Wagaya, 7 Dec 2009

We find ourselves gathered at Wagaya for a combined birthday for Ms Selective and Mr Awesome. We have had group gatherings here previously, sometimes with so many of us that it warrants one of the private rooms with its own TV. We’ve even discussed in the past whether it’s possible to cart in our own gaming console and hook it up to said TV.

But this evening we are only a group of six and Ms Selective manages to procure one of Wagaya’s free birthday mocktails even though it’s not the exact date of her birthday. The mocktail is simply known as ‘December’, doesn’t come with a menu description and is a deep shade of emerald green. She takes a sip and declares it’s not very nice before the rest of the girls do the taste test to decide for ourselves. I claim that it tastes a bit like toothpaste or mouthwash, before Ms Sourdough hits the nail on the head by announcing the flavour resembles that of Listerine strips. Before long, we decide to order various fruit-flavoured chuhai instead to combat our minty freshness.

And then the barrage of food begins! We start with a dish of shark fin and jelly fish with its sesame oil fragrance and flecks of occasional chilli sitting on a bed of wilted but still crunchy mung bean sprouts. There’s agedashi soft-shell crab featuring a beautiful marriage of tofu in the thinnest of stretchy batters and a crunchy whole soft-shell crab perched atop.

Weirdo’s favourite renkon chips arrive well drained and evenly seasoned. Then there’s Mr Awesome’s tako-wasa which has chopped baby octopus pieces in a wasabi dressing. This is soon followed by the assorted tempura which are coated in a light batter, although it’s not the fluffiest I’ve seen.

The grilled ox tongue skewers are charred, shiny and meaty with only a couple of chewier pieces to give us a jaw workout. The salmon skewers are coated in a teriyaki-type sauce and given a smattering of sesame seeds before they make their entrance.

The grilled scampi are actually sweeter than I expect and easy to peel. The sea urchin chawanmushi provides uni for my sea urchin-loving husband whilst leaving some silken steamed egg innards for the rest of us.

The housemade gyoza have thin skins, juicy fillings and are pan-fried to crisp-bottomed goldenness. The squid mentai pizza has a thin but slightly soggy base which is wanting to stick to the pan, and is topped with almost fluorescent pink mentai.

The Wagyu steak comes chopped in small pieces and taste of being tossed in butter. The deep-fried salmon skin is a little disappointing for me because they haven’t been seasoned. They are suitably crunchy but not oily though, and are served with a bowl of dipping sauce alongside. However what I would really prefer is a selection of salts like at Azuma Kushiyaki.

And then, because it is a double birthday we have brought along cake – a green tea gâteau from Breadtop with two layers of green tea sponge and green tea cream sandwiched in between and spread over the top and sides. Splodges of azuki bean purée are hidden amongst the layer of green tea cream and the whole lot is given a generous coverage of matcha powder over the top.

Hooray for friends, great food, birthdays and cake!

Wagaya

78 Harbour St, Haymarket NSW

Tel: (02) 9212 6068

Opening Hours:  7 days  5pm til late

happy eating!

Ju-Rin, 6 Nov 2009

For people who enjoy their food, travelling out of their way to grace an establishment of good reputation is never an issue. Monsieur Poisson and I definitely fall into this category of diner, but by doing so we seem to have neglected areas of Sydney and subsequently eateries in our immediate vicinity. So in a bid to discover what’s available within a short distance from our home, we decide to start with Crows Nest and we begin our journey at Ju-Rin with the always-welcome company of Mistress.

I have lost count of how many reviews I have read about Ju-Rin before finally coming here myself. On this particular Friday evening Mistress has kindly organised the table reservation, but was told the restaurant bookings are arranged in two sessions only: 6-8pm or 8pm til close. The later option has been chosen as we’re not terribly adept at dining early, and when we step into the restaurant we understand why there are two rigid booking sessions – the place is smaller than we expect and the tables are limited.

With kanji characters meaning ‘forest’ emblazoned on their sign and front window, at their entrance and on their menus, we spend what seems like ages poring over the menu contents and are marred by indecision as to what to order. Often the problem with dining somewhere for the first time is wanting to eat everything on offer!

To complicate matters further, Monsieur Poisson discovers there is a specials board located adjacent to the sushi bar. Because it is too far for Mistress and myself to read comfortably, he takes our camera and snaps a photo of the specials before returning to our table. (See, cameras are not only for blogging whilst at restaurants!) And from here, we start with Monsieur Poisson’s adored uni sashimi which are accompanied by crisp nori sheets for wrapping.

