Lilotang

Dinner at Lilotang was a fine dining experience. Yes, it is pricy, and yes, the portions are small, but if you go in with that expectation, you will be in for a treat flavour-wise. My friend and I started with the avocado, okra and tuna sashimi ‘small plate’, which had just the right amount of wasabi to coax the best out of the delicate tuna cubes. Next was the umami vegetables served in an orange pot, which was my favourite dish – it took me right back to Japan. The vegetables were roasted to perfection, but what made this plate special was the miso sauce and the infused orange flavour that came from being served in a hollowed-out orange. Magic. Next we tried the chicken thigh and wagyu beef robata – both were incredibly tender and had a lovely charocal flavour. Round two of small plates was the baby octopus salad – perfectly balanced flavours – and the kara-age quail, which had a citrus and sesame sauce that was to die for. We finished with the snapper sashimi, which was fresh and just the right note to end on. A meal at Lilotang is all about the flavour – treat yourself!

Lilotang, Burbury Hotel, 1 Burbury Close, Barton ACT                                  http://lilotang.com.au/

Sokyo

A friend had recommended Sokyo for top tier Japanese in Sydney; unusually, they offer breakfast, so I booked in to try it out. Located at the Star, Sokyo has quite a large space decorated in an elegant minimalist style, with an impressive breakfast buffet designed primarily for hotel guests. Diners have the option of the full buffet or an a la carte dish with tea/coffee and a juice from the buffet. We opted for the latter – I ordered the ‘choushoku’ traditional Japanese breakfast, but was disappointed to hear that it had sold out. I had been excited about having fish for breakfast. Not excited by curry udon as the other authentic Japanese alternative, my second choice was the eggs benedict, served with miso hollandaise and edamame. The plate was beautifully presented, and the brioche bun was buttery soft to cut, making the dish quite light. The eggs were perfectly poached but arrived cold, and I couldn’t taste the miso in the hollandaise. The highlight was the steaky bacon, which was sweet and crispy, in contrast to the texture of the edamame. Sadly the juice from the buffet wasn’t fresh, but the genmaicha (tea) was excellent. Overall a mixed bag – get in early for the good stuff.

Sokyo, 80 Pyrmont Street, Pyrmont NSW                           http://www.star.com.au/sydney-restaurants/signature-fine-dining/pages/sokyo.aspx

Akiba

Part Two: Next up I was a bit spoilt – the chef shared out a sample of the kingfish sashimi – it had a surprisingly tropical flavour, probably due to the coconut and corriander – followed by the kimchi and oyster pancake I’d ordered. Now, don’t get too excited, it isn’t okonomiyaki, but it’s still delicious (and covered in bonito flakes, yum!). The main flavour isn’t kimchi, as you would expect, but the sriracha sauce, and whilst it’s a small serving, it’s quite filling. I thought I could fit one more thing in, and while I deliberated, the chef dished me up a Sydney rock oyster with black vinegar and ginger wine. He explained that they used to use this combination on pork at Sage, and were just mucking around with flavours for the oysters. It’s a winner – very refreshing and vibrant, much like the attitude and vibe at Akiba. My final dish was the pork jowl pancake with pickled white peach – this was unexpectedly creamy and rich and I preferred it to the kimchi one. Akiba made a fantastic impression (and the chefs are great for conversation!), being both considerate to a solo diner and so obviously energetic and excited about their food. Definitely a new Canberra landmark.

Akiba, 40 Bunda Street, Canberra ACT                                     http://www.akiba.com.au/

Akiba

Part One: There are times when you have a spectacular food experience. There are also times when you have excellent service. Akiba has both, and the combination is really quite something. Going for a solo lunch (apparently solo dining has become a thing), I was warmly welcomed and seated at the ‘raw bar’, the waitress explained, so I could watch and chat to the chef. This was very thoughtful and set the tone for my whole meal. I started with the strawberry and mint ‘Aki Pop’ – a soft drink served in a pre-opened bottle. It was sweet and refreshing, and I’m keen to go back to try their cocktails on the basis of this being so tasty. My first dish was the sashimi yellowfin tuna served with wasabi pannacotta and organic soy sauce – I watched the chef prepare it with care, including slicing the tuna delicately. There was a lot of both the soy sauce and the pannacotta, which, with the crunch of the fried onion crisps, was tasty, but which masked the tuna flavour a bit. When it came through though, there was a fantastic balance and richness to the dish that I loved. Everything sang of quality and care. To be continued…

Akiba, 40 Bunda Street, Canberra ACT                                     http://www.akiba.com.au/

Ganbaranba

When I saw that Ganbaranba wasn’t just a ramen shop or a noodle restaurant, but a ‘noodle colosseum’, it was pretty much compulsory to eat there.  Though I swore to try and gladiator my way through all of the ramen on the menu, I only managed to get there twice. On both occasions we shared some gyoza to start, and they were incredible – beautifully pan-fried with extra crispy bits hanging off each dumpling and a soft and tasty filling. Round one was the traditional tonkotsu ramen – I found the broth to be a bit oily, and the pork was quite tough, but the ramen had just the right amount of bite. Round two was all about the shoyu – the best ramen of my life was in Kyoto in 2009 and it was a shoyu ramen. It’s not as common to find soy-based broths in Australia, and so I always try them when I can. Whilst it wasn’t Kyoto-standard, this shoyu was really tasty, full of bamboo shoots and again perfectly bitey ramen. Ganbaranba’s staff were super friendly and made us feel welcome, so they get the thumbs up from me.

Ganbaranba Noodle Colosseum, 12/20 Spence Street, Cairns QLD, no website

Ochacha

When you Google ‘best Japanese in Cairns’, Ochacha is the first place to come up on the listing, and for good reason. I went on a Monday, which is lucky because they are closed on Tuesdays, for both lunch and dinner. I dined alone at lunch, and had a lovely chat in Japanese with the waitress who was visiting on a working holiday. It was a particularly hot day, so I opted for the zaru udon, cold udon noodles in a dipping sauce. The meal was so refreshing – the noodles were beautifully chewy and the flavour of the sauce took me right back to Japan. Having had such a nice lunch, I took my friend back there for dinner, and we feasted on sushi and sashimi. The aburi salmon nigiri sushi was the highlight, although I was impressed by the relatively large pieces of salmon and tuna sashimi on the two plates I ordered. The miso soup was hot, flavoursome and not too salty. My friend also ordered the chicken katsudon and we were both stuffed full of delicious Japanese food by the end. A must-visit for Japanese food fans.

Ochaha Modern Japanese Dining, 34 Lake Street, Cairns QLD, no website

Shoya

A lot of my friends are foodies. This usually works out well for me, especially when I visit cities they’ve lived in. Shoya was a fancy dinner choice booked by a colleague, and I feel like I now owe him a very good Adelaide recommendation in return. For me, the dinner at Shoya was all about the sashimi. Yes we had other things, including some excellent ageashi tofu, my first taste of abalone and some very tender, tasty beef.  But having visited my favourite sushi bar in Japan recently, finding some good quality, well-sized pieces of raw fish in Australia was such a delight. Each piece was perfectly cut and melted in your mouth – the tuna was a particular highlight and I think I ended up eating more than my fair share. In fact, when it came around to ordering dessert, I looked at my friends and meekly suggested another sashimi plate instead. Luckily they agreed, and we all left with very happy tummies.

Shoya, 25 Market Lane, Melbourne VIC                                         http://www.shoya.com.au