Sushi Hub (Hawthorn, Vic)

Fresh and yummy cold and hot dishes and a great selection of Japanese drinks. The nicest dishes aren't usually on the train but have to be ordered. It takes little time for them to arrive, though

Fast and friendly staff.

Good priced. 

Sushi trains are one of my fav things in the food world. The reason I go to a food train is because of the variety, the freshness and the fact that you have most things already on display, so you don't have to order anything unless you really want. And that is, precisely, what this place fails at, because most of the nicest things aren't on display, just the average ones, the rest have to be ordered. This being the case, part of the enjoyment of the train adventure vanishes like a puff. Said differently, this is more a la carte and takeaway sushi place than a proper sushi train, even though there is a train

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Mr Munchies Sushi (Mount Lawley, Perth WA)

Shop 4
669 Beaufort St
Mt Lawley Western Australia 6050
Mount Lawley
Phone: (08) 9271 8409
Facebook

I love Mr Munchies for the freshness of their food, the creativity of their rolls and the fast and friendly service.



 

PIZZICATO FIVE
1= Mr Munchies is a superhero that creates unique-looking and unique-tasting rolls with the magic of his fingers. The sort of roll that you don't find elsewhere and is prepared on the spot, fresh and yummy. They not only have a menu of set rolls, they have seasonal and special ones, so regulars get enthralled, excited and their stomach Astro-boyed with the news. Among the set rolls, the seafood roll  is my fav so far, but I have liked also the Mexican Roll and the Chicken Mango. The Pork Hei roll, a special at this very moment, it is just fabulous. If you are the fancy-individualistic e-sushi type, you can make your own rolls on order, you tell them which ingredients you want, the size you want, the colour you want, and they work fast as machines so you smile when you get your u-roll.
2= They ingredients they use are x-F (extremely fresh) and you can select a HR (half roll), or a FR (full roll) which is perfect to suit any stomach size or craving.
3= The Munchies do bother with the presentation, and that is extra points they make with me. After all we eat as much with our eyes as we do with our mouths.
4= They have a nice selection of sides, and of non-alcoholic Western and Asian drinks.
5= Mr Munchies is fairly priced and you get a good return for the money you invest in your stomach..

GONG FOR NIHON!
+ Location Location. Heart of Mt Lawley but hidden from the view of non superheroes and explorers.
+ Nice cozy corner on the mural wall.
+ Dine in or take-away.
+ Dine inside or on the walled bench outside if you are in a hurry or just there is no room inside.There is no option. You've been warned.
+ All the staff  members are welcoming and very friendly.
+ Service is fast.
+ Nice vibe.

BANG!
- The storage area is inside the shop, so that is a bit down and creates a mixed-up feeling of "where the heck am I?".
- The rice on the rolls is not properly set for rolling, so the rolls crumble and collapse as soon as you touch them, falling foolishly onto their tiny longitudinal serving dishes or onto the table. The fact that the seaweed used inside is a bit stiff does not help to prevent the crumbling of the Munch, so you could find yourself, well composed, looking like a lady with half a roll hanging in space between your teeth and your chin. No photo, please.

SOON (PLEASE)!
? Remove the dam boxes from the shop and find another one where to pile them up!

? Work on the setting of the rice so it does not collapse. If Donburi or Aisuru can prepare fresh rolls on the spot without the roll collapsing, Mr Munchis can do so, too.

? A slightly bigger dishes would be most convenient for mess-around people.

? A few more individual tables would suit better the tiny space of the shop, as they can be together to accommodate a group or separated to fit single or coupled eaters.

? They should work on their sweets and dessert menu, as it is very poor at the moment.

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Is Donburi (Northbridge, Perth WA)

Shop 10, 189 William St
Northbridge Western Australia 6003
(08) 9328 2621
Hours:
    Mon, Wed-Sun 11:30 am - 4 pm
    Mon, Wed-Sun 5 pm - 9:30 pm


  
Is Donburi is small funky Japanese restaurant that happens to be a fast food outlet too. In the very heart of the city, always busy and with a constant flow of patrons for both take-away and dinning in, Is Donburi is a place where to have a good Japanese meal at very good prices and in decent quantities.They don't offer sophisticated Japanese, but a good selection of entrees, rolls, salads, soups and bento trays and bowls. Sushi, Sashimi, Donburi, Bento, Udon. You name it, they have it. Despite not being the latest big thing, they do extremely well everything - rolling the rolls, presentation, and tastiness of the dishes. Better than others that have the name and charge you double for similar things.

