New Zealand Japanese Restaurants Guide » Posh

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.

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.

Kabuki Teppanyaki Restaurant

go — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 10:09:27 +0000

One of two restaurants in the Stamford Plaza Hotel, Kabuki is a teppanyaki grill establishment. The photograph which is used on the website and menu is characteristic of the signature theme for teppan (Japanese iron griddle) eateries : a chef confronted by a wall of flame as he adds cooking sake to the griddle; high on pyrotechnics and entertainment, with an emphasis on substantial foodstuffs like beef, chicken, lamb, and seafood, dispensing with any fussy grace notes, in terms of small dishes. The Stamford Plaza website refers to the teppan style as “spectacular” and “theatrical”, and spectacular (in a very literal sense) and theatrical it is.

The chef puts on a display whilst he, or she, cooks in front of customers. The menu has lunch and dinner sets (all named after flowers) in which you can choose from mouthwatering “reef and beef” combinations – all fresh NZ produce – accompanied by an appetizer, salad, miso soup, rice and teppan cooked vegetables. There is also a set lunch special at $25.00 that includes a glass of wine or beer, and an a la carte section. And, if you wish, there are also delicious vegetarian dishes available, featuring tofu, eggplant, and mushrooms. Spare; elegant; substantial.

GION Japanese Restaurant

go — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 10:00:16 +0000

Gion is an award winner of the best Japanese restaurant 2007 by Metro Magazine. The metro Magazine said “There was no clear winner in this category last year but this time we can confidently name Gion as the best Japanese restaurant in this city.” Gion Japanese Restaurant is opened at May 2006 by Akira Kugue. Akira is already a well-know Sushi Chef in Auckland having worked at Sea mart for the past 10 years. Referred to as a Sushi Master, He taught and still teaches Japanese Cuisines course in the Seafood School in Auckland Fish Market.

The design of Gion Japanese Restaurant blends in unique elements of Kyoto in Japan, which creates a unique dining environment unveiling the relationship between food and nature. Dining here will definitely bring you an original taste and visual experience of the old Japan. Being the forerunner of the quality Japanese foods, Gion Japanese Restaurant will bring in the freshest and tastiest sushi, sashimi and other different kinds of fine Japanese delicacies to customer.

Soto Japanese Garden Restaurant

go — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 19:41:25 +0000

If you had to pick somewhere in Auckland that is at the cutting edge of Japanese cuisine and by that we mean a place that, whilst cleaving to Japanese food as an overall tradition, still pushes its boundaries outwards significant and interesting ways – we would have to choose Soto as the current reigning champion. From the restaurant’s own signature dish of oysters, prawns and scallops done in a filo tempura, to something seemingly basic and obvious as “karaage” Japanese deep fried chicken), Soto’s depth knowledge, use of, and willingness to experiment with their ingredients continues surprise and impress. If you were to liken the experience of eating to travel, then this is definitely a case of striking out into exhilarating and uncharted territory where you can discover new things not yet classified by the Linnean system.

You might call this New Style cuisine, with the kitchen staff at Soto incorporating ingredients seasonally available in the South Pacific (rather than just rigidly adhering to standard dishes), unafraid of combining less familiar ingredients with the more traditional items. Top-of-the-line. Try it, and have angels dance upon your tongue.

Taisho Yakitori Bar

go — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 19:06:12 +0000

“Taisho” means “commander”, or “admiral” and, from the glassed-in grill stand, the chef of this yakitori bar keeps a close eye on his charges and their appetites.Chic and elegant, yet simple and no-frills; there is Sapporo beer on tap to go with the tasty morsels you are encouraged to eat direct from the skewer. Get in the swing of things immediately by shouting your order as you come through the door (not at all uncommon in Japan, believe me); something like, “Nama to negima” (nama is draft beer, and negima is yakitori chicken skewered with pieces of roasted spring onion).

A personal recommendation is the nankotsu; this soft-boned part of the chicken is particularly toothsome, and comes served with a sliver of lemon to enhance the flavour. If you are unfamiliar with the arcane side of yakitori, note the following :

(1) this is like a Japanese form of tapas – lots of little dishes, so, if you’re hungry, just keep’em coming,

(2) the secret is in the sauce !

(3) the flavour of the chicken is enhanced by a form of traditional Japanese charcoal, binchotan, which burns at a low temperature and is smokeless. Just follow the aroma of succulent roast chicken and you’ll know you’re there once you sight the big, red akachochin lantern – the centre feature of the restaurant.