The grilled guy-tan are huge and round and incredibly soft. We are confused at first as we’re all used to eating chewier pieces that have usually been trimmed into squares or rectangles. The fascinating part is definitely how tender the meat is, as if it has been stewed, as well as the obvious grill marks on the individual pieces. They’re a little under-seasoned but that’s easily fixed.

Next we have the aburi swordfish nigiri which feature thinly sliced pieces of fish with a subtle charred flavour. The flesh is firm and much less grainy than that which we tried at Sono, although we’re not sure if this could be attributed to the fish having been grilled.

Mistress has chosen the ‘Saury (sanma) with sansho pepper’ to try, where we discover the fish segments served are at room temperature. While the pepper is subtle and not very bitey, the texture reminds us of tinned sardines where the bones and fins can all be eaten and the flavours resemble Chinese tinned fried dace in black bean sauce (豆豉鯪魚).

When we spied chawanmushi on the menu, we knew we had to order some – Mistress particularly loves it, and it is a recent discovery of Monsieur Poisson’s and mine. We end up with two serves to share and are somewhat disappointed from the moment the lids are removed – we are not met with lemony yellow smoothness, but rather pock-marked surfaces instead. Nonetheless, the fragrant flavours of stock are evidently present in the steamed egg even if it is a little overcooked.

Our rice dishes, as expected, make their appearance at the end of our meal and consist of a soft-shell crab roll with matchstick-thin slivers of cucumber sprouting out the end pieces as well as a couple of seductively perched crab claws.

This is followed by a chirashi sushi (for two) which is larger than it looks. The bowl is wide with steep sides so we think, ‘Nah, can’t be much under there…’ But there is! I highly recommend this dish as it proves to be great value with a disproportionately high amount of assorted fresh-tasting sashimi pieces compared to the amount of vinegared rice underneath.

And after proclaiming that we are full-full-full, we pull out our reserve stomachs and order dessert. The dessert menu is located on a side wall which Monsieur Poisson again photographs for us. We order just the one thing: a tempura ice-cream with green tea topping and azuki to share.

The vanilla ice-cream comes encased in a light and fluffy batter on a flower-shaped plate. Azuki and a tube biscuit decorate the pre-quartered ice-cream whilst a few thin wedges of red apple sit alongside. Moss green topping which is tastier than its looks completes the dish. The staff acknowledge that we are sharing and thoughtfully bring out small plates and spoons for us to divide the dessert amongst ourselves.

We leave absolutely full to the brim of wonderful food, whilst totally understanding why Ju-Rin has two designated dining sessions as well as its claim to The Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide 2010’s Favourite Asian Restaurant award. Our only battle from here is getting back to the car whilst the heavens have decided to open in a most spectacular downpour!

Ju-Rin

316 Pacific Hwy, Crows Nest NSW

Tel: (02) 9966 5811

Opening Hours:  7 days  12pm-2:30pm (lunch)

                                    6pm-11pm (dinner)

happy eating!

Azuma Kushiyaki, 23 Oct 2009

I previously mentioned that Monsieur Poisson and I had a lot of trouble getting into Azuma Kushiyaki to try their Sugar Hit in October, and it was only by making a reservation for dinner that we managed to extend our stay into the allocated timeslot. But of course it wasn’t just the lure of pretty desserts that drew us into coming here – we had heard many good things about the food and especially their specialty of barbequed skewers. So in the name of our anniversary we headed there for dinner, with a view to casually slip in a Sugar Hit dessert.

Upon first entering the restaurant you are met with neat rows of bottles of sake and wine glasses as well as the unmistakable aroma of barbequed meats. The interior is brightly lit with homely-looking tables and friendly service. I am almost disappointed when we received fairly standard chopstick rests, as opposed to the ‘interesting’ ones reported by other bloggers.

We glance down the extensive list of kushiyaki as well as the rather large laminated menu, and my eye is immediately caught by ‘Crispy chicken skin’. Monsieur Poisson actually mis-orders it as ‘crispy skin chicken’ but the waitress is not phased and our order arrives as what we intend.

They look like thick triangles of blistery deep-fried pastry. The lightly battered portions of skin are very well drained of oil and are wonderful with a squirt of lemon juice. We also have fun dipping them in the colourful flavoured salts alongside – there’s curry salt, green tea salt and sansho pepper.

