The restaurant looks very nice and modern and clean. The teppanyaki here is rather docile compared to at some places where they toss the food at you. We opt for the a la carte dining.
We ordered warm sake to drink whilst we browsed the menu. The sake is quite mild but goes down easily. The menu is rather bland and uninteresting. But not to matter, I knew what I wanted, lots of sushi and sashimi. Hence we decided on the largest platter available.
We were treated to a small condiment of marinated bean shoots. They were ok but nothing special. It was great value though, considering it was free. We started off with our usual favourite, beef tataki. This beef tataki was served with some grated carrot and horseradish. It was quite nice, but nowhere near the magnificence of the beef tataki at Horoki. Kin ordered the pickled vegetables which he really liked but I didn't really like any of them.
The main thing that I had been waiting for arrived next. The Sushi and Sashimi Platter looked really nice. But when I looked more closely, it didn't excite me as much. The fish looked alright but just didn't look to be as good as Shira Nui. When I ate them, it confirmed my initial asessment. They weren't terrible, but just not great. The fish was fairly good, but not as flavourful. I missed the squid pieces that I love. Also the maki rolls and california rolls were rather bland. I guess I just have to book two weeks in advance for Shira Nui. As an aside, I tried booking for Shira Nui this Saturday (its currently Tuesday) but it was already full. It's so hard to get into good restaurants nowadays, you have to be too organised and that's just not me hahaha.
The Seafood Udon was quite good too. There were lots of pieces of seafood and the noodles were cooked with that nice "wok" flavour that I like.
Upon browsing the menu for some warm desserts, we couldn't find any so decided on some tempura instead. I didn't like any of the tempura. The batter was a bit heavy and the pieces lacked flavour.
Service was ok, with the waitress sometimes needing things repeated for her to understand. A couple times, she seemed a bit confused so we had to repeat to make sure she got it.
The atmosphere that night was a cool feeling. People were chatting fairly softly, or the room absorbs noise quite well. It's an easy feel despite the rush and hurry of people going to the cinema just outside the door.
Overall Rating: 12/20, Food is good but not special, considering the prices. I suggest booking early and going to Shira Nui instead.
Scores: 1-9: Unacceptable, don't bother. 10-11: Just OK,some shortcomings. 12: Fair. 13: Getting there. 14: Recommended. 15: Good. 16: Really good. 17: Truly excellent. 18: An outstanding experience. 19-20: Approaching perfection, Victoria's best.
sorry to hear about your experience Thanh. you know my feelings about sushi; it's best left to the experts. it's such a specialised dish that apprentices spend the first few years just learning how to cook the rice.
ReplyDeletegosh, I didn't know that Shira Nui was getting so difficult to get into! imo, Sushi Bar Akatombo also does fantastic sushi, and the sashimi at Shoya and Nihonbashi Zen are quite exceptional.
Plus, I cannot wait for Ocha!!
Sounds like a bit of a disappointment but nevertheless your photos have given me a real Japanese craving!
ReplyDeleteDanny, an expert really can make the fish taste so much better by choosing the best ingredient and preparing it correctly.
ReplyDeleteShira Nui is so hard to get a booking at without more than a weeks notice now. I must look into the other suggestions you gave. I haven't been to any of those places but am always looking for good Japanese food.
I too can't wait for Ocha. The review in The Age made it sound so good. And having to wait like a month and half for a table has raised my expectations so high. And I can't wait to meet more fellow foodies in you and Mellie.
Truffle, I'm glad my amateur photos have inspired your craving. I'm constantly having a Japanese craving. :-)
ReplyDeleteFat Do wrote:
ReplyDelete"Kin ordered the pickled vegetables which he really liked but I didn't really like any of them"
You don't eat your vegetables, that's why your shit comes out hard and that's why your toilet needs to be replaced every few months.