Since I already started on the Masuya Group with Miso, I thought that it would be logical to follow it up with one of its’ older siblings – Makoto Chatswood. Makoto is the sushi bar branches in the Masuya Group with the establishing one in the city but it got so popular that a second one was opened in the North Shore. Even though there are 2 of these, there is usual a big queue at the meal times and wait times can get up to a hectic 45mins or longer!

After a hiatus from visiting Makoto, due to it getting too repetitive and increasing prices, we had a sudden craving for sushi sushi sushi so back to go. We were met with changes, some good and some bad.

The new Head Chef Katsumi Yoshida
The new Head Chef looked young and enthusiastic so that was a good sign haha but was his food able to match?

The Christmasy decor is a nice touch, but I had always liked their cool spiraling lights. I must say their choice in music can sometimes be very weird :S

Sushi trainn choo chooo

They have the sushi-on-sushi action as it was getting busier for lunch
I must admit one thing… when my brother, my cousin and I were seated we started grabbing plates left, right and center so the initial few plates were forgotten to be photographed haha. Three hungry boys = no time for photographs BUT fortunately after only a few I came back to my senses and so Here Comes the Food.

(I apologize I don’t know the proper names of most of the sushi so please enjoy the visual feast ^^!)

Cooked prawn with Mayonnaise (comes in pairs but one has already been eaten)
Creamy and sweet, the taste of this sushi does not really carry the distinct flavour of prawns.

Scallop Aburi
Tender and juicy scallop with a dressing of mayonnaise, scallions and roe. The flavour of the sweet, plump scallop is accentuated by the searing and the mayonnaise.

Ikura (Salmon Roe) (comes in pairs but one has already been eaten)
I am not a big fan of roe taste but the popping is entertaining

Seaweed Salad (again… comes in pairs but one has already been eaten)
A simple seaweed salad with sesame seeds and a few flakes of chilli. Good palate cleanser or just a break from all the seafood and have some fresh greens.

Ama-ebi (Sweet prawns) (comes in pairs but one has already been eaten)
I like these prawns much better than normal ones as they sort of taste like Scampi. There is the slippery texture of scampi as well as a sweetness but they are not as big and have a prawn taste. The mayonnaise adds to it well but they could also do without it.

Grilled Kingfish?
I am not too sure but I think it is Kingfish. The white meat is soft and not very strong, maybe because the sweetness of the sauce is overpowering.

Here it is again under softer light and different angle. What you guys think?

Crab special roll
You probably noticed already but they really like adding mayonnaise to sweeten things up. This combination works but personally I think it is over-priced for fake crab meat.

Salmon Aburi
One of my favourite dishes which I like to use to compare with other restaurants. The beautiful seared salmon just melts in the mouth and oozes the sweetness in balance with the mayonnaise. I could eat many many plates of this mmmm.

Another special roll
With chopped up .. something… fail…

This roll was so not worth it but my brother grabs anything haha. Combination of canned tuna and salmon AND prawn is very weird :S

Uni (sea urchin roe)
I am not