New Zealand Japanese Restaurants Guide » Sake bar

TANUKI’S CAVE

go — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 10:40:38 +0000

So, you thought caves were supposed to be dank and inhospitable places; filled with bats and creepy crawly things ? Strange, then,that one of Auckland’s most popular Japanese restaurants should be a “cave”. Walk down the dimly lit stairs and enter Tanuki’s Cave, and soak up the intimate atmosphere. The only“creatures of the night” you’ll find down there are other urbanites out for a good time.

An Auckland institution (est. 1997), “The Cave” as it is affectionately known by staff and regulars,has gained a reputation as being the place in the city to head to when you want a quick, delicious meal before a show or a movie. There is an extensive selection of skewered Yakitori & Kushi-age to accompany those essentials -chilled Japanese beer and/or sake.Suggestions ? Try something like the Negima chicken and leek, or the Sasami chicken tenderloin with cheese, as well as a true NZ favourite, also beloved of Japanese, kumara/imo,which you can have any of three different ways: on Kushi-age skewers, or baked and buttered with salt, or mashed, with crispy almond chips.Cave it may be, but Tanuki’s Cave doesn’t take reservations, so be sure to arrive early to avoid disappointment…otherwise you might have to hang from the ceiling.

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 !

KEN Yakitori Bar Anzac Shop

go — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 20:05:07 +0000

We do Japan an injustice if we think of it as overly refined and abstract : for every kaiseki (silver service) restaurant – replete with tatami matting, soft recorded koto music, and discreet, hushed voices – there is also the dim cavern filled with cooking smells, the clink of glasses, and the sounds of camaraderie and eating. This is more Ken Yakitori’s style. The moment you’re shown to your table a hunk of crispy, cold cabbage on a plate is plonked down in front of you – gratis – with some miso, or mayonnaise, dip (the dip costs) . Your drinks come swiftly whilst you decide on your meal.

Yakitori is the speciality, but Ken also offers other fare. Items like beef, pork, octopus and mackerel flesh things out a bit; and there’s a salad menu. Check out the website, www.kenyakitori.co.nz

Ken makes no apologies for its focus on yakitori. This is more than enough to base one meal on. The website not only looks at yakitori, but also at the charcoal which is used for grilling – its history, the varieties available, and the special types used in Japan, an indication of the care taken in preparing food in Japan. You’re in good hands. Enjoy.

KURA Japanese restaurant

go — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 19:31:11 +0000

Slide the old temple door on Queen Street and descend down to Kura Japanese restaurant. The building Kura is in used to be an old grain silo when there was a stream running through Queen St., hence the name Kura”, which means warehouse in Japanese. Adorning the old stone wall that is a legacy from Auckland‘s colonial days, are gorgeous Japanese silk wedding kimonos, also dotted around are Japanese antiques, all of which are for sale. During winter there is an open fi re.

Kura is modern fusion style Japanese cuisine and does classics with a distinctive Kura” touch that blends outside infl uences and yet still keeps them essential Japanese.

There is also an ever changing daily specials menu which refl ects the seasonal changes and what is fresh from the fi sh markets that day. Highly recommended is our beautifully presented fresh sashimi platters, visually stunning “Bridge” or “Spider” sushi rolls and the deep fried soft shell crab is a must! Kura is a favourite for a romantic date but also caters for larger groups with it’s sunken large tables. Bookings are essential.

Conveniently located near the Town Hall and live arts area of the city and the Aotea car park is behind Kura for ease of parking.

NISHIKI / Robata-yaki

go — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 19:28:08 +0000

Situated in the little Freeman’s Bay shopping centre, close to the intersection of Wellington and Hepburn St. The restaurant has its regular customers in the neighbourhood, and, with its rolled rattan window blinds, feels as comfortable and familiar as a favourite pair of shoes. This is a robatayaki bar – a regional style of Japanese barbeque/grilling which originated in Sendai, in the north of Japan, and later gained fame, further north, in Hokkaido – snow country. This type of grilling covers a wide range of items, and when you look at the menu you will get some idea of just how much. Some of the names may be unfamiliar but, as luck would have it, the shrewd staff at Nishiki have provided pictures to go with all of the food. Since this is a grilling establishment, it would pay to try a few interesting items like, for example, mushroom nikuzume (grilled pepper stuffed with chicken mince done in a teriyaki sauce), and in the Specials section, the Beinasu Niku Miso (eggplant with meat and miso). Of course, there are sushi and sashimi – not to mention noodles. Nishiki is kid-friendly, and has a colourful range of desserts – Japanese and western – as well as a range of interesting shakes.

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.