertones coming through.

Busy Suzie offers plenty of drinking options – particularly for the champagne lover. With Cristal, Dom Perignon, Moët & Chandon and Veuve Clicquot among the names listed, there are plenty of bubbles to spark up the evening. The restaurant also has a selection of 10 to 15 whites and 10 to 15 reds, all ranging between HK$400 and HK$1,000. For those looking to splash out, Busy Suzie also has about a dozen fine wines, including Penfolds Grange from Australia and Château Margaux. A bonus is the wide selection of cigars on Busy Suzie’s menu.

Staff at Busy Suzie is friendly and attentive to say the least. You’ll never want for green tea; the minute your cup is half empty, the waiters are there to top it up. Food arrives promptly and waiters are happy to accommodate requests quickly.

Dinner for two will tally HK$1,200 per person and up, excluding wine. The vegetable and meat skewers are expensive for what they are, but arguably, you’re paying for the über-cool setting and the entertainment.