Motto Motto Japanese Kitchen, Macquarie

Date Visited: Saturday 27 November, 2021

Japanese is one of my favourite cuisines, so it’s no surprise that I thoroughly enjoyed this spread at Motto Motto. It seems many others had the same idea of dining here – the restaurant was very popular during our Saturday lunch, though not unexpected given Black Friday weekend sales. Motto Motto launched their brand new menu late November 2021, so I was definitely excited to try some of the new additions.

One of the highlights on the new menu is the kaisen donburi, featuring sashimi grade salmon from southern Tasmania, seared scallops, prawns, fish roe, avocado, edamame, and more! It was so incredibly fresh and you could really tell the ingredients were of high quality. If you love sashimi seafood you will definitely enjoy this bowl, and eating this made me feel super clean and wholesome. The side of ginger along with the miso soup also helped make this such a nice cohesive set meal.

Kaisen donburi – $19.9

I also tried the karaage chicken donburi and look how impressive it is! I love good karaage chicken and the serving portion was spot on – there’s enough pieces to make this bowl incredibly filling for the vast majority of diners. The runny egg here was absolute perfection too. Egg yolk and rice is always a heavenly combo – if you agree then this is probably the don for you.

Chicken karaage donburi – $15.9

Japanese inspired burgers are another exciting addition to the menu and this lobster and prawn number was definitely tasty. The lobster and prawn croquette went really with the yuzu Japanese mayo. The amount of mayo was super generous – almost too generous – so make sure you like mayo if you decide to order this one.

Lobster and prawn burger – $16

If you prefer something with a bit of a kick, the spicy chicken karaage burger would be a great option. Featuring hot and spicy Japanese fried chicken with spicy Japanese mayo, it had a nice amount of crunchiness and different textures to keep it interesting. It was indeed a bit spicy for me, but my spice tolerance level is extremely low – so it is probably not too spicy for most people.

Spicy chicken karaage – $14

I always love pork gyoza and these were absolutely delicious. The filling was so juicy and bursting with flavour. One of the recommended sides to order here for sure!

Pork gyoza – $8.9

We also had some good old edamame as a really nice fun snack on the side. Very good portion size and something that’s easy to keep going back to throughout the meal.

Edamame – $5

You can never have enough karaage chicken so I like that you can also get this as a side dish. I find that juicy crispy chicken always tastes so good with a little dip in the mayo. Always so satisfying.

Chicken karaage – $6

Lastly, you must order the soft serves here! They had black sesame and matcha during my visit and I loved both. The flavours were perfectly prominent and balanced well, and the amount that you get for the price is such good value. These soft serves are the best way to finish off your meal here.

Black sesame soft serve – $3.5 (left), matcha soft serve – $3.5 (right)

Also enjoyed these lychee drinks. Both the lychee soda and lychee ice tea were super refreshing, and I was told these are two of the most popular drinks here. Playing with the glass marble in the lychee soda bottle is also extra fun.

Japanese glass marble – original lychee – $4 (left), Pokka lychee ice tea – $5 (right)

Overall, I absolutely love Motto Motto – their menu has an excellent variety of classic Japanese favourites and exciting creative dishes, the ambience is super cosy and the service was prompt and friendly. On a previous visit I’ve also tried the ramen, other donburi and Japanese fries, and can vouch for these being delicious too. Would happily recommend dining at this Japanese eatery whenever you’re in Macquarie Centre or around the area, and they also have locations at Castle Towers and Marrickville Metro.

Disclaimer: I dined as a guest of Motto Motto Japanese Kitchen, but all opinions and photos are my own. Thank you to The Atticism for arranging the invite!

Motto Motto | Shop 3444, Macquarie Centre, Corner Herring and Waterloo Roads, Macquarie Park NSW 2113 | Website | Facebook | Instagram

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Ramen Toriichi, Neutral Bay

Date Visited: Sunday 12 January, 2020

I really love ramen, and I really love Japanese food, so I could not wait to try Ramen Toriichi. Ramen Toriichi is not your regular ramen joint. They pride themselves as the only chicken based ramen specialist in Sydney. I was a tiny bit sceptical as I’m a huge fan of tonkotsu pork based ramen, but consider me converted! Their chicken ramen soup was just as thick, creamy and deliciously addictive as the best pork-based ramen.

I’ll start with one of their signature ramens, the Niniku Red. This was a red garlic flavour ramen and was absolutely amazing! I was so pleasantly surprised by how much flavour was packed in the soup – it was wonderfully rich but not excessively so. I did not want to stop and devoured this so quickly. The only thing that wasn’t perfect about this bowl was the egg. I love ramen soft boiled eggs but this was more hard boiled. It would be the only thing I would want to change. This ramen was also marked as chilli on the menu but was not at all, which is good for me because I can’t really handle too much chilli.

The picture below features the half size serving ($8) while there’s also a full serving for $15. I love how you have the size option so you can adjust based on personal preference or order half to try more of the other dishes!

