Category: Japanese

Japanese combines the best of raw and cooked food. Its Sushi and Sashimi are known worldwide for its distinct way to present food.

Garyu Art and Dining

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Unfortunately, Garyu has closed its doors for good.

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Rating:

7.5 / 10 Taste: 7.5/10Price: $8.5 – $18 for lunch

Place: 7/10

Review:

Just in time for Easter, I present you Garyu Art and Dining. Garyu Art and Dining is located in the former site of Chikyu-Ya in Bondi Junction. For some reasons, the owner is still keeping Chikyu-Ya’s sign board outside the restaurant.

We went to Garyu for lunch as they have the daily lunch special for a bargain price of $8.5. Every day, they have a different daily lunch special. Since we came on a Friday, the daily special was Chicken Katsu. In addition to the usual main dish + rice dish, you will also receive salad with miso paste, miso soup, and three side dishes. The chicken katsu was nice and soft in the middle with crunchy, golden brown batter. It was definitely the best $8.5 meal deal you can get.

One of the more interesting items on Garyu’s menu was its One Plate Lunch ($11). The set didn’t include rice but you were given eight sushi rolls. You can choose between Salmon Avocado, California or Vegetarian rolls. You also needed to choose from Salmon Teriyaki, Kara-age Chicken, or Sashimi as your main dish. The non-optional part of the One Plate Lunch was its salad and miso soup. It was a seriously tough task to choose for just a ‘One Plate Lunch’.

There was a side dish worthy of a special mention at Garyu. It was their Okonomiyaki. It wasn’t like any ‘normal’ Okonomiyaki you found in any Japanese restaurants. These ones were shaped like a kebab stick and deep fried to perfection. The ingredients were just like any other okonomiyaki with squid and cabbage. How does it taste? Because of its shape, it actually had a lot more crunchy taste. Granted that it might not be as big as the normal okonomiyaki, but it was certainly enough to build your appetite.

The final verdict for Garyu Art and Dining

It was certainly value for money, having lunch at Garyu Art and Dining. Its daily lunch special is more than just rice and main dish.

Did you know?

Before Garyu opened in Bondi Junction, we were invited to a birthday party in its old site in Bondi Road. They had a special baby food for the occasion.

Details:

106 Ebley St, Bondi Junction NSW 2022

+61 2 9386 9534

Mar 31, 2013
Niji Sushi Bar

Rating:

8 / 10 Taste: 8/10

Total Price: $75.5 for two

Place: 8.5/10

Review:

Niji sushi bar is the newest restaurant in kingsford. Being a sushi train restaurant, it was a bit tricky to write the review, especially with the overwhelming number of dishes available. As usual, the plates are colour coded according to their price.

However, as I will share a bit later in the review, Niji sushi bar is not all about sushi. In their menu, they also referred to themselves as Japanese Izakaya. Izakaya is normally a drinking establishment that translates to ‘to stay at a sake shop’.

Sushi

We skipped on the usual suspects, like Salmon or Scallops, and opted for a more adventurous Beef tataki sushi. We also had a trio of easy-to-digest dishes for my son: tamago sushi, seaweed, cooked tuna mini roll. It ticked all boxes for ‘sushi the way it should be’.

Sushi rolls

They had a generous serving of sushi rolls in a plate (four pieces to be exact). We tried quite a number of rolls with different price range. Tofu roll would be the obvious vegetarian dish with its nice and sweet tofu skin. We then have Salmon sesame with avocado and cheese. On the higher end, we had Aburi salmon roll with avocado and cucumber and Prawn and Avocado roll.

Hot dishes

One of the two unusual items in the menu was placed right on the first page. As soon as I saw Scampi Miso on the menu, I knew I had to have it. Its presentation might be a bit intimidating to some people but the miso soup really sure packed a punch. I would rather enjoy fresh scampi on a sushi, since I think I couldn’t differentiate the cooked scampi’s texture. My son wanted to grab the Takoyaki and they were pretty decent.