Next to arrive is Monsieur Poisson’s lusted after uni sashimi, which are presented on shiso leaves resting on a bed of ice chips. The uni pieces are on the large side and although there are pieces of differing shades of colour, the taste is the same regardless. The uni is very fresh, sweet and not too mushy; and this proves to be the first time that I actually enjoy eating it.

This is followed by a flurry of plates as our kushiyaki arrive and we almost run out of room on our small table for two. Firstly we have quail eggs which are a glossy dark soy colour and I only wish there was more of them. The ‘Shiitake with minced prawn’ are perfectly shaped and are cooked just enough so that the prawn meat hasn’t started to shrink away from the sides.

The ‘Wild scallop with soy and homemade garlic oil’ skewer is Monsieur Poisson’s choice. I am surprised by the appearance of squared-off pieces of scallop when they arrive but assume it has something to do with ease of threading/cooking. They’re smoky without being over-charred with the garlic oil adding just that bit of bite. Our ‘Wagyu tongue’ skewer and ‘Chicken giblets with soy and butter’ arrive on the same plate, with the beef tongue expectedly juicy and the chicken giblets being squeakily crunchy with just a hint of butter flavour.

As chawanmushi has become our recent love, we order it when we see it on the menu here. It is served to our table on its own heat mat but without a spoon. I remove the lid to inspect it whilst Monsieur Poisson attempts to procure a spoon, and notice that it is lighter in colour than the previous one we had in Brisbane. Again, it is sublimely smooth but this time with hidden treasures of shiitake, prawns, chicken, spinach and gingko nuts.

And continuing on with my mentaiko obsession, I order an ‘Onigiri with mentaiko’. The rice ball is a compact shape that is easy to eat but the mentaiko is a little different to what I’ve had in the past by still having its ‘sheath’ intact. It makes for a slightly chewier experience but smokily salty nonetheless.

Our final dish is one that is again ordered to honour Dr King’s love of rice. It is the ‘Salmon zosui’, described in the menu as Japanese risotto, but arrives bearing resemblance to a Chinese dish known as ‘pau faan’ (泡飯) which has cooked rice mixed into soup.

This dish is served in a mini cast iron pot and contains generous pieces of salmon which are thankfully not overly fishy. An egg has been broken over the hot stock so that it is flash-cooked and floating ethereally on top of the rice when it arrives. It is warming and soul-restoring with plenty of chopped chives sprinkled on top.

And then came our slightly sneaky way of enjoying Azuma Kushiyaki’s Sugar Hit for dessert. The meal in itself was great and was only made even better by their spectacular Sugar Hit, as well as the chocolate mousse Monsieur Poisson enjoyed from their standard dessert menu.

Azuma Kushiyaki

Ground floor of Regent Place, 501 George St (near cnr Bathurst St), Sydney NSW

Tel: (02) 9267 7775

Opening Hours:  Mon-Fri  lunch from 12pm

                                    dinner from 6pm

                        Sat  dinner only from 6pm

                        Sun  dinner only from 5:30pm

happy eating!

Five days in Brisbane: Sono, 20 Oct 2009

Whilst wandering through Queen Street Mall we had come across the entrance to a Japanese restaurant with an LCD screen flashing pictures of its menu items near the doorway. The name, Sono, sounded familiar but for reasons which I could not quite place. A quick internet search reminded me that a Japanese restaurant bearing the same name at Hamilton was on Brisbane Times’ one-hat list. Indeed, the two are related so Monsieur Poisson took down the details in order for us to arrange an evening for dinner.

The evening that we arrive for dinner, I already know I am in for a lot of photographing as soon as my foot passes over the threshold of the doorway. The restaurant is simply stunning from the moment you step from Queen Street Mall into the Tattersalls Building. An exclusive staircase is flanked by vertical banners advertising the restaurant beckoning your arrival. At the top of the staircase is a massive wooden plaque bearing the kanji character for ‘sono’ (園), meaning a garden or a park, which is adjacent to a glass push-through door into the restaurant. The light cherry wood theme is carried throughout the restaurant in its walls, dividers, sushi bar, table seating and hole-in-the-ground seating. At the far corner is a balcony area overlooking Queen Street and Edward Street with an outdoor Zen garden.

We have made a table reservation and, although it was not requested, we have the fortune of being seated at one of the hole-in-the-ground tables. Waitresses in different coloured yukata lightly pad around the restaurant and one shows us to our table. The booths are separated by wooden partitions to provide privacy and the one we are seated at is designed for four people. There are sitting cushions to make things more comfortable and warm handtowels to greet us. Staff are diligent in rearranging shoes left at the edge of hole-in-the-ground booths so that the tip of the shoes face outwards, making it just that little bit more convenient for patrons when leaving or when taking trips to the loo. It is a lovely and considerate touch.

