Kenji Modern Japanese

A rare thing happened a few weeks ago: Dad was craving some fancy. He's usually into huge servings of good hearty food. Think steak, huge plates of spaghetti marinara or a big bowl of pho. He'd visited Kenji previously for his friend's birthday and wanted to take our family here for dinner. Having a quick look online, I saw that this was right up my alley - Japanese food! One of my favourite cuisines of the moment. I'm always down for sushi, but when we arrived and I saw the specials board along with other dishes on the menu, I was in a real pickle! We ended up choosing sushi to share as starters and then each had a main dish.

Adelaide roll $18

Prawn, apple, cucumber, avocado, tobiko (flying fish roe)

Aburi kingfish roll $18

Flame seared kingfish, asparagus, shiso leaf, oroshi ponzu

Salmon delight roll $18

Hutt roll $19

Scallop, avocado, cucumber, fried shallot, salmon roe

The sushi rolls were all beautifully presented and everything tasted very fresh. We enjoyed them all, I can't even pick a personal favourite!

Wagyu sirloin steak $40

With roasted mushroom mash, cherry tomato & edamame horseradish salad

Poached duck leg in orange and hoji tea $38

Smoked duck breast with red rice and pickled quandong

Shicimi roasted wild venison fillet $38

With creamy parnsip, pickled nashi pear, pan fried red mizuna, black radish, porcini teriyaki sauce

Katsu curry $36

Wagyu beef curry with panko crumbed wagyu beef, rice and house made Fukujin pickles 

This was so ridiculously satisfying. The panko crumbed beef was so crispy and the curry itself was full of flavour. Also a very generous serving size, I couldn't finish it! The remainder of the dishes were also delicious, with the only criticism being that some were overly salty. I liked how they've tried to create a fusion between western food and Japanese ingredients and flavours. By the time we'd finished our mains, we were all full and couldn't even manage dessert! 

A lovely little place which I imagine would be perfect to treat yourself out on a quiet date night. On the week night evening we visited, it was rather quiet but I imagine it could get quite busy towards the end of the week. I like how they haven't tried to squeeze in as many tables as possible so there was still room to manouvre between them. As always, it's good to be able to eat and have a conversation without hearing everything that's happening over at the next table. I wouldn't mind coming back here for dinner at all!

 

Wasai Japanese Kitchen and Mother's Crepes

As a belated post UMAT celebration, a small group of us went out for dinner at Wasai on the weekend.

I had my expectations set quite high because I've heard such great things and most people seem to adore it.

Since I made the booking the day before, they were able to squeeze us in at 6pm but asked that we leave by 7:30pm. I was a bit worried that we would be rushed through our meal, but they assured me that the service would be very fast and we would have plenty of time to eat. I didn't think they actually meant it, but it was completely true! Within about 5 minutes of ordering, our food had arrived.

 Lemon & Lime Bitters $4

Hot Japanese Green Tea $2.20

We decided to get two drinks each. I am a tea lover and I really enjoyed the green tea!

 Deluxe Sushi and Sashimi Boat $58

I'm not a huge fan of sashimi and usually have little or none of it when given the option. However, we settled on this so that we could try as much as possible. I thought the sushi to sashimi ratio was a bit off, though. In my opinion, there should be a bit more sushi! The sushi that was on the boat was delicious, and I can't help but wish that there was more of it. I had no idea how to judge the sashimi since I don't usually eat it, but my friends seemed to enjoy it. We ended up leaving quite a bit of the sashimi, though.

 Takoyaki $8

We loved this! They were really light and fluffy on the inside with a very slightly crispy outer layer. I definitely would've liked a little bit more octupus in it, though.

Aburi Salmon Roll $11.50

I'm really glad we ordered this. It was delicious and I definitely recommend ordering it if you ever visit!

I know that we will definitely be returning to Wasai in the future. The waiters and waitresses were very friendly and the food was fantastic! However, next time I think we might stick to more sushi and less sashimi, and maybe even try out some things on their dessert menu. This is a place I would recommend and I can see what all the hype is about!

Overall, 9/10.

Our tummies weren't quite full so we decided to walk to Mother's Crepes on Grote Street for a bit of dessert. 

 Strawberry Brownie Crepe $6.20

Initially, I asked for this with ice cream instead of whipped cream but they said they were unable to do that. I was surprised because they have a whole section of ice cream filled crepes on their menu and I honestly wouldn't have minded paying an extra dollar or so. I ended up just asking for no whip cream at all. Firstly, what surprised me was the amount of custard in this. The ratio between the custard and everything else was seriously off. I did manage to finish it but it made me SO full! 

Small Black Sesame Ice Cream $2.80

A good friend of mine was raving about this and she'd had it twice in three days, and insisted that I try it! We shared this between us since each of us had a crepe, but we all loved it. It had a really nice nutty flavour and the perfect amount of sweetness. It might not look as appetising as the other options, but I definitely recommend trying it!

The service that night was great since it wasn't too busy when we were there. I have seen it really busy and the wait for a crepe would be approximately 5 minutes. Based solely on the experience I had that night, I would give it an 8/10.

Have a great week everyone!

Vy

xo