My favourite entrees are the gyoza, the prawn parcels and the octopus balls (takayaki), which are delicious and make a light meal on their own. You can try them all, with others, in the tempura tray.

My favourite roll is the grilled salmon's. It does look beautiful, and it is extremely flavoursome. It has a great mix of flavours, colours and textures: pink and green on top (grilled salmon and herbs) and pieces of avocado, mango and beetroot inside; it is served in a lovely long boat-like tray - destination my belly!

The deluxe bento are really great, filling, varied, and very well priced, and I have liked everything I have tried. They have enough food for a man with a big stomach.


I love the freshness and mix of colours and ingredients of their take-away rolls, which are really filling, crispy, fresh and beautiful to look at, and the best take-away rolls  I've tried in the city!

Service is friendly and decently paced indoors, and very fast for take-away. I go there regularly, and the norm is fast friendly service. The staff are very accommodating regarding anything. The space is limited, but, at least at lunch time, people go, eat and leave fast, so I have never found problems finding a table for one or two people at peak hours. The staff clean the place fast and serve you almost immediately.

They attract people from all ages, mostly youngsters and young professionals, although you can also find families, tradies and old grandpas depending on the time of the day you visit.

 

ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT
- I don't like that the cheaper bento are served in a bowl. The quantity and quality of the food is the same, but all the ingredients are squeezed together, all the flavours and sauces mixed before entering my mouth, and that rests flavour and makes eating less enjoyable. Moreover, it is very difficult to eat everything without creating a bit of mess on the table.
- They could easily improve the quality of their Miso Soup, which is a bit watery and lacking in flavour. I would rather pay 1$ and have a good one than nothing and have a bad one. Perhaps it is just me.
- They don't have a website or a Facebook account.

BONUS
+ Green tea and miso soup are complimentary with any main meal.
+ They do doggy bags!
+ They close on Tuesdays not on Mondays, when most restaurants close in Northbridge.
+ They are open in the evenings.
+ Paywave available.
+ Different queues for take-away and dining in. 

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Pepper Lunch (Perth WA)

Shop 5g/ 95 Barrack St,
Perth, Western Australia 6000
(08) 9325 3532
Facebook
Hours   
   Mon - Thu: 11:00 - 21:00
   Fri - Sat: 11:00 - 22:00
   Sun: 11:00 - 21:00

Centrally located in Barrack Street, in an area that has become popular with little funky Japanese and Korean  eateries, Pepper Lunch is a nice fast food restaurant that serves Japanese fast food - simple, tasty, healthy, fun to cook, and good-priced.  

The place is very clean and functional, still very pleasant, and attracts an eclectic group of people. The system works like this:
- You get an iron dish, that is really hot, with the food you order.
- You mix everything and allow the food to cook on the dish stirring it.
- You wait a few minutes for the food to cool down.
- You eat it. 
There are steak dishes, in which you get the meat/fish of your selection (beef, chicken, burger, salmon, or a combo) mixed with veggies and bean sprouts. Otherwise, you have kimchi or curry dishes arranged in a similar fashion but rice-based.

The selection of drinks is very limited, just a few drinks from the fridge, plus miso soup.

The staff are lovely, very friendly, and serve your fast. They have a menu with photographs, which also specifies which dishes are hot, so you know what you are ordering and what you are going to get.

Pepper lunch is a bit pricey for fast food, with prices going from 9-17 bucks, still very cheap, and you know what you are putting in your mouth.

Pepper Lunch is nothing to rave about, but it is a nice place with healthier food than traditional fast food (unless you choose the burgers), and attractive enough to return or drop by any time, as it is open ever day of the week from brunch to late dinner.

Location - 7/10
Layout - 6/10
Ambience - 5.5/10
Food - 6/10
Drinks - 4/10
Service 7/10

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Yuzu Kaiten Sushi (Mount Lawley, Perth WA)

Shop 11, 649 Beaufort St
Mt Lawley Western Australia 6050
(08) 9227 1880
http://www.yuzu.com.au
Hours:
  Tue-Fri 11:30-14:00 and 17:00-21:30
  Sat-Sun 11:30-14:30 and 17:30-21:30

 
Semi-hidden and squeezed up by The fish & chips shop and Fresh Provisions in Mount Lawley, Yuzu Kaiten Sushi is an authentic Japanese restaurant that delivers at all fronts.

The place is tiny, but the space so well organised and taken advantage of that it looks and feels much bigger than actually is. The atmosphere is very pleasant, with a stylish mix of green and black colours and jazz music playing all day long.

