Tiger Gyoza Hall

Good gyoza are an amazing thing. One night I went for a wander and found a particularly good gyoza place, although to be honest the only reason I ducked in was a) they had a huge tiger on the side of the building and b) my brain was tired of translating Japanese and the restaurant’s name was in English. It may have been the best decision of the whole trip. We ate four plates of gyoza on the waiter’s recommendation, plus the tomato and avocado salad. The salad had us in raptures – topped with fresh cress and corriander, the avocado and tomato chunks were doused in an oily corriander dressing – we licked those plates clean. Seriously, seriously good salad. The first two plates of gyoza were equally amazing – each plate had six dumplings – one normal-sized the other giant. The giant gyoza (called bukkuri gyoza) were the pick of the menu – packed with pork, crunchy sprouts and cabbage, they were to die for served with the corriander, onion and chilli condiment sauces. We weren’t as keen on the green soup gyoza which came third, but the yuzu gyoza on the final plate were refreshing and incredibly tasty. We dined here twice on this trip and I will most definitely be back.

Tiger Gyoza Hall, Hiroo 5-14-2, Tamachi, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo Japan (in the backstreets opposite Keio University East Gate)

Miraku Japanese

On a work trip to Sydney I caught up with a friend for a quick lunch at the Hunter Connection food court,  famed for fast, cheap eats. We arrived right before the lunch rush, so secured a table and went to order from Miraku (I couldn’t go past Japanese!). I’m a sucker for a good udon, so picked the ‘ebi udon’, which came with two battered prawns. Our orders were ready fairly quickly (good to arrive ahead of the crowd) and the bowl I brought back to the table was full of yummy-looking udon. The broth was around the middle range of my experience – a nice flavour, but quite salty and slightly too fishy for a standard udon broth. The noodles themselves were nicely soft and springy and whilst you would never get carrot in your udon in Japan, extra vegetables should never be sneered at. There was plenty of spring onion, and at the counter you could help yourself to sesame. I really loved the huge prawns, which softened nicely when dipped in the broth. Considering the meal was just over $10, it was well-sized, filling and tasty – excellent value in the city centre.

Miraku Japanese, F9 Hunter Connection Food Plaza, 7-13 Hunter Street, Sydney NSW, no website.

Rakaposhi

Sometimes taking the ‘wrong path’ leads to unexpected discoveries. On our day-trip to Kamakura, I turned left instead of right at the train station, thinking I would find the bustling shopping street full of restaurants for lunch. Instead, we found a local shopping street and a real gem. Rakaposhi is one of the most beautiful cafes I’ve ever been to. It’s half-florist, half-cafe, and their menu is full of fascinating culinary delights. All lunch options come as a set, so include soup, salad and a tiny dessert. The salad had Japan’s amazing goma (sesame) dressing and despite the heat of the day we devoured the chicken soup. We picked the ‘taco rice’ – I thought it would be octopus rice (tako being octopus), but it turned out to be an Okinawan dish that fuses Japanese and South American food styles – literally a deconstructed taco on a mountain of rice. I loved it – the crisp of the cornchips paired with the fresh lettuce, tomato and grated cheese was so refreshing, and the rice made it quite filling. We were spoiled with a frozen cube of chocolate mousse-esque icecream dusted in cocoa powder to finish. The staff were welcoming and friendly – when in Kamakura, please take the ‘wrong path’ to this little oasis of perfection.

Rakaposhi, 2-12 Onarimachi, Kamakura, Kanagawa Japan, no website

Mr Shabu Shabu

This is probably my favourite place to eat at when it’s cold in Canberra. Mr Shabu Shabu offers consistently delicious, hearty and inexpensive Japanese food. This visit was a cold Friday after-work dinner, so I ordered my standard (a serve of takoyaki and the beef shabu shabu) without hesitation. I love the takoyaki here, even if there isn’t much octopus, because it is covered in the right sauces and lots of bonito flakes (mmm). They also don’t fill you up too much before the main event – paper-thin raw beef, enoki mushrooms and glass noodles to cook in a beautifully flavoursome clear broth. While your beef (or other selection of pork, chicken or vegetables) cooks, you can enjoy the seaweed salad, spring roll and rice with peanut sauce. But the best part by far is drinking the broth with the wooden ladle provided – after having cabbage and meat cook in it, it’s infused with fantastic flavours, the ultimate comfort food. I think I’ll have to visit in summer to try any of the other menu choices (ramen, udon, etc), because I can’t go past the shabu shabu otherwise!

