New Zealand Japanese Restaurants Guide

Musashi Japanese Cuisine / St Heliers

go — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 10:10:37 +0000

At MUSASHI JAPANESE CUISINE, provide a variety of foods prepared using the grace given to us by the earth.
Menu consists of traditional meals as well as MUSASHI originals that you can only find here.
With such a great selection of moderately priced food and alcohol, navigating the menu could be tricky. Thankfully, Musashi has made the task as simple as possible by including both pictures and a brief description of each meal. The diversity of dishes is definitely this restaurant’s strong point.

Customer favourites jostle for your attention – tempura, sushi, nigiri-zushi, sashimi, takoyaki, and a highly recommended katsuni (pork cutlet cooked with eggs and sweet soy sauce). It’s best to share dishes and order widely. There are some novelties: definitely worth trying are the paper pot meals, which are cooked on what you’d normally use for a clay pot meal (which Musashi also does). There are also most popular Chicken Miso Katsu (deep fried chicken with original miso sauce), and an artistically arranged Dragon Roll (made with eel, rice, cucumber and avocado). At times, Musashi overflows with customers – especially on Friday or Saturday nights – so it’s not always the easiest place to have a quiet conversation. Having said this, popularity would indicate that the food is very, very good. Make sure you book.

Genta Dining Bar

go — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 18:15:37 +0000

You may do a double take when you pass the spacious front windows of this place on the corner of Customs and Commerce streets. Whilst maintaining its very reasonable prices, Genta has had a serious facelift, transforming itself from an inexpensive izakaya into a rather sleek cafe? & bar. The interior is a long shotgun space, white walls discreetly lit, and a tableau of large sake bottles lining the opposite wall – backlit for maximum effect. The menu still has an A to Z of many izakaya-style dishes – try the okonomiyaki (Japanese savoury pancake) or the kushiage skewers – however there are now more international “fusion”-style dishes included. Amongst others, there is Genta’s original Tom Yum-style ramen (Japanese noodles in a spicy Thai broth), the Fresh Spring Rolls (again, Southeast Asian influence) and the coconut chicken curry, and a nasi goreng. More and more workers and professionals in the city are finding that the large number of choices on the menu and Genta’s convenient location make this ideal for either a quick lunch or a more leisurely affair. For those in a real hurry, there are the sushi packs lining Genta’s front window display. Genta is also happy to cater for parties; you can preorder sushi and larger dishes, when you book.

Heizo Teppan-yaki

go — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 10:08:10 +0000

Heizo is new Teppanyaki restaurant in Newmarket.

Sharaku Japanese restaurant

go — Wed, 09 May 2012 13:09:51 +0000

For customers seeking more traditionally presented Japanese food and etiquette this restaurant is perfect. Sharaku is tucked away off Queen Street. Customers are greeted by kimono-clad staff. As with their location, Sharaku are not obvious about their standards but the restaurant prides itself on the level of training required for staff.

The sushi chef, Taka-san, is a fully qualified itamae and if you know anything about Japanese food training and preparation, this is saying something; (to reach the giddy heights of itamae, in sushi chefdom, you must pass through a five year apprenticeship, after which you are allowed to prepare the rice for sushi. The novice is then permitted to stand alongside the head chef, is addressed as wakiita, and may prepare fillings for the sushi. After more years, the wakiita graduates – finally.

To have reached itamae level, he must handle the food and utensils well, know how to treat customers, and how to carry out all aspects of his job). Given this training, you know that you are in good hands with Taka-san at Sharaku. All the classic dishes are here, from sushi and sashimi through to tempura; all artfully prepared and all beautifully presented. The knowledgeable staff are always on hand to provide advice concerning the food and drinks.

Kazuya Restaurant

go — Tue, 08 May 2012 00:07:45 +0000

Just a stones throw from The French Café, and a couple of doors up from another iconic Auckland restaurant Gina’s, is Auckland’s newest Fine Dining Restaurant, Kazuya.

After six months of meticulous planning, Kazuya Restaurant has opened. This must be one of the most elegant fit outs of any restaurant in the country.

Japanese born, Kazuya Yamauchi is an expert in European cuisine. His execution and ingredient matching is precise. He portrays his art in his degustation menus, which trickle out during the evening without haste or force.

Kazuya’s perception of elegance and detail is showcased in the décor. There are influences of his Japanese up bringing present throughout. Beauty is every-where. Intimacy has been planned in the seating layout, whether as a couple or a group, each arrangement has been enclosed. A small mezzanine also provides a different outlook over the dining room, while keeping an interpersonal balance.

The cuisine style is contemporary European cuisine with Italian & Japanese influences. This style is common now in the bigger cities of the world, but rarely seen here in New Zealand. There are slight twists and highlights of Japanese presentation to be seen throughout the experience.

Kazuya offers a trio of menu selections. His degustation options are either the 5 course $65.00 or 7 course $85.00 menus. These menus are constantly changing. He also offers a smaller, seasonal, a la carte menu, if the multi course challenge isn’t for you. As chef at Tokyo’s world renowned Ristorante Acqua Pazza, Kazuya’s fine dining style is truly international.

Kazuya’s host and sommelier is Mojo Horiuchi. Full of charm and poise, he is a true professional.

The wine list is extensive and international in flavour but also influenced by local vintners with strong sustainability practises. This compliments the ingredient selection of the freshest hand selected market items.

Kazuya is a special occasion restaurant. Kazuya is intimate, fine dining, with a warm, personable touch.