The food is fresh, good, varied, tasty and good-priced. The train offers a mix of sushi (maki and gunken), sashimi, fried food, and carpaccio dishes of different prices, with the usual pieces that you find in other train restaurants in Perth. You can order a bento set if you prefer, or order the more expensive dishes from their a-la-carte menu.

They have lunch specials: bento trays for 9.50$ (choose 1 main. 3 sides and a sauce of your selection), or a burger combo for 13.50$ consisting of the burger (chicken katsu, chicken teriyaki, or prawn katsu) with sweet potato fries plus a drink of your selection. The burger meals are delicious.

The selection of soft drinks is OK. It makes me always happy finding unsweetened O Cha green tea, which goes well with everything if you don't want the usual hot green tea or sweetened flavoured teas.

The service is terrific, with a super-friendly all over cashier-waitress taking care of anything you need.

The place attracts mostly quiet people, wanting to enjoy their meal alone or with another person. It is not good for groups, and that is always a blessing, to me. A good deal of visitors are also "take-away-yees".

My main criticism to the place is the abuse in the use of  mayonnaise and spiced mayo. Please, let customers decide whether we want mayo or not, and in which quantity. They got it right with their fried food, as a dollop is put on the plate, but some of the maki rolls and sashimi pieces have it on; it looks, uhmmm?, decorative?, but it is a bit, uhmmm? invasive? My suggestion: have an artistically-set dollop of mayo on the plate, instead of on the food and everybody will be happy.

I love the place, and the fact that is never crowded or empty. The reason might the its odd location and the lack of visible sign anywhere around. A blessing in disguise because you want your quiet good sushi place to be your little secret forever. Amen.

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Aisuru Sushi (Perth WA)

208 William St
Perth Western Australia 6000
(08) 9328 8578
http://www.facebook.com/aisurusushi
Hours:
    Tue-Sun 12:00 - 14:30
    Tue-Thu 18:00 - 21:30
     Fri-Sun 18:00 - 22:00
 
Aisuru Sushi is in the heart of Northbridge, and always buzzing with customers any time of the day or the evening, day after day. That is so, because Aisuru offers a mix of Japanese, Chinese and "Fushion" artistically-plated dishes. In fact, they look as if they were going to be photographed for a food magazine. Moreover, the restaurant has a contemporary classy minimalist interior with three different seating areas, and a good relaxed posh ambience.

Aisuru's Miso soup is my favourite Miso ever. A good fresh miso, golden tan, not the usual vintage maroon from sachets you find elsewhere. 
The Agedashi Tofu makes a perfect entré. Tofu is always a bit of a pin to cook, as it is tasteless by nature. However this this dish is great: Curd tofu (creme caramel texture) inside, finely glazed and crunchy on the outside, floating in a very light marinating sauce with some dry herbs on top. Warm. A great mix of textures in your mouth, with a very delicate but distinct flavour. It is like eating three clouds fallen from a fairy-tale sky into a tiny pond.
 
The Plum Roll is, by far, my favourite roll at Aisuru. Unlike other rolls, they are perfectly rolled, and the sauce and oil used as a base are delicious. The dish is moist, flavoursome, colourful, and yummy.

The Black Velvet Roll has "caviar" on top and warm tempura prawn in the middle, avocado, crab, rice, and it tastes good. However, the rolls crumbled easily when pressed by the chopsticks, probably because they were rolled too fast and/or the rice was a bit loose. I found the sauce two thick and not a match for the rolls - my opinion.

Very similar to the other is the Caterpillar Roll, again with rolls badly rolled, but lovely overall.

I love the popcorn tempura, but I would rather have it with that much mayonnaise!

Among the things that haven't wow me are the vegan Pyogo Roll, which was tasteless per se, but brought to life by the delicate semi-gelatinous sauce on which the rolls were resting on. The Waygu beef tempura was a bit bland, not especially flavoursome.

Their banch tea, although in a tea-bag, it is lovely.

Service is t-e-r-r-i-f-i-c, and the waitresses very helpful, friendly, and fast; they will attend you with their über-cool Ipad in their hands so you can see the photo of every item in the menu, as well as the items you are ordering.

THE NOT SO GOOD
1/ The place is expensive. Forget what "Bargain Bites" in the "Sunday Times" says. Unless you eat like a canary, you are going to have a BIG bill. Usually, I pay about 35 bucks for my lunch there, and I never leave full.
 
2/ In a place like this, and at those prices, I expect the details to be posher. I expect good quality paper napkins instead of the cheap ones they have. I expect wooden washable chopsticks not the usual disposable ones. I expect a good selection of Japanese teas (not just one), and a bigger selection of Asian soft drinks, too. I also expect a pot of tea per table not a cup with a teabag, even if they refill it regularly with hot water.
 