Mr Shabu Shabu, 6/35 Childers St, Canberra ACT, no website

Supernormal

My friend and I visited Supernormal for a Friday night dinner and waited for about 45 mins for a table – while we waited we devoured the Supernormal Smash cocktail with gin, tonic and seasonal syrup – it was a perfectly balanced cocktail with the right amount of sweet and bitter. We were told that the dishes are best to share, so started with the sesame cucumber (2 pieces included), which had a lovely pickled flavour and came served on a stick, followed by the raw bar tuna dish. As our lobster rolls arrived we asked the kitchen to slow the service down, as the plates were piling up. The roll was a highlight, with tender strips of lobster meat and a sweet brioche bun. My overall favourite, though, was the duck bao – cooked in Peking duck-style, the meat was cooked to perfection with a thin crispy shell, and served with hot, soft bao. So, so good. We finished off with the miso and pink lady soft serve, which had a fascinating flavour combination that just worked. We added the snack petipas given at the start of the meal on top to make it even better. Five hours later, we left full, happy and wishing we had a second stomach for more!

Supernormal, 180 Flinders Lane, Melbourne VIC                   http://www.supernormal.net.au

Ippudo

Apart from making excellent ramen, Ippudo explains that they consider it part of their mission to ‘promote regional ramen from other parts of Japan’. Who am I to argue with that? This was my first time trying a seasonal special – the Tokushima Niku ramen, made from a blend of pork and chicken broth and topped with a soft egg, slicd beef, bamboo, spring onion and chilli. Mmm. Before the ramen though, my friend and I shared gyoza – delicate and flavoursome – and pork buns – very tasty, with a good bao-to-meat ratio. I also had a glass of umeshu on the rocks, my favourite Japanese drink. They offer a couple of different brands, but I like the sweet Choya one. Anyway, back to the ramen. I took the waiter’s recommendation that it be served with white rice, and delved in to break the beautifully runny egg. The beef was sweet and tender, thinly shredded and generously portioned. The broth was quite light but complex, without being overly salty. It complemented the beef, egg and bamboo to create a harmonious blend of flavours. The ramen had great bite to them and I’d recommend getting the rice with this one – it works so well. Seasonal ramen you say? Yes please.

Ippudo, Westfield Sydney, Level 5, 188 Pitt Street, Sydney NSW                            http://www.ippudo.com.au

Shimbashi

I visited Shimbashi once in 2012 and remember a) the restaurant not appearing to have a name and b) the amazing soba they served. On this visit, I ducked in for a late lunch (last orders are 2:30pm) and was reminded once again how fantastic simple Japanese food can be. I ordered the teriyaki salmon special, which came with a rice bowl topped with lettuce and salmon, a small bowl of pickles, and a serve of soba. I ate the salmon first as the hot dish (I’d chosen cold soba), and was surprised at how large the serving was. The teriyaki sauce was sweet and rich, and was just the right amount to coat the perfectly cooked fish and most of the rice. I dipped the lettuce in the small salad I’d received on arrival to give it some dressing, which complemented the pickles nicely. The soba was equally delicious, with spring onion and seaweed to add extra flavour. The noodles were obviously handmade and had a great springiness to them which sent me straight back to Japan. Simple, delicate and authentic Japanese that I will definitely be coming back for.

Shimbashi Japanese soba and sake bar, 17 Liverpool Street, Melbourne VIC     http://www.shimbashisobamelbourne.net/