Nishiki Japanese Restaurant / Botany

Ryan Chan — Sat, 31 Mar 2012 11:11:13 +0000

ROBATA-Yaki Bar

Robata-yaki means having dinner and drinks in a cozy, relaxed and social atmosphere, watching the kitchen. Because most of the dishes we specialize in are grilled and deep fried (food) etc and they are snack sized, you can order many different kinds of foods (from this menu), sharing foods makes much more economic sense.

There is one more important accompaniment for Robata-yaki. That’s liquor! We have a wide selection of Japanese sake you can enjoy hot or cold as well as wine and beer. As for wine, you can bring as many bottle as you would like ($2.5 corkage a person).

Before you order foods, we would like you to understand Robata-yaki style. Robata-yaki does not have a course style like European food, which means that there is no sequence like appetizers, soups, mains etc. For example, we might sometimes serve you chicken teriyaki or sushi faster than salad.

SANSUI JAPANESE CUISINE and BAR

go — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 21:06:08 +0000

A part of the Japanese genius which Western people so admire is the ability to create (artificial) islands of calm, in the midst of crowded urban city scapes. Sansui, in the Stamford Plaza Hotel, is such a place.
The restaurant is one long space with high ceilings and large windows. Their menu contains both haute cuisine and more substantial fare. Ever wondered what Japanese meat-and-potatoes would be like – if the Japanese ate meat and potatoes? It’s on the menu. Not sufficiently “Japanese”? Fine, try the ethereal-sounding ume kurage – jelly fish with plum sauce.
Interesting appetizers : chikuzen-ni (boiled chicken cooked with lotus root and bamboo shoots), and the takenoko sausage (sausage with bamboo shoots). A La Carte : saba shioyaki and the samma shioyaki, respectively mackerel, and mackerel pike, grilled with salt; (…try rolling these off the tongue when you order). For “fusion”, there is Sea Urchin in Cream Sauce Spaghetti, under the Specials section – a delicious food, and one loved, both in Japan and Italy ! Round the meal off with either a kashiwamochi (sweet rice cake), ohagi (rice cake with red beans), or an ice cream tempura. Good, hearty Japanese food.

NORI Japanese restaurant

go — Sun, 25 Mar 2012 21:12:18 +0000

Spare in name; spare in nature. On the lower end of Parnell Road. This sleek individual’s stone frontage and bright, low-key neon attract the eye. A modern take on Japanese food. The menu keeps things simple for western eyes with food classed as Light Servings, Mains, and Side Dishes.
This is further broken down into sub-headings. Under Light Servings, check out the kushiage finger food − available as single skewers, or in a combination. Salads are tataki or Japanese. You choose, not only the food item but (with the Japanese salad) the style of dressing. Sashimi, you can order singly or as a plate. Sushi : rolled − either thin or medium − and nigiri. Both the latter are available as mains. Rather than use Japanese names, items are classed according to the foodstuff, eg : salmon, tuna, eel, prawn, white fish…
The mains feature Nori’s fusion style of cuisine, favouring sauces. The innovative stone grill main is excellent. Check out also their tuna steak, teriyaki, tempura or udon. Under Side Dishes, try the delicious pan-fried udons. The small-sized chicken dishes make perfect children’s meals.
There is a good wine list and, for the very hungry, the Dinner Course set.

Taiko Japanese Restaurant and Bar

go — Sun, 25 Mar 2012 16:00:49 +0000

And about time, too. Kingsland, a little gem of a suburb situated between Mt Eden and Grey Lynn, seemed to have every thing but a Japanese restaurant.

Now, with Taiko, it is complete. Taiko gets pretty packed, so call first, and make a booking. If you like to get closer to the fray, Taiko can seat you at their long counter top. Taiko has a certain amount of emphasis on seasonal food – try their miso yaki (foiled chicken/seafood with vegetables and miso)and gomaae (vegetables with sweet sesame sauce).

Their many small dishes/tsumami are definitely worth a look, especially their tako-yaki octopus balls, topped with shaved bonito. Their salad range is very appealing too,with the sweet, the savoury, seafood and meat– as well as vegetables ! – all getting a look-in: a Japanese-style house salad (with tofu and vege), a Shabu-Shabu salad (sliced beef and vege) & a spinach salad named “Popeye”. The odd one out is the Daigaku Imo “salad”. Not strictly a salad, this is almost a dessert item.Japanese people love their sweet potatoes, and this dish, “university sweet potato” is, I guess,considered brain food for students. Taiko, much like Kingsland itself, has something for every palate, and every pocket !

Soi Japanese Cuisine

go — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 21:15:57 +0000

Soi is the new kid on the block in Remuera. However, the owner/chef, Mr Toru, is an old hand, having honed his skills at a variety of Japanese restaurants over the past ten years. With its bamboo-screened entrance , its intimate interior and its attentive staff, Soi cannot fail to please even the discerning cognoscenti of Auckland’s very own Hampstead. Soi’s udon noodles and tofu are handmade on the premises, and Mr Toru has his own special suppliers for the seafood dish and the Angus sirloin used for the beef tataki. Japanese people are notoriously fussy about their tofu. Substandard tofu can be lumpy and bitter to taste; not so Soi’s tofu, which is silky smooth and melts on the palate. Try the Saikyo-yaki snapper grilled with a Kyoto-style miso sauce for a treat. The restaurant is child-friendly with its great $15 kids’ menu, containing a sampling of all tastes. Please note that families who visit between 5:30-7:30pm will receive 10% off their bill. Soi provides a popular takeaway version of their menu. Soi’s well-stocked counter bar has French and New Zealand wines, as well as sake, and real espresso lovers can get their ‘fix’ well into the night. Keep an eye on the today’s special which are always a treat ( market price).