Dining at Yardbird, the hottest addition to the yakitori scene in town, reminds me that I'm no spring chicken anymore. I was irked by the no reservation policy, the noisy atmosphere - that's what you party animals call "a happening scene" - and the fact that it is tucked away in the Sheung Wan end of Soho, quite a walk from Central. However, with Matt Abergel (ex-ZUMA) being the brainchild of this, would you expect a conventional restaurant? There are restaurants that offer food and others that offer an experience; Yardbird is the latter.

I was irked but I'm already planning to go back. Why? I love the fact that I could enjoy a chu hai (shochu and citrus cocktail) and nibble on sweet corn tempura while waiting for a table; I love how the ambiance reminds me of my happy days in New York; I also love that there is no service charge. Oh my gawd, so awesome! It is like nowhere else in Hong Kong.

I might also add that the team of waitstaff is ridiculously chic and svelte, and that makes you wonder if the restaurant would have to close during New York Fashion Week. On top of that, they are friendly, efficient - very important when one is waiting for appetisers while standing up - and did I mention they are good-looking? This is an observation before I had the first cocktail.

The first time I went to Yardbird, it was a Tuesday night and we got seated in the basement downstairs. Although we sat next to the corner kitchen where the skewers are grilled, the smoke was not bad at all, thanks to superb ventilation system. One of us mentioned that it was very noisy in the restaurant and she couldn't hear our conversation. Let me point out that there were five of us, all girls, so usually we drown out the rest of the crowd. When I went again last Friday, there was music piping into the minimalistic dining room but I couldn't hear it; all I heard was noise. There were a few tables of couples on a date, although how they communicated was a mystery to me because I couldn't even hear myself think.

There are a few dishes that I love, a few that I think are good, and another few that I will try next time. My favourite is the KFC (Korean Fried Cauliflower) which is basically fried cauliflower florets smothered in a fiery spicy glaze. Alright I admit wasn't my favourite but I really enjoyed it. The fact that it counts towards my daily required servings of vegetables puts it on my favourite list. The sweet corn tempura is another fun vegetarian dish - fluffy balls of deep-fried individual sweet corn kernels that burst open when bitten into. This is one of those dishes that makes me want to have a beer.

The yakitori list consists of different parts of a chicken, which strictly speaking is what yakitori is about. What makes Yardbird stand out is that the chickens are sourced locally from eco-friendly farms and all the skewers are served piping hot. Trying not to burn your tongue is half the fun. The juicy and flavourful (but not over-seasoned like many others) meat ball resembles a mini corn dog on a stick and is meant to be dipped into the raw egg yolk floating in soy sauce, served on the side. If you dare, give the chicken tail (that's the pretty way of calling chicken bottom) a try. Still sizzling when the skewer arrived, these morsels are extra juicy with a bit of fat, slightly chewy and very flavourful; now that's my favourite.

The rest of the "chicken bits" are all smoky, salty and grilled to finger-licking goodness, but they did not blow me away. The neck, thigh, gizzard and wings were all very decent but nothing to write home about. For those who cannot (or would not) survive on just skewers of meat, the chicken and rice will fill you up nicely. Instead of chicken meat with rice, it is crispy chicken skin on rice, with a runny egg yolk bringing all the flavours together. Or try the fried chicken. Simple dish but difficult to master. The garlic mayonnaise puts the magic touch on the pieces of succulent thigh meat.

Dishes that I will try next time: liver mousse which looks silky and sinful, served with small pieces of toasts, chicken oysters (not real oysters, silly; these are that tiny bit of meat on the thigh) that were run out both times by 9pm, as well as the short ribs, which is one of the only non-chicken dishes.

While I would think twice about bringing my mother to Yardbird, even though she is very chic, I had so much fun that I will definitely go back. The noise didn't bother me that much as I submerge myself in the yakitori heaven; just maybe not on a Friday night.