yayoi japanese teishoku restaurant, sydney cbd

I don't think there's anyone out there who understands how much I love Japanese food! You could put me in a food court and my nose would be able to filter out everything that's not sushi. I'd gladly have a bowl of ramen, udon, soba or somen over pho and bun bo hue any day and back in the day, my love was so serious, I had even began wishing I was Japanese.

What do I like about Japanese food you ask? It would take at least a whole day to list out everything but simply putting it - it's aesthetically pleasing, there's so much variety, it's comforting and satisfying but not so heavy that it's food coma inducing.

And you know, now that it's Winter, there's no better time to try the comforting foods Yayoi has to offer!

Yayoi specialises in teishoku cusine, which is sort of like a set meal involving a main dish, several small side dishes, miso soup and a bowl of rice, giving you the perfect balance of meat and veges in your diet.

The ordering system here is pretty cool! If you're not into this electronic ordering system, do not fear! You'll also be given a huge hard copy menu with corresponding images of the food. After flipping through the pages, tap your order into the iPad! When you press 'check order', you'll be able to see the status of your order - whether the dish is currently being cooked or if it's ready to take to your table.

Service here is super quick and our entree arrived shortly after we hit the order button.

Age Dofu Dengaku ($12.50):
Deep fried tofu with miso paste.

The deep fried pieces of tofu are topped with a miso sauce, served with a refreshing wakame seaweed salad and a sprinkle of shichimi pepper on the side. The tofu was crispy and didn't feel very oily at all! I loved how the shichimi pepper brought out the clean, simple flavours of this dish and how it also gave the tofu a soft punch of spice at the same time. Despite being deep fried, this dish actually felt really light and it was a really nice starter.

Irene orders the miso pork fillet katsu set while I've got my eyes on the sukiyaki set.

Wagyu Sukiyaki Teishoku ($33.00):
Wagyu beef hotpot, slow cooked egg, boiled spinach dressed in sesame sauce, steamed rice, miso soup and Japanese mustard leaf pickles.

And this is what I was talking about - the variety in Japanese cuisine! What is there not to love?

Slices of wagyu beef, shirataki noodles, tofu, udon noodles, Chinese cabbage, carrot and snow pea sprouts are simmered in a slightly sweet soy sauce flavour and served with an onsen egg, some greens, miso soup and a bowl of steamed rice. You can choose to savour the tender and perfectly cooked beef as it is or you could dip it into the egg. The egg yolk helps to cool the hot food coming directly from the steaming sauce and to envelope each mouthful into a rich, silky bite of deliciousness. Best sukiyaki ever!

Miso Pork Fillet Katsu Teishoku ($28.00):
Pork fillet cutlets in miso sauce, chikuzen stew, steamed rice, miso soup and Japanese mustard leaf pickles.

Egg porn failed. We tried, okay.

Pieces of pork fillet are deep fried and cooked in a strong miso sauce. Break open the slow-cooked egg and coat the pork katsu before you eat it! It just tasted perfect with the steaming bowl of rice. The only disappointment I had with this dish was that once you let the katsu soak in the sauce, it was no longer crunchy.

For dessert, we order the Warabi mochi!

Matcha and Warabi Mochi ($8.00):
Warabi mochi served with Uji green tea from Kyoto.

The warabi mochi are jelly-like cubes of bracken starch covered in matcha powder and arrive with hot frothy green tea and brown sugar syrup. If you're not a fan of the bitter flavour of green tea, make sure to drizzle the syrup over your mochi!

Oh, and if you're fussy about the timing of when your food should come out, you should order dessert after you've finished the savoury dishes. Otherwise, everything will just come out at once.

It was a shame the rice steaming at your table service was only available during dinner. Overall, it was such a lovely experience! Like at all other Japanese dining establishments, the service was exceptional and I would totally revisit this place just for more sukiyaki!

Yayoi Japanese Teishoku Restaurant
38 Bridge St
Sydney, NSW 2000
f: https://www.facebook.com/pages/YAYOI-Japanese-Teishoku-Restaurant-Sydney/
t: (02) 9247 8166
w: http://www.yayoi.com.au/