#lotus chips

[omgpurplefattie]

[hellionosphere]

food in To Your Eternity

[cruella-devegan]

Lotus chips and Agedashi tofu 😋

Wagaya Melbourne CBD - Victoria - Australia

[sophiaisthatgirl]

[ochredawn]

[imasticate]

James Parker Sushi & Sake

6 January 2016

End of year parties are the best! My boss invited the team for an awesome night of dinner, ten-pin bowling and grooving to 90s music. Our first port of call was James Parker Sushi & Sake, a Japanese restaurant in Northbridge with quirky and adorable décor.

The best way to enjoy food at James Parker is sharing with friends. We ordered a bunch of dishes from all over the menu. There’s a great selection - snacks, grill and fry, sushi rolls, sashimi, noodles... plus there are loads of drinks to choose from!

Choya Extra Years with soda

“Choya Extra Years” is a sweet plum wine. You can order a single serving or a large bottle with about 6 servings ($65 for 700mL). It tastes great topped up with soda. Warning: beware the weird plums floating in the bottle. OMG SO SOUR. Also, the plums were boozy and made my mouth tingle. 

Lotus chips with wasabi sauce ($8)

The lotus root chips were herbed and crunchy, served with a mix of wasabi and kewpie (Japanese mayo). The creamy sauce was nice, but not quite as delicious as Japanese BBQ sauce (eg Tenkadori, but I heard they stopped serving lotus chips!). 

Sashimi of JP assorted ($52)

The restaurant’s signature dishes include sashimi (raw fish), which the chef carefully prepares with a selection of super fresh seafood. I loved the tender salmon, meaty tuna, silky scallop and salty popping roe (fish eggs). The fresh wasabi (horseradish) was fiery and delicious, yay!!

Agedashi tofu ankake ($8)

The tofu was so disappointing compared to all the other delicious food at James Parker. We found the sauce incredibly starchy and flavourless, same as the coating on the tofu. Agedashi tofu usually comes with a light, crispy fried coating. One word for this dish: gluggy.

Fresh tuna aburi ($21)

A meaty dish of seared tuna with a light and delish ponzu (citrus-based) sauce. Yummo! The weird red strings are dried chilli slivers.

Grill of JP wagyu beef sirlon toobanyaki ($33)

Ouch!! The hotplate is truly very hot, like the fires of Mt Doom. It reminded me of the ‘volcanic rock’ at Tsunami and gives a wonderful charred flavour to the random vegie bits. The lovely tender steak had minimum seasoning, but was still a table favourite. We all understand that steak was born to be cooked to a beautiful pink inside. This is one reason my work mates are top blokes / ladies.

4 kinds mushrooms tempura ($19)

The unexpected star dish was the mushroom tempura. It looked outstanding, particularly with the fans of enoki mushrooms. Tempura batter should be delightfully light and crispy, so it makes you smile inside. We loved the mix of shiitake, shimeji, enoki and oyster mushrooms. You can salt the batter or dip it in the sauce (with horseradish mixed in), but not both! Through the waitstaff, lessons you will learn, my young padawan.

The service was seriously A+. The waitstaff were so attentive and friendly, explained the dishes, recommended drinks, but didn’t hover around. We had a fun and delicious meal at James Parker. Our meal cost roughly $40pp before drinks. It might be more upmarket Japanese than your local sushi spot, but the food was generally delicious.

Summary Likes: super fresh sashimi, fantastic mushroom tempura, plum wine (always)

Dislikes: agedashi tofu was gluggy and bland

Value for money: reasonable

Overall: upmarket Japanese restaurant with delish food and decent prices

Contact Address: Shop 2, 182 James St Northbridge WA

(08)  9328 2525

www.james-parker.com.au

[imasticate]

Yuki Japanese Restaurant

12 January 2013

My family has frequented Yuki Japanese Restaurant for years because it is the best local spot for bento boxes. This week I had major cravings for sashimi (raw fish) so we headed to Yuki for lunch on a quiet weekday.

Chirashi bento C ($24.80)

I ordered my favourite bento box which includes a variety of sashimi served on rice, with wakame (seaweed salad) and a couple of pickles. As expected, all the pieces of raw fish were fresh and well-prepared. I chose gyozas (dumplings) rather than spring rolls because they are heaps more tasty. The bento box also comes with mixed tempura - the vegetables and seafood are coated in a light crispy batter and fried. There are a number of others bits to snack on: salad, miso soup, sushi roll pieces, and edamame (green soybeans). I happily shared with my fellow diners because the serving is huge for a lunchtime meal!

Renkon chips ($6.80)

I love fried renkon (lotus root) chips because they are crunchy and salty. Omnomnom...

Assorted sashimi (15 pieces for $22.20, set menu for extra $5.40)

My mum ordered the assorted sashimi, which is more pricey than the chirashi bento box, but it has a more generous serving of raw fish. The set menu includes rice, miso soup, and a side salad, but it will cost you a few extra dollars.

Tuna tataki ($13.80)

A relatively new addition to the menu is the tuna tataki. The seared pieces of tuna are served with a light creamy sauce and sprinkled with black pepper. I tasted this dish and enjoyed the flavours, but I prefer tataki to be served with a vinaigrette (for example, the tuna tataki at Satsuki).

As usual, service was impeccable and the staff members were lovely and friendly. The restaurant is not too formal, so you can comfortably wear shorts, or you can dress up a little to impress. Yuki is definitely worth a visit if you live nearby!

Summary  Likes: bento boxes, lovely staff

Dislikes: -

Value for money: reasonable

Overall: one of my favourite local Japanese restaurants

Contact Address: 113 Collins Road Willetton WA

[phone]