polyphagia ♣: takeru, sydney cbd

For a high school Japanese class reunion, our first get together had to be at a Japanese restaurant right? Takeru is a cute little Japanese eatery, recommended to me by fellow uni friends, tucked away next to apartment complexes on Sussex Street.

takeru:

When we arrive at 6:30PM the place was absolutely full. Luckily we had made a reservation for 9 people the night before. You can tell its popular from the fact that they don't hold your reservation for more than 10 minutes after the set time. The busy atmosphere makes the dining experience all the more enjoyable.

The half size dishes from Takeru are a great idea! You can choose two half size dishes so you end up eating both dishes you had a hard time deciding over or order a half size dish when you're looking for a cheap and light feed!

tan tan men ($12.40):

Noodles with spicy miso and sesame flavoured pork stock. Oh that spicy spicy goodness

unagi doria ($14.80):

Doria as described on the menu is an oven-baked cream sauce and cheese on rice. While my friends enjoyed this, I found to be overly heavy from the cream and cheese. The saltiness of the cheese seemed to overpower to few thin pieces of grilled eel. I never thought I'd say this but too much cheese.

vegetarian doria ($12.50):

Our vegetarian friend ended up with vegetarian doria which seems to be the only vegetarian dish on the menu. It was very disappointing with only a few specks of cauliflower and onion. The rice to veges ratio was enormous and the cream sauce was much too overwhelming.

ikasumi spaghetti ($11.90):

Squid ink spaghetti. The name definitely caught our attention but we're disappointed that we couldn't really tell what the squid ink actually tasted like. Upon arrival, we were given a bottle of tabasco and a salt shaker full of cheese.

Note: do not eat this on a date - the squid ink stains your lips and teeth.

takoyaki ($6.50):

Takoyaki is ball-shaped Japanese puff made of wheat flour batter and filled with various minced seafood like octopus and prawn served with takoyaki sauce and sprinkled with julienned seaweed and dried bonito flakes. The flakes are still squirming when they little balls of goodness arrive.

pork katsu ramen ($13.50):

Soy sauce based, pork stock noodle soup with a deep fried pork cutlet.

kumamoto tonkotsu ramen ($12.40):

Described as Takeru's number 1 ramen, the kumamto tonkatsu ramen has a rich pork stock. Although the the broth looks milky and heavy it feels pretty light. The noodles were al dente and also had a subtle buttery after taste. However the egg was not soft boiled and overcooked.

okura kimchi tofu ($6.50):

Cold tofu served with okura and kimchi.

sushi box ($15.50):

The sushi box consisted of salmon, grilled salmon and kingfish nigiri. On the top right corner were California rolls coated in Japanese mayonnaise and fish roe. On the bottle left was a simple salad drizzled with a sweet vinegar sauce, served with tempura and croquette. The bottom right compartment were slices of salmon sashimi.

unagi takeru bento box ($17.80):

Being a sucker for Japanese grilled eel, I picked the unagi bento box. Each bento box is served with agedashi tofu, ebi fry and croquette, salad and pickles, miso soup and rice and your choice of side dish. There are four to choose from - salmon sashimi, takoyaki balls, nigiri or edamame. I loved my eel! Can't get enough of it. The ebi fry and croquette were perfect - fluffy potato with a light cheesey centre.

fried green tea ice cream ($4.20):

Don't judge the dish by its looks! The outer coat was incredibly crisp and light with green tea ice cream just oozing out. It's not actually served in a takeway container - we were just in a hurry.

I was pretty pleased with my meal at Takeru (I don't think I've ever been disappointed by Japanese food in my life!) and can't wait to come back! The prices are affordable with great lunch specials and half sized dishes for indecisive people such as myself and the waitresses were also super bubbly and nice. Next time I come here I want to try their chicken namban hiyashi ramen and ebi salad.