There were three different kinds of Soft Shell Crab in the menu and we chose the plate menu. The crab was both soft and crispy with additional seaweed flakes. The combination of flakes and wasabi mayonnaise created an extra dimension of taste in the crab. We also enjoyed the Salt and pepper Squid.

Robatayaki

Wagyu beef robatayaki was the second item that caught my eyes. Seriously, wagyu beef for $6.50, who wouldn’t want that? I was even happier when the plate was finally delivered: there were two skewers of wagyu! The beef was perfectly grilled and seriously mouth-watering. I actually had to order a second plate because they were just too good (and good value for money too!). They were delightfully tender and incredibly yummy.

Dessert

I must admit I was surprised when the waitress suggested us Crème Brulee. It was very well presented and had the correct elements. I felt that it was just lacking a bit of the red bean filling.

The final verdict for Niji Sushi Bar

Niji Sushi Bar was the one thing Kingsford has been missing all this time, a nice sushi bar. Niji has a large assortment of dishes on its arsenal and still managed to deliver quality sushi. You should seriously consider ordering Scampi Miso or Wagyu Beef Robatayaki.

Details:

333 Anzac Parade, Kingsford

+61 2 8068 4849

http://www.nijisushi.com.au/

Sep 19, 2012
Suminoya

Rating:

8 / 10

Taste: 8.5/10

Price: $55 per person

Place: 7/10

Review:

I have always loved Suminoya for as long as I can remember. I’ve wanted to write about it, but I always had a problem putting together writing and pictures that represent Suminoya. My apology since there is a discrepancy between picture and real life condition. The price has now increased by $5.

If you see the menu, there are plenty of dishes to choose from. You have a choice between gourmet and premium buffet. With premium buffet, you can order as much Sashimi as you want with other fantastic additional dishes along the way. It’s no brainer that I would choose the premium buffet, considering that you only pay $8 more for it. There is also an option to get as much Calpis drink as you want for an extra $5.

I will start off with the Sashimi. They have a range of Salmon, Kingfish, Tuna, Beef, and Squid. Even if you eat just the Sashimi for the whole night, you’ll get a massive value for your money! In line with the Sashimi, they also have Yukke. It’s a marinated raw beef with egg yolk. I know some people might stay away from it, but if you are really adventurous you really must order this. This is the best Yukke I have ever tasted.

With premium buffet, you can order unlimited number of plates for Beef Tongue and Beef Ribs Finger. You get one plate each for the gourmet one. The good news is, they have upgraded their beef to Wagyu for the new menu! There is also Chicken Gristles for bone-crushers. This dish requires a good understanding on how to cook chicken and you really must not eat it raw.

From the seafood department, you can always order Scallops, pre-chilled Unagi, and Garlic Prawns. Like its Sashimi, this seafood was incredibly fresh. It is highly recommended that you cook them through to avoid any food poisoning.

For those of you who don’t really like to cook your food, Suminoya also provided you with a small range of cooked dishes. On this occasion, I tried to order Beef Komutan which is a soup-based dish. There is also a range of salad like Seafood Salad and the always tasty dried seaweed.

The final verdict: Suminoya is one of my favourite restaurants in Sydney. Their Yukke and Sashimi are to die for!

Did you know?

I am really ecstatic to see that Suminoya is now part of the Entertainment Book. Since this is the restaurant that I will always go to, 25% off doesn’t sound so bad!

Do me a favour and buy this book… You won’t regret it and I guarantee you’ll save a lot more than what you pay for the book!

PS: I wasn’t paid to say all these!!

Details:

1 Hosking Place, Sydney, NSW 2000

+61 2 9231 2177

http://yakiniku.com.au/suminoya/

May 9, 2012
Musashi Dining Bar

Rating:

7 / 10

Taste: 7/10

Price: $35 per person

Place: 8/10

Review:

Musashi dining bar is a special type of Japanese restaurant called Izakaya. Wikipedia defined izakaya as ‘Japanese drinking establishment for after-work drinking’. Historically, izakaya paid more attention to its assortments of drinks. However, Musashi also developed a nice range of platters that can actually be enjoyed on its own.

