New Zealand Japanese Restaurants Guide » Traditional

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.

MUSASHI JAPANESE CUISINE / Milford

go — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 10:35:22 +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.

Kyoya Japanese Restaurant

go — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 10:06:26 +0000

On Lake Road in Takapuna. Kyoya’s menu offers some inspired combinations- the deliciousness is in the details. With lunch, there are the specials : one item, which comes with a small dish, rice, and miso soup.Or the lunch combinations – 2 or 3 choicesfrom sushi, sashimi, teriyaki beef, chicken or fish, tempura, fried chicken, pork cutlet, plus udon: these come with rice and miso soup(unless you’re already having udon, then,no miso). There’s also a section called “Half& Half”, a combination of the “Dons” – udon noodles and donburi. For dinner, the sets offer “reef and beef”combinations served in many different ways;you might try the Asian Tastes set, with udon, eel, tempura & sashimi, or you could go for a Kiwi Dinner set : fried chicken, sushi,tempura, teriyaki beef, no raw fi sh. There isalso a kid’s dinner available, and (surprise,surprise) a vegetarian set. Items of interest for both lunch and dinner are the Kyoya Salad(a combination of salmon, fried chicken,prawn and teriyaki chicken with greens), and the Cream Brulee dessert – a combination of vanilla ice cream with custardy, creamy,burnt-sugar celebration.

Saika

go — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 09:51:28 +0000

Wellesley Street − in the city. Cheap and filling. Saika run a cafe´/restaurant in the manner of a Japanese teishoku-yasan − teishoku being hearty set menus, aimed at filling up yer frantic lunchtime customers, like students and office workers. Here, you just decide what you want to eat, pay for your meal first-up − all in short order − and, once it arrives, eat; as fast or as slow as you wish. The recommended section at the front of the menu is a nice short-cut for the inde-cisive.

This is no-frills, focusing on hot meals served in a bowl. There’s no sushi or sashimi to speak of, but all of the food is definitely Japanese, and definitely nutritious. The majority of fare is items like tonkatsu (pork cutlet and rice), curry-rice, eel and yakitori donburis, and set menus of fish, chicken or beef bentos, which come with rice, salad, and miso soup.
The world over, there will always be a place for eateries such as this. If it were Roman (by way of example), it would be in somewhere like the Trastevere − not the same cuisine, but a similar clientele. Saika is a welcome addition to these ranks.