Sake Restaurant & Bar

Amabuki Daiginjo- Probably the easiest Sake to drink for Miss FH

Miss food hunter together with her parents were looking for traditional japanese fare but unforuntately, Ajimi was closed on a wednesday night and Miss food hunter thought to detour to the closest @ Eagle street. Though Sake offers more contemporary Jap, we were all really glad we tried!

Day out @ GC & Burleigh Brew Co.

We planned for a weekend out at Gold Coast as we booked in for a tour at the Burleigh Brewery. We revisited one of our favourite Japanese restaurant- Yuuga at Surfer's for an early lunch before the tour. We like Yuuga for the variety in their bento lunch sets, their reasonable prices, friendly service, restaurant atmosphere and but of course, quality of food.  

MOS Burger

We finally made it to MOS! That is because we were there at 1055am for a supa dupa early lunch and already, there were intermittent short queues and dozens waiting in line for their takeaway bags. We have had MOS burgers in Singapore a fair number of times between the two of us and personally, we prefer the rice to their bun-type burgers. 

Sushi Kotobuki

We were on our way to Balmoral and thought it was perfect opportunity to stop by at Kotobuki for lunch having read many good reviews on this little sushi cafe. It really is a tiny outlet with several 2-seater tables within the confines of the cafe space and a couple more on the outside. All the tables were occupied when we arrived, it was seriously busy with dozens of take-away patrons too and so we lingered for a while for the next available table. There is a glass cabinet of ready-made sushi rolls, which is convenient for on the go.

Sushi Rail

Mr food hunter was looking for something a little lighter to eat for lunch, having had quite heavy meals lately, so Miss food hunter decided to try a new sushi conveyor at Salisbury. We do love our sashimi but to be honest, we did not come with high expectations in an industrial area like this. However, we thought it is new and why not give it a chance...

Shinbashi Yakiniku

Last saturday, we were out with a team of four inclusive of Mr food hunter's brother and sister. Where do you go for lunch when there is more than the usual 2 suspects; now presenting the opportunity to enjoy a greater variety of dishes and have fun simultaneously when eating?? To the BBQ House that is! We have been to a few good korean bbq restaurants, but this time we moved eastwards, off to the land of the rising sun- Japan.

Sumire Japanese

Sumire is abit of a hit and miss place. Our first visit to Sumire was average and our second visit saw quite a dip in our food radar. On our first visit we had sushi rolls, sashimi salad and a mix tendon and recently, we had the seaweed salad, teriyaki chicken and katsu chicken sets.

The sashimi salad was not bad. It was quite generous with small chunks of salmon, tuna and kingfish .

The mix tendon consisted of crumbed prawn, fish and pork and had a dressing similar to that of an Oyakodon (chicken & egg rice bowl).

The seaweed salad had a good zesty sesame based dressing and we liked the fact there were added beetroot and mizuna leaves to tone the strong sesame flavours a notch.

The disappointment was with the teriyaki chicken rice set with miso soup. The chicken seemed slapped onto the plate randomly, it was way over cooked and too greasy. A visible pool of oil was noted. The zesty side cabbage salad was the only saving grace.

The katsu chicken on the other hand was cooked well and still moist. However, it was felt to be underseasoned, lacking in flavour apart from the drizzle of tonkatsu sauce.

They do reasonable priced lunch sets ranging from $9 to $12. Another chance perhaps? Not anytime soon and if we were to return, it would be for their sushi rolls.

Sumire Japanese
Shop 30 Centro Pinelands Plaza
Sunnybank
Opens daily lunch & dinner

Nagomi

The concept of Nagomi is quick food for either eating in, takeaway or on the go. Nagomi offers the usual fare of sushi rolls and what sets them apart from places like Hanaichi, are their bento boxes rather than donburi bowls. Their bentos are offered with a choice of mains i.e. teriyaki chicken, teriyaki hamburg (beef pattie), karaage (fried chicken), katsu or crumbed.

We ordered a teriyaki hamburg bento with an additional $2 of curry sauce atop the rice, a pickled vegetable sushi roll, teriyaki chicken salad and a miso soup. All meals are served in recyclable-like wooden type lunch boxes.

Straight up, the food was disappointing. The only saving grace were the leafy greens and the potato salad. We found the beef pattie to be mediocre, gyozas to be a tad salty, potato croquettes were not creamy but rather weak in flavour and oily. The curry tasted powdery and pales in comparison to that of Hanaichi curry bowls!

We were given a choice of either a sesame dressing or spicy soy dressing for the teriyaki chicken salad and it was the latter that we chose. The salad greens were fresh, the soy dressing was alright but not quite enough for the amount of salad greens and alas, the chicken was dry despite being served the "dark" parts of the meat.

The rice in the sushi roll was overcooked which is often the problem in majority of the sushi roll joints and for the first time, the pickled oshinko (daikon) was flaccid!

Nagomi will cater well for the office crowds who are looking for a quick bite and good variety. For the meantime, a simple donburi from Hanaichi will satisfy most easily!

Nagomi Restaurant
Shop 7 Eagle Street Pier
45 Eagle Street

Edamame, St. Lucia

Our first post (hooray) though not our first visit is, to this popular japanese restaurant near the University of Queensland.  Having studied at the university we both have visited this little restaurant often.  Grabbing a bite to eat between those long class breaks or meeting up with friends at night, this is a great place to grab some tasty japanese.

The menu is comprised of cooked japanese dishes so if your looking for sashimi or sushi rolls best head elsewhere.  You can find appertizers such as edamame, grilled skewers, okonomiyaki and teriyaki chicken wings to main meals of noodles (ramen) of various soup bases and an assortment of rice dishes such as teriyaki, curry, tonkatsu, tempura etc. There is also Asahi on offer too if you feel like a quencher.

On this occasion we ordered the teriyaki fish fillet rice ($11.90) and the chicken katsu curry rice ($10.80). First things first, Edamame takes great pride in presenting their dishes and they have maintained this since they first opened doors a few years back. Going back to the dishes, the fish was skillfully cooked, it was moist and flaky and had a few streaks of good char (aburi style) on them. The teriyaki sauce is unique and is unlike your typical teriyaki flavour you find in standard food court fare or bottled sauces. It has somewhat of a worscestershire tang to it and there is a pool of this flavoursome sauce to go with the generous serving of sticky jap rice.



The most important thing about a good curry rice is the sauce. Edamame has created one which really hits the spot! The sauce has that perfect amount of spice and heat which doesnt overpower you in the first couple of spoonfuls, but as you eat the heat slowly builds up in your mouth.  Making that Asahi the perfect accompaniment.  I love the use of chicken thighs in the katsu as opposed to chicken breast as there is so much more flavour in these tender morsels of meat.  The panko crumbs surrounding the thighs are well seasoned in spices and are light and crunchy. 

The food here is always worthy of a return visit but there a few things to note.  The food tends not to be served at the same time so you may have to watch your companions dig in first. On average it takes more than 20 minutes for the first dish to appear. Also, the seating is a little crammed and is only ideal for small gatherings.

Edamame

2/224 Hawken Drive, St Lucia Brisbane QLD

Open for lunch & dinner 7 days a week