3/ Let your taste-buds decide without taking into account a-priory wow-ness uttered by somebody else in a newspaper. Fact: some dishes taste great and others just look great.

4/ They need bigger dishes to plate their half-serves and side dishes, so we have a bit of more room to move the food around without creating a mess on the table.

5/ Some of the rolls are badly rolled...


6/ The menu hasn't changed in months. What about getting a bit creative?

TIPS
* Order a full serve of sushi, as they offer 8 pieces and are relatively cheaper than the half serves, more filling, and they are plated wonderfully.

* Try anything that you would not find in other sushi places, as those dishes are what you should come here for, beyond the presentation. I would not order teriyaki varieties or vegan rolls here, honestly.

***

This is a good place to have a special dinner with somebody, you know, one of those occasions in which you don't mind the bill, order many half servers, many sides, plus dessert and the drinks, anything you fancy, the quantity you fancy, so you end the night fulfilled and having a foodorgasmic experience.
 
This is the last hype sushi place in Perth CBD. Go, and let people see you are there. OMG yore heerr chooo!

Food 7/10 (presentation 8.5, taste 7)
Tea 7.5/10
Ambience 7.5/10
Layout 7.5/10
Service 9/10
Pricing 6/10
Overall, 7.5

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Iku Sushi (Perth WA)

Shop WG.07, 140 William Street
Perth, WA 6000
08 9322 6008

http://www.ikusushi.com/
 http://www.facebook.com/iku.sushi1




 Iku Sushi is a tiny funky sushi place in the heart of the city that really deserves the good reviews it has everywhere. No wonder it is always packed to the rafters at peak hours, inside and outside.

Why is this place so popular? It is the quality and variety of their food - reasons for which any restaurant should be popular for. Iku Sushi's food is fresh, tasty, varied, good-looking, good-sized, and good-priced. It is up to you if you pack on individual rolls, one of their ready-made sushi trays or salads, add a side dish, or go for one of the hot options prepared in their kitchen. Whatever you order, you are going to like it and want more. Feel free to eat like a pig, after all is healthy food... unless you choose the unhealthy options like the fried sushi "burger" varieties (I found the filling good, but the whole thing sickening, truly).

Their coffee is good in general, although it depends on the barista!

The service is terrific, especially having into account the volume of people visiting the place at peak hours. The staff are a cool, friendly and smiley bunch of people. They are a bit flat out at times, so you have to ask them to clean a table for you if any is available, but, if that is the case, they will do so in a microsecond.

What else you want? I don't know you, but I would like them having a bigger seating area, so we don't have to pass by, find the place fully packed, and go elsewhere for our sushi.

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Edo Shiki (Perth WA)

Shop 17-18, Forrest Chase Mall
200 Murray St
Perth Western Australia 6000
(08) 9225 7022
http://www.edoshiki.com.au/
Hours:
    Mon-Thu, Sat-Sun 10:30 - 16:30
    Fri 10:30 - 18:30Photo courtesy of 

Edo Shiki is one of my favourite stops for fresh sushi in the city centre. Conveniently located by Myers at Forrest place, this is a sure escape for people wanting fresh good Japanese food. They open at 10.30am every day, and although technically this is not a brunch place, this is certainly a "brunsashumuzi". Their train mixes dishes with several pieces of Sushi (from the basic to the very elaborate), Sashimi (basic), fried food,  sweet  buns, and, everybody's favourite (mine too) - the hot bamboo baskets with some delicious Japanese specialities. Beyond the train, you have Bento trays, an a-la-carte menu for individual dishes, and a good range of western and Japanese drinks.

Their prices are average for places like this, so it is up to you if you want a cheap Bento tray, an affordable individual dish, or four expensive train plates, the latter being my case most of the time. I cannot help myself. They have a happy hour from Monday to Thursday, starting at around 4pm, affecting their takeaway area and you can/might get a 2 x 1, which is great if you are lucky enough to get one of their deluxe Sushi trays.

The staff are a bunch of young smiley and welcoming guys, but service can be slow at peak hours despite them running all over.

Edo Shiki has three three main downs. 1/ Their cold fried dishes. What is the point and the pleasure of serving cold tasteless fried food? 2/ The spacing between seats at the long decked table, especially at peak times, as you could be rubbing shoulders -literally- with somebody you don't want to. 3/ They don't have a public toilet, so, if you are in need, squeeze in your bladder, and run to Myers.

They have a Facebook account, so push their button and make them happy:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Edo-Shiki/118108074913365

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