Sushi Train, Randwick (10 Mar 2017)

22 Silver Street, Randwick NSW 2031
http://www.sushitrain.com.au
https://www.instagram.com/sushitrainofficial/

Family friendly Japan-easy

This is the second time I've been here and it's great. So kid friendly which suits me fine with two young kids 2 and 5 years old. The booths are the best if you have young kids to help contain them although watch out they don't start taking stuff off the sushi train. The staff have always been super friendly and welcoming. Aburi Salmon Belly ($5) was very yummy and even better if you order cooked to order. Aburi Hotate Scallop ($5) equally good with a bit of smokey char. Karaage ($4) so cheap for a little serve that can also be cooked to order. Gyoza ($4, 4 pieces) was nice and reasonably priced. Another one you can order off the menu so it's cooked to order. Homemade Jelly ($3.50) a good crowd pleaser for the kids. Green Tea Roll Cake ($4.50) was very much enjoyed by my 2 year old, surprisingly. Signed up for the VIP member card so you can get a discount via points you accumulate. Nice open kitchen so you can see the chefs preparing the plates of food. It's also a great way to see which plates are the freshest. Free street parking in the area. 

Hero Sushi Express, Gateway Sydney, Circular Quay (1 Sept 2016)

Ground Floor, Alfred Street, Gateway Sydney
Circular Quay NSW 2000
http://www.herosushi.com.au
https://www.instagram.com/herosushi_au/

Sushi in a hurry

Hero Sushi are located in over 30 locations these days and their sushi roll game is pretty strong in delivering a decent quality product at a reasonable price for a quick Japanese feed. The neatly stacked pyramid of Crab Rolls ($3.50) first caught my eye. I'm such a sucker for that fake crab meat if it's combined with a decent amount of Japanese mayo. They'd run out of the classic Salmon and Avo Roll so I chose the Black Rice Salmon Avo ($3.50) instead. Both were good, neatly wrapped and presented well. Service was efficient and keen. Lots of seating around the food court or enjoy the grass area outside on a nice day. I hear there's plans upstairs for a Hero Sushi Train on Level 1 of the new Gateway Sydney.

Sushi Park: Japanese, CBD Sydney (27 June 2012)

309 Kent Street, Sydney NSW 2000

Japanese with no park

Thanks to Michael Dimento for emailing me in May 2011 to try Sushi Park. I finally got around to trying his recommendation of Prawn Tempura Udon and Sushi ($14) and the Steam dumplings ($3, 5 pieces). The soup was served hot and topped with fresh vegetable. It was a decent portion and the broth was tasty enough, especially after you added the side of chilli powder. Unfortunately the prawn tempura was rather disappointing as the batter was very thick and not as crispy and thin as hoped. The sushi was OK although I think it's prepared in advance and just taken out of the plastic takeaway containers from the counter display when needed for dine ins. The dumplings looked good and the pastry thin and light as hoped although the filling was also a bit on the light side and could have done with a bit more in quantity and flavour. The dipping sauce was very watery and flavourless and missing the punch you'd expect. The decor and seating is pretty basic and probably could do with an upgrade to make it more welcoming and cosy. I'm not sure if I'd return but the service seemed friendly and appreciative of the visit. There's not much of an outlook so you kind of feel like you're in a fish bowl. Perhaps their main trade is take away.

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:

PROS: Seems like a reasonably priced menu, Service seemed nice enough, Tables kept clean 

CONS: Too much batter on the prawn tempura, Dumpling sauce lacked flavour, Decor rather basic and dated, Feels like you're in a fish bowl, There is no park

MUST TRY: Finding other Japanese restaurants in the area to compare quality and pricing

VERDICT: I might have come a bit late in the day so perhaps the sushi and tempura was lacking that freshness I was hoping for although not sure if I'd return unless I get another recommendation

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Prawn Tempura Udon and Sushi ($14)

Prawn tempura ordered on the side to retain crispness

Prawn to batter ration not good — too much batter to appreciate the prawn meat

Steam dumplings ($3, 5 pieces)

Not as much filling as hoped in dumpling and the dipping sauce is quite flavourless

Menu

Signage looking very dated and worn but matches the restaurant decor

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Kobe Jones: Modern Japanese, King Street Wharf, Sydney (4 May 2012)

29 Lime Street, King Street Wharf, Sydney NSW 2000
http://www.kobejones.com.au

All you can eat sushi challenge

A casual lunch club suggestion with friends brings me to Kobe Jones to try their All You Can Eat Sushi ($29.50) lunch time special. To get the sushi platter you need a minimum of two people to order. There was four different types chosen by the chef including the Volcano Roll which was my favourite on the platter. A little messy to eat but full of flavour with noticeable pieces of scallop and crab salad although I wasn't quite sure if it was real crab meat or the fake crab stick variety — still enjoyable either way. The tuna sushi had some enjoyable spice to it and the kingfish sushi was more mild in flavour but still fresh and nicely made. The vegetarian sushi for me was a little boring for me although I did enjoy the sprinkling of crunchy bits on top — not sure what it was though. I would have preferred something like a california roll instead of the vegetarian sushi but it's up to the chef on the day to what they'll decide to serve. Four of us finished three platters which I thought was a good effort and we were pretty full. If you can finish a platter to yourself then you're a big eater. For the quality and taste I think it was pretty good value as you'd probably pay about the same amount or more at a sushi train although you'd also get more variety. It would have been nice if there were perhaps five or six types of sushi or a miso soup was included to help wash down the meal.

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:

PROS: Nice decor, Water views, Quality ingredients, Service was friendly and welcoming, Kitchen turnaround reasonably fast

CONS: A la carte menu is expensive, No free street parking, A bit more variety would have been welcomed

MUST TRY: Volcano roll

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Tuna sushi

Vegetarian sushi with asparagus 

Kingfish sushi 

Volcano Roll: oven baked scallops layered on a crab salad and avocado roll with Kobe Jones’s secret cream sauce, then topped with sesame seed and shallot sprinkle
SIMON FAVOURITE :-)

Bill $128 for four 

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