MIZU @ West ENd

I got really excited when I found out about MIZU's recent opening in West End. Though West End is known for many good food places, I've always thought it lacked an authentic Japanese restaurant and had always hoped for one to open up! Alas, my dream came true!


MIZU serves izakaya-style dishes during dinner where the concept is to order many sharing plates of food and they are served as they are made. For lunch, they offer an affordable price range of lunchboxes! I love traditional Japanese lunchboxes - obento!

I've been here for both dinner and lunch and both are just are delicious! For me though, lunch is definitely more worth it because you get to try many side dishes with the lunchboxes you order.

My sisters and I came here for lunch and all were very happy with our orders - chicken karaage, pork katsu and salmon teriyaki. The pork katsu had one of the best batters in Brisbane - very crispy on the outside whilst the pork remains juicy when you bite into it. This was similar with chicken karaage as well!

My salmon teriyaki lunchbox was the best in my opinion - you could tell that they used very good quality fish and was cooked very well!




On a separate occasion, we came for dinner and tried some different dishes!

The first dish that came out was the renkon chips wtih tofu and avo dip. The renkon chips were very crispy and went very well with the creamy yet refreshing dip!


One of our favourites of the night was the tofu and nasu dengaku which had battered tofu, eggplant and zucchini drizzled with miso sauce - perfecto!



The tuna tataki salad was very fresh as well and the citrus based sauce was also very refreshing!



We were a little disappointed that our sashimi came out last (almost as if they had forgotten our order)...but it was still fresh anyway.




For dessert, we ordered one of the dinner specials which was a pumpkin cheesecake!!!! I am a big fan of pumpkin desserts so was really excited when I saw it on the menu!
The pumpkin cheesecake was good overall - the base had a hint of sesame which paired really well with the actual cheesecake. The actual cheesecake was quite creamy and didn't have as much of a pumpkin aroma than I thought it would. However, the whole cheesecake flavour was enhanced by the strawberry sauce that was on the side!




Overall, I think MIZU is definitely worth a paying a visit to! I'd recommend you to go for lunch because that's where you get your biggest bang for your buck otherwise, dinner can end up being quite pricey!

Will definitely be back for lunch soon!

Zagyoza @ West End

Zagyoza is a Japanese gyoza store which recently opened up in the heart of West End. It is tucked away nicely along Vulture St and serves some of the best gyozas in Brisbane! For those of you unfamiliar with the term "gyoza", they are Japanese pan-fried dumplings which are simply delish! Zagyoza makes their own gyozas with a wide range of flavours - from traditional pork to teriyaki chicken, black bean, spinach and ricotta, pumpkin feta, beef curry and moussaka just to name a few!

They do $10 lunch specials on most weekdays and these are just simply divine! Usually, you get a few delicious vegetarian side dishes with dumplings of your choice! This is also a great lunch option for vegetarians and vegans out there!

I was lucky enough to try their house-made pumpkin lasagne special with sides of fresh salads, stir fry veges and I chose the black bean gyozas! The veges were so refreshing and went really well with the heavier pumpkin lasagne.

They have a partnership with one of the bars across the road and if you feel like some izakaya nibbles, you can always pop over for some beer and gyozas!

If going to the actual store to have gyoza is too much of a hassle, you can always buy their take home packs, which come with easy instructions on how to make them at home!

However, Zagyoza is a true gem hidden in West End and definitely worth a try!!!

 

Cocotte

If I hadn’t heard out about Cocotte from a friend, then I would’ve never found this hidden gem in Robina. Cocotte is nicely tucked in Robina Quays Shopping Center, with a heartwarming outdoor space for dining. I find that Cocotte’s are mostly European with a Japanese influence to it. The Japanese chef and his team at Cocotte uses the freshest seasonal ingredients to create the best culinary experience for each customer. For those who are a bit more curious, like myself, can see the artistry of the team working in an open kitchen.

As my friends and I walked into the restaurant, nice and polite staff members greeted us and showed us to a table in their little backyard. However, what caught my attention was the amount of detail they put into the decorations at this restaurant. I’m a big fan of the Japanese culture and the decorations they used were really cute and creative, which reminded me of some cafes I had been to in Japan.

Cocotte’s menu consists of a range of tapas that can be shared with friends, larger mains, a number of daily specials and a diverse range of homemade European desserts with an Asian twist!