Two of our first dishes came in sizzling hot plates. It was perfectly cooked BBQ John Dorry slices with sides of vegetables and Teriyaki sauce. We were then indulged by the succulent Wagyu Yakiniku. I couldn’t get enough of medium-rare beef, wagyu-style.

Their Aburi Salmon Sushi was really interesting. It was very lightly grilled and pre-soaked in soy sauce. 5 slices of sushi were laid out on top of pandan leaf with a blob of wasabi. If you need more rice and less meat, I suggest you order Onigiri Sake – Salmon Onigiri. It’s a traditional Japanese rice ball with a twist of salmon.

Personally, I think Musashi’s best dish of the night was its Musashi Bento Box. It was a bento box like no other and packed with loads of goodies: 1 crumbed deep fried prawn, 1 crumbed deep fried fish fillet, 1 potato croquette, 4 pieces sushi, 2 pieces sushi roll, teriyaki chicken and 10 pieces sashimi. This bento was like a showpiece of half of the menu!

As an izakaya, Musashi had a nice range of mocktails and cocktails. For me, it couldn’t get any better than a refreshingly sweet Musashi Blue – Lychee. If you still have enough room after all these, then Green Tea Brulee would be the perfect ending to the night.

The final verdict: If you were to order one dish, then my advice was clearly the Musashi Bento Box in Musashi Dining Bar. It had the most complete elements in a bento box!

Did you know?

Musashi is located on the Capitol Square. It is also the home of Capitol Theatre, best place in town to watch plays. For computer enthusiasts, the second floor of capitol square is a heaven on earth.

Musashi used to have an excellent okonomiyaki. For some reasons, they are not doing it again.

Details:

447 Pitt Street, Sydney, NSW 2000

+61 2 9280 0377

http://www.musashirestaurant.com.au/ (The Website is currently inactive)

Mar 27, 2012
Tetsuya’s

Rating:

9.5 / 10
Taste: 9.5/10

10-course Degustation: $210

Place: 9.5/10

Review:

Tetsuya’s used to be in the Top 50 restaurants in the world. Over the last couple of years they’ve slid down the ladder, but still in the Top 100. Critics mentioned lack of ‘innovation’ as one of the reasons. Tetsuya’s serve 10 courses of French-style Japanese Cuisine. They also had the best view of replica Japanese Garden and situated on a heritage-listed building.

Sourdough and White Bread with Truffle Butter

Throughout the night, these breads were offered for those of you needing extra carbs. The truffle butter was to die for. The smoothness of spiced butter infused with truffle was so amazing that I couldn’t stop asking for it. My little baby loved it so much too!

Chilled Pea Soup with Mint Ice Cream

Our first course of the night was chilled sweet peas blended to perfect smoothness. It was a very nice and interesting way to start the special night. A refreshing taste combination between pureed pea soup and mint ice cream cleansed our palate before the first savoury dish.

Steamed Savoury Custard with Dashi (Seaweed stock) and Avruga Caviar

Our second course was Tetsuya’s own interpretation of chawan mushi. The delicate taste and the smooth texture of the custard was a perfect harmony, as it melted directly in my mouth. The seafood taste from dashi and avruga caviar completed its beauty.

Marinated Yellow-Fin Tuna with Shishito Pepper and Garlic Chips

The third course was another simple dish of Tuna sashimi with a nice and sweet marinade and shishito pepper. As an Indonesian, I found it really weird to actually mention garlic chips on my dish since we normally put heaps on them in an Indonesian dish. Some leaves of garlic chips gave different texture and accentuation to this dish.

Grilled NZ Scampi Tail with Chicken Liver Parfait & Walnut Vinaigrette

Scampi and chicken liver, all time favourite ingredients! Another delicately simple dish Tetsuya’s presented. It’s interesting to have the walnut vinaigrette to accentuate Scampi’s already-sweet taste. Yumm, such a spoiling moment for my tastebud!

Confit of Petuna Ocean Trout with Shaved Fennel, Unpasteurised Ocean Trout Caviar and Konbu – Tetsuya’s Signature Dish

The fifth course was the legendary signature dish, Ocean Trout. It always lives up to anyone’s expectations. The confit tasted perfect, as the softness of the ocean trout harmoniously combined with the fennel, caviar, and konbu. Definitely one of the best dishes I ever tasted!