Niniku red – $8 (half size)

One of the other Toriichi signature specials is their creamy handmade cheese chicken katsu. Featuring four generous pieces and accompanied by some cabbage, this was definitely a very tasty cheesy delight! The lovely crunch of the outside went so well with the creamy cheese inside. If you like melted cheese and chicken you will love this. These cheese chicken katsu pieces were also surprisingly filling. I’ve never seen such a dish before, so would definitely recommend trying this unique concept. An excellent idea and well executed.

Cheese chicken katsu – $15

You can also never go wrong with some gyoza or Japanese dumplings. This was Toriichi Ramen’s homemade spicy chicken dumplings with red garlic. The dumplings were not spicy at all, but they still packed a punch! Cooked to perfection, these dumplings were so juicy inside but with a wonderful crispy outside. I liked the addition of the red garlic, which made this a little different from other dumplings I’ve had. These dumplings also disappeared into our tummies super quickly.

Spicy dumplings – $8.5

I’ve never heard of cucumber miso before but this was the perfect side to have alongside the ramen. It was so refreshing and I really loved the sauce drizzled all over it! I would have never thought of such a dish but it’s so simple and brilliant. I would also recommend trying this, especially as it’s something you have probably never had before.

Cucumber shio – $4

Possibly leaving the best for last, we also tried the deluxe ramen teishoku, with the half size shoyu ramen. I also absolutely loved this ramen. Just as incredibly thick and glorious as the Niniku Red, but with a slightly different flavour profile. I love how this really changed my misconceptions of shoyu ramen not having as much taste. This Toriichi charred soy flavoured soup had such strong flavour to it, in the absolute best way possible.

The teishoku set also comes with a mini chashu don that I really enjoyed. There was the perfect amount of sauce to complement the rice and meat, and rest assured that the meat is not dry at all. I’m also a big fan of agedashi tofu and fresh salmon sashimi, so this was such great value. There’s also a mini salad to finish off this amazing set, which really lets you have quite a fantastic variety.

Deluxe ramen teishoku (shoyu) – $17

Ramen Toriichi is such a hidden gem! The restaurant is extremely cosy and really feels like an authentic Japanese restaurant. I was extremely impressed with the chicken based ramens, and I honestly think is one of my favourite ramen places of all time. Not only do they serve up incredible ramen with diverse flavours, but all the side dishes were also delicious. I would highly recommend trying out Toriichi’s chicken based ramen for yourself and getting converted into a chicken based ramen lover.

Disclaimer: I dined as a guest of Ramen Toriichi, but all opinions and photos are my own.

Ramen Toriichi| 5&6/2A Waters Rd, Neutral Bay NSW 2089 | Facebook | Instagram

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Sushi Hotaru, The Galeries

Date visited: Thursday 2 November, 2017

I feel like eating at a sushi train is one of the best ideas for a fun dinner date that doesn’t break the bank. You can eat as much or little as you want and you have the added excitement of getting to pick from many options. Quick disclaimer, this may be a bit paradoxical, but I actually don’t like raw fish very much, so that’s the reason why I haven’t reviewed any salmon, tuna, etc. sushi, except for one.

This place is always packed, but we were lucky enough to grab one of the few remaining seats at the sushi train at 6pm. Within 10 minutes, the line was already starting to form outside. To start off, soft shell crab has long been one of the sushi types I most enjoy, so that was an easy first choice for me. I have nothing bad at all to say about this one, and I could happily eat a whole box of these tasty crunchy rolls.

Soft shell crab roll – $3.50

Probably my favourite of the night was the LOL roll, and yes, that was its actual name on the menu! It included prawn katsu, avocado and a special sauce that seemed to be some kind of Japanese mayo. I really loved this because of the crunch, and whatever was in the sauce gave it a really good flavour. I liked this roll so much I got a second plate of it.

LOL roll – $3.50

The other highlight was the okonomiyaki. This was the first time I’ve had it served on a stick, but I really like the presentation, and found it did actually help make it easier to eat. It tasted just as awesome as any other okonomiyaki I’ve had. I always love the flavours and the soft texture.

Okonomiyaki – $5

Other sushi we ordered included this mysterious fish sushi, and the grilled eel sushi. I’m not sure what we ended up picking off the sushi train, as I’m extremely unknowledgeable about raw fish, but if you can identify it, please let me know! Since I’m not a raw fish fan, I’m not going to judge this one, but I really enjoyed the eel sushi. It was covered in a delicious sauce, so it had a very strong flavour.

Raw fish sushi – $3.50, unagi (eel) sushi – $3.50 (right)

Unfortunately, I didn’t get photos of it, but we also got takoyaki (octopus balls). It was comparable to takoyaki I’ve had at other Japanese places, and was pretty delicious. In total, the bill was $33 (8 plates of sushi at $3.50 each plus the $5 okonomiyaki). Although my boyfriend wasn’t very hungry, meaning he didn’t eat much, I still feel the price is very reasonable. I, for one, was definitely very satisfied after the meal.

Onto other comments – we actually ended up ordering 6/8 plates of sushi from the iPad ordering system set up in front of us. The sushi on the train didn’t seem very fresh, and there wasn’t much variety. The menu was very helpful at showing all the options, and the food didn’t take long to arrive after ordering. I really like how you can order the sushi one at a time, at your own pace. I can’t think of any other sushi trains I’ve been to in the city, but I still feel confident enough to say that Sushi Hotaru is worthy of being my go to place.

