Matt Abergel, born in Calgary in 1982, spent three years under Masayoshi Takayama at Masa in New York. He is the chef and owner of Yardbird, a yakitori restaurant in Hong Kong, and of RŌNIN.
My name is Matt Abergel. I am the chef and owner of Yardbird in Hong Kong, and also of RŌNIN, which opened here in March 2013. I was born in 1982 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
I have worked in kitchens since I was 15. I started at the bottom and went through every part of the food and beverage business: I worked as a dishwasher, a busboy, a waiter and a barman, and eventually I became a chef.
While I was traveling in Japan, I fell in love with the interplay of food, art and craftsmanship. Seeing the simple art of Japanese cooking up close confirmed my passion for this cuisine.
After trials at several restaurants, I decided to apply to Masa in New York City, a Japanese restaurant with four stars from The New York Times and three Michelin stars. At Masa I found a great mentor and teacher in “Taisho”, Masayoshi Takayama. I spent three years under his direct instruction and guidance. That apprenticeship let me develop strong skills, and it essentially made me the chef I am today.
I am passionate about Japanese cuisine, and I love eating simple food, usually with fewer than five ingredients.
I am a skateboarder at heart. In fact, my business partner and I met when we were 18 and working at the same skateboard shop. I also love art and design. Luckily, my career lets me experience and enjoy all of these things.
Yardbird is inspired by the yakitori-ya restaurants of Japan. We grill skewered chicken over traditional binchō charcoal, and the menu uses many different parts of the bird, including the heart, liver, oyster and neck. Every chicken is brought in fresh daily, so it keeps its natural flavor. Besides yakitori, we cook dishes with fresh, seasonal ingredients and pour carefully selected sake, shochu, beer, wine and Japanese whisky. Lindsay Jang and I, the owners, worked with furniture designer Sean Dix and illustrator Evan Hecox to create a family-style neighborhood place focused on simple, tasty and honest food.
For this story I chose Chicken Breast with Mentaiko. The Yardbird “Breast Mentaiko” is a play on a classic Japanese dish and a relatively new addition to our menu. It has interesting flavors, and it’s one I’m excited to showcase.