The menu is quite extensive and we seem to spend absolutely ages deciding what to eat. Monsieur Poisson is excited to find not only uni but also swordfish sashimi on the menu but, alas, both are sold out from that day’s lunch session. So we rethink our options and start with the gyu tataki that does not come with the usual ponzu dressing, but is instead served with sliced spring onions, finely minced ginger, finely minced garlic and what we think is finely minced garlic with chilli oil all arranged on discs of radish. It’s fun to pair mouthfuls of beef with the differing accompaniments, and I feel more of the beef’s flavour is allowed to shine through than when doused in the usual dressing.

The soft-shell crab karaage is deep-fried with the lightest dusting of flour and has obviously been carefully presented so that the legs resemble a perched claw atop the plate. The menu says it is served with a shiso sauce but I can only see a finely chopped salsa of red onion, cucumber and tomato. Perhaps shiso leaves were used to impart flavour to the light and tangy salsa.

When Monsieur Poisson and I were perusing the menu we came across something that we had never seen before – chawanmushi. The menu describes it as ‘steamed savoury egg custard’ so we immediately draw comparisons to Chinese steamed egg and decide we have to give it a try. It arrives as a small, lidded urn on its own heat mat with a teaspoon alongside. We remove the lid and are welcomed by aromas of Asian-flavoured stock wafting up our nostrils. The surface is smooth like a block of tofu and the egg is seductively silken. It even wobbles a little when the urn is moved. Within the steamed egg mixture, there is sliced kamaboko, chicken pieces, small prawns, vegetables and the occasional piece of unagi. We sit back in food-induced euphoria and wonder how we could have never come across this dish before!

Next we have the otsumami udon from Sono’s October specials menu. It features multiple small individual serves of cold udon with different cold toppings and is presented in little Asian-style teacup-type dishes on a bed of ice chips held in a shallow wooden basin.

One serve of udon is topped with a very mild curry and is the only one to use thick udon noodles – all the other serves employ a thinner, flatter udon that is shaped like a larger version of linguine. Another dish is topped with a tempura prawn and smoky dressing. The third udon is dressed with soy sauce and has a beautiful soft-poached egg yolk sitting on top which, when punctured, reveals a sticky golden centre that we attribute to it having been chilled. The final serve is also dressed with soy but has thin rounds of lush green okra on top. The whole dish is tasty, refreshing and light and would be ideal in hot weather.

Also from the October specials menu, we have the unagi tsutsumi yaki which has grilled eel with an assortment of mushrooms enclosed in a lotus leaf before being roasted. It arrives at our table smelling charred but fragrant of lotus leaf. Interestingly, there is also a thick slice of yellow zucchini resting in between the two pieces of tender unagi.

Although Monsieur Poisson missed out on both uni and swordfish sashimi, his other favourite of scampi is fortunately available. We order the nigiri and a serve of two pieces arrive with the head arranged to be resting on its body. The flesh is very sweet and firm with a slight amount of chill, and is topped with tiny tobiko.

To finish the meal, we go for something with a bit more rice and order the chirashi sushi mainly because I am attracted by the picture in the menu. It comes with miso soup and doesn’t disappoint with thick slices of fish and scallop sashimi atop a thick bed of vinegared sushi rice.

But we can’t be finished as there is always still dessert! Monsieur Poisson is disappointed to hear me declare that I am too full for dessert as he has two preferred options in mind. He concedes to ordering only the azuki ice-cream cake, of which there are two pieces sitting on a handled plate. The flavour is not overly sweet but the texture is unfortunately a little icy. The thin layer of sponge underneath aids in halting any melting ice-cream run-off.

The meal is not cheap but we leave feeling very satisfied both in hunger and in value. Not only has the food been excellent with great attention to detail and presentation, but the service is most polite and attentive. These factors combined with the array of servingware has us making comparisons to our wonderful recent meal at Koi.

Sono

Level 1, Tattersalls Building, cnr Queen St & Edward St, Brisbane QLD

Tel: (07) 3220 1888

Opening Hours:  Mon-Thurs  12pm-2:30pm (lunch)

                                          6pm-9:30pm (dinner)

                        Fri  12pm-2:30pm (lunch)

                              6pm-10pm (dinner)

                        Sat  6pm-10pm (dinner only)

                        Sun  CLOSED

happy eating!