Steamed Queensland Spanner Crab with Bean Curd, Foie Gras, and Junsai

Presentation wise, it was plain – just looked like one white cylinder steamed tofu (bean curd). However, we could taste the delicacy of the spanner crab since the first bite! The beautiful foie gras and junsai completed its sweet taste.

Breast of Quail with Quail Leg Rillettes and Hammond

The seventh dish was very nice, with the exception of its size. I am not a big fan of the spring onion, so I had to separate it from the rest of the elements. The dish still worked really well.

Slow roasted De-Boned Rack of Lamb with Sheep’s Yoghurt and Kale

The last savoury dish of the day was a medium-rare, glossy, no-smell rack of lamb with the always perfect accompaniment of yoghurt. It was then softened up with Kale (wiki: cabbage’s family).

Pione Grapes with Grape Sorbet + Bread & Butter Pudding

Our first dessert of the day was a double treat. I really loved the sweet taste of grape sorbet. It was highly refreshing, especially after a nice array of savoury dishes. The pudding was glazed with brulee and it was slightly heavier than the sorbet which I think was perfect, considering most of the bread and butter pudding was very heavy.

Double Chocolate Pave with Cream Cheese Ice Cream & Cinnamon Twigs

The last dish of the day was chocolate. I was amazed by the techniques presented on this dish and I thought the cream cheese softened the pave considerably. Unfortunately, I’m still not a big fan of chocolate. There’s no chocolate that can make me ecstatic.

Chocolate Fondant with Hazelnut and Praline – Birthday Cake

Tetsuya’s gave us a different dish for people who celebrated their birthdays there. On this occasion it was a chocolate fondant. It was softer in taste than the pave but it was still a bit too strong for me.

Petit Fours and Café Latte

Lastly, we also received complimentary dish of Petit Fours (although it’s technically only one) and Café Latte.

The final verdict for Tetsuya’s Restaurant:

Critics can say whatever they want, but for first time visitors (and even return visitor like me), Tetsuya’s still presents the best dining experience in Sydney. Tetsuya’s delivered the 10-degustation without any of them being ‘average’.

Did you know?

Despite being in the Top 100, Tetsuya’s was not listed as three-hat in Sydney’s Good Food Guide this year. I found it weird since especially since only one restaurant in that three-hat category was higher than Tetsuya’s in the world’s list.

Details:

529 Kent Street, Sydney, NSW 2000

+61 2 9267 2900

http://www.tetsuyas.com/

Mar 7, 2012
How to Cook Kobe Beef

Review:

This week I am not going to review a restaurant or any particular events, but I am going to share information on how to cook one of the rarest, if not THE rarest, beef in this world. Kobe beef is technically a type of wagyu beef that have marbling score of 6 or more. It also has strict conditions to qualify the ‘Kobe’ status, as seen on this page ‘http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kobe_beef’. I have never found this beef in Sydney, but by a chance I found it on David Jones Bondi Junction meat department.

Due to its delicate nature, we need to cook it perfectly. It is important to not have the Kobe beef in frozen condition prior to cooking. You might need to thaw them in your fridge for a day if it was frozen. With the seasoning, it’s best to just have a bit of salt and pepper. Marinade is strongly not recommended because you will lose the meat’s distinct texture.

Cook Kobe Beef

After the preparation, everything else is done only in two or less minutes. We want the end product to be medium rare towards rare. Most people start the cooking process with pre-heating the non-stick pan. We heat up the pan with maximum heat until the surface produces light smoke (Important!). We also don’t use any oil since the fat itself will cover it. When the pan is ready, seared the meat on to the pan and immediately turns down the heat. Allow 15 seconds of cooking on each side, then with an even lower heat, cook them for a further 45 seconds – 1 minute for each side.

You can have a side sauce according to your taste, but the Japanese-style sauce is a combination of soy sauce and mirin with a little bit of sesame oil and Grape seed oil.

Details:

David Jones Bondi Junction

Feb 5, 2012