Sushi Hotaru | Level 1, The Galeries, 500 George Street, Sydney | Facebook

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Yayoi Japanese Teishoku Restaurant, The Galeries

Date visited: Friday 29 September, 2017

This was my second time visiting Yayoi and it was as delightful as I had remembered from my first visit 3 or so years ago. I haven’t been in so long because the restaurant tends to be packed from 6pm onwards, even when you’re only looking for a table for two, and it isn’t the cheapest Japanese restaurant out there.

I had to get the same thing I got the last time, even though it’s pricey, because I had such fond and enjoyable memories of the wagyu sukiyaki teishoku meal. Even though I could not recall exactly how it tasted, my tastebuds were salivating at the thought of eating it again. Thankfully, it more than lived up to my expectations.

Wagyu sukiyaki teishoku – $25.80

The wagyu was a tiny bit tough but that was the only flaw I could spot. I mean, I would’ve loved more udon because of how delicious it was with the wagyu beef flavoured soup… but I guess that doesn’t really count as as a flaw. Rather, it’s a testament to how good the flavour of the soup is. The set also came with a side of vegetables, a perfectly poached runny egg, a bowl of miso soup and a bowl of rice. I left about a third of the rice behind, but otherwise managed to finish everything else myself.

The other meal we ordered was the oyako jyu, which is chicken and egg with rice. Though not as fancy as the wagyu sukiyaki teishoku, the pricing for this is much more reasonable and also a joy to eat. The chicken was very soft and the flavour of every mouthful was very fulfilling. This also came with miso soup, which is always such a great way to start/end a Japanese meal.

Oyako Jyu – $15.50

I find that this restaurant is the perfect place for dinner if you’re looking for somewhere with good service, a nice ambience, and great authentic Japanese food at a reasonable price point. It’s not the cheapest, but for the quality of food and the restaurant atmosphere, I think it’s worth it. It feels like you’re dining someplace more expensive, even though the restaurant has many options around $15-20 per person.

Everything on their menu looked delicious, so I’ll definitely need to make sure that the next time I visit won’t be another 3 years!

Yayoi Japanese Teishoku Restaurant | Level 1, The Galeries, 500 George Street, Sydney |  Website | Facebook | Instagram

Note (11 April): they have recently opened another branch on Level 3 of Market City, Haymarket, and they also have a branch in Chatswood and Westfield Sydney. The Galeries branch tends to be very packed so might be worthwhile visiting another branch.

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Ume Burger, Barangaroo

Date visited: Friday 8 September 2017

I have been meaning to try this place for quite awhile and finally got a chance to last week. What makes Ume Burger unique is the way they manage to add a Japanese touch to its burgers and side dishes. I was interested in trying the special ebi burger (prawn katsu) as I’ve never had a prawn katsu burger before, but it was unfortunately sold out by the time we went at 5pm or so.

Instead, I opted for the menchi burger (pork katsu, mustard, tonkatsu sauce, mayo, onion, cabbage). I enjoyed it, but personally wasn’t in love with the combined sauces. I ordered the burger with fries in one of their combos. Having heard previous food bloggers praise the hot chips with umami salt, I was expecting a lot, and again, whilst I did really enjoy the chips, they weren’t the best I had ever had. I really love lots and lots of salt on my chips, and I found the salt wasn’t spread evenly throughout so I could have done with even more. This is very much personal preference though.

Menchi burger – $17 (combo with fries, otherwise $14.80 alone)

My boyfriend ordered the ume burger, which he said tasted pretty great for your typical beef patty, cheese, tomato, etc. burger. The main standout was how tender, super soft and juicy the patty was, and it felt like it melted in his mouth. At $14.60, its size is relatively small compared to burgers you can get from other cafes. Unless you’re just looking for a snack, the burgers alone won’t fill you up, but combining with fries is a good idea.

Ume burger – $17 (combo with fries, otherwise $14.60 alone)

The star of the meal for me was the koji fried chicken. I absolutely loved it and it would definitely be the main factor for me in wanting to return to Ume Burger. The chicken was crunchy and crispy outside but the perfect juiciness inside. The mayo was okay as well, though really, I loved the chicken on its own just fine too. I pretty much had the whole bowl myself and it was heavenly.

Koji fried chicken – $14

In terms of other comments on the place, the seating is quite open and you pick any table you want after ordering. As the seating is outside, you will feel the weather so it might not be the most comfortable on a very hot or very cold and windy day. The simple orange coloured tables and plain plating makes for some very instagrammable photos.

So ultimately, I liked the burger and fries, but it was really only the fried chicken that blew me away. I’m not sure if I would come back for the menchi burger itself, but for the fried chicken? Definitely. Maybe next time I can also try the renkon chips, as that was something else I had wanted to eat but couldn’t fit it in our order. If you haven’t yet tried this place, why not give it a go? Or if you have, I’d love to know any thoughts you have.

Ume Burger | Wulugul Walk, Barangaroo, NSW | Website | Facebook | Instagram

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