My friends and I ordered a couple of tapas, a main and some desserts to share:

Spanner crab croquets with yuzu mayo

The outside was deep-fried just right and had a very creamy texture on the inside. The mayo had a hint of yuzu which wasn't too strong and complimented the croquet.

Bauhaus balls – Spanish mackerel fish balls deep friend and served with mayo.

Though a friend of mine thought that this was too fishy, I thought it was lovely! Being a big seafood fan, I liked the taste of this and the texture wasn’t very creamy like the croquets.

Tempura prawns with wasabi mayo

The prawns were extremely fresh and it was nicely battered. I always give a restaurant extra likes if they use good quality, fresh prawns. It makes so much difference to the texture of the overall dish and I wouldn’t pay for tempuras that use not-so-fresh prawns.

5-hour braised OX tail and beef cheek in red wine and black miso.

This was definitely the stand-out winner for me! The just-right texture of the beef cheeks and ox tail…mmm! Because it was cooked in red wine and miso for so long, the flavor really went into each bit of the meat!

I always look forward to desserts and Cocotte didn’t disappoint at all!

Chocolate soufflé

Must say this is rich chocolate dessert has probably been the best I’ve had so far! The vanilla ice cream complements the soufflé well! However, I’d recommend this dessert to share, as there is a lotttttt of chocolate (unless you’re a mega chocolate fan)!

Vanilla crème brulee

The creamy vanilla taste underneath a layer of crystallised sugar was just …. Irresistible!

Lemon myrtle green tea panna cotta with azuki shortbread, strawberry soup

To be honest, I was most looking forward to trying this dessert just because I’d never had green tea panna cotta before! I’m a huge fan of green tea and there’s just not enough of green tea-related food products on the Gold Coast! And of course, the winner of desserts goes to the Green Tea panna cotta! The panna cotta wasn’t too sweet to cover the aroma of the green tea and the accompanying strawberries and mint helped refresh my taste buds! Each time I bit into the azuki shortbread, I just had images of a tea ceremony taking place… the bitterness of green tea accompanying the sweetness of a small dessert on the side, the atmosphere of the whole room, the serenity, the zen, the rooming looking out to a traditional Japanese garden, with bonsai and trickling water…

And then I’m back to reality. Even though the atmosphere is very different at Cocotte, it gives you a sense of pleasure. There’s something so heartwarming about this place that no other restaurant on the Gold Coast has!

If it weren’t for the slightly higher price in the selection of food they have here, I’d definitely come here a lot more often! Unfortunately, being a uni student means that this will be a place for very special occasions only but I’ll be saying to people I know: “Do you know I place called Cocotte in Robina? You must try it out!”


Cocotte's Website: http://www.cocotte.com.au/index.html

Melbourne 1 - Izakaya Den

What I love about Melbourne is that there are so many places for you to explore! One of Melbourne’s hidden gems is Izakaya Den situated on the basement floor of 118 Russell St in CBD. Tucked in the heart of CBD, Izakaya Den’s open kitchen and modern Japanese bar atmosphere takes you on an exciting journey as soon as you step in.

If you are finding a place to soak yourself in good food, good drinks and good atmosphere on a Friday night after work, then this is the place for you!

Being an Izakaya, you can really take your time to order food and slowly sip at some sake as well. Here at Izakaya Den, the chefs are quite talented and each dish is prepared with a fusion of Japanese and Western taste.

We ordered quite a lot of dishes as we were starving by the time we got there:

Corn Kakiage/ Deep-fried corn kernels with green tea salt
This tasted like popcorn but even better! The juicy sweetness of each individual corn kernel pops in your mouth and the green tea salt adds more flavour to this dish!

Tuna sashimi
The tuna was fresh with two kinds of sauces: housemade creamy thousand island and wasabi mayonnaise.

Salmon sashimi with yuzu vinaigrette.



Grilled king brown mushrooms with ginger soy sauce.
This has got to be one of the most delicious dishes I've ever tasted! Very juicy and flavoursome! It might not look like it, but what can I say? Never judge a book by its cover!

Tamagoyaki with meitaiko.
This is just any ordinary Japanese-style omelette! Filled with cod roe, this warm and fluffy Japanese omelette just melts in your mouth!

Dessert time!
Homemade marshmallows - very soft and fluffy.
Apple Mille Feuille - crispy apple slices with their own mix of apple gelati.
Pumpkin creme brulee - Japanese twist of pumpkin flavoured creme brulee - definitely my favourite!

Warm tofu cafe with coconut ice cream - my second favourite dessert.
Crispy on the outside, the tofu sponge cake is fluffy and light on the inside.
Goes perfectly well with the coconut ice cream!

Overall, dinner at Izakaya Den set a very high bar for the rest of my culinary adventures in Melbourne! 

I'd recommend this to anyone who visits Melbourne! (Even if your not really into Japanese food!)

Truly amazing experience and definitely something that Brisbane needs to have!

Kotobuki @ East Brisbane

Kotobuki is a small Japanese restaurant that is suitable for takeaway because of their small eat-in area. By the time we sat down and ordered, all the non-reserved seats had already been all taken, with a huge line of customers still waiting to order for takeaway or waiting for a seat to eat in. Popularity speaks for itself.

The Japanese restaurant is cheap with mainly single orders of sushi, nigiri and temaki. They also have various rice and noodle dishes.

We tried their fusion sushi dishes and they were delicious! Even when compared to other fusion sushi stores like Oishii Sushi in Sunnybank, I think it’s just as delicious and it’s cheaper as well!

All the fusion sushi we ordered were really nice, but what stood out the most for me was the Kotobuki Roll, which was sushi with crumbed chicken, cream cheese and avocado and then lightly fried into a sushi tempura!

 

Other dishes we ordered:

Dragon Roll – avocado, cream cheese, cucumber, grilled eel

 

Lion King – Crab stick, cucumber, avocado, seared salmon and cheese

 

Spider Roll – Soft-shell crab, lobster salad, cucumber, tobiko and spicy mayo

 

Ruby Roll – avocado, cream cheese, fresh tuna and Japanese chilli seasoning

 

Caterpillar Roll – tuna, cucumber, avocado, tobiko

 

Hosokawa @ Hamilton

For people who are obsessed with sashimi, like me: you will LOVE this place!

Hosokawa is a small restaurant on Racecourse Rd in Hamilton. They use a lot of traditional Japanese kitchenware and has a mini sushi bar which are always bonuses for Japanese restaurants! It is probably my favourite Japanese restaurant in Brisbane in terms of the quality of the sashimi and price. No it is not exactly the cheapest sashimi out there, but where you consider the quality of the sashimi, I think it is probably worth the most at Hosokawa!

Their Chirashi Sushi Set comes with the best of the best sashimi – chef’s selection of a wide range of sashimi beautifully set out on Japanese bowls with sushi rice on the bottom.

Even though sashimi is just raw fish, there is so much skill involved to master the best tasting sashimi. The sashimi here is cut to perfection - each stroke cut along the right sides of the fish with the right thickness and size. This is why when you put it into your mouth, you can taste the difference!

They are generous with what they give – I think there were at least 2 and a half bowls of rice under all the sashimi. I couldn’t finish the rice and felt really bad.

What’s also special about Hosokawa is that it’s the only Japanese restaurant that I know of in Brisbane that serves freshly ground wasabi! It does taste different and it's so much better!

For people who love obento, Hosokawa’s Shokado Lunch Box is perfect for you! The Shokado lunch box must be pre-ordered at least the day before and there’s only a limited number of 8 per day! For $25.00 you get sashimi, tempura, chef’s selection of a grilled item, simmered item, three appetisers, pickles, rice and miso soup. Yes, it is pricey for lunch, but it will fill you up so much that you will not need dinner because you will be so full and content with the lunchbox!

Today's fish: grilled fish

Today's simmered items: lotus root, taro, fish cake, mushroom, carrot, bamboo shoot, radish, green beans.

Today's tempura: prawn, eggplant, sweet potato, pumpkin.

Today's three appetisers: tamagoyaki, grilled scallop with bacon, marinated tuna.

Today's sashimi: salmon, kingish, tuna, shellfish

Something like this is similar to Sono’s lunchboxes but Sono’s lunchboxes can be up to twice the price of Hosokawa’s and may not even be half as good!

This place is an absolute gem of Hamilton and I will recommend it to anyone!

The only cons of this place are: the restaurant can be really crowded when it’s busy and lacks service because it is usually understaffed.

I also find that for most Japanese restaurants, they do amazing lunch specials so its so much cheaper than dinner. Even when its cheaper, the quality is still the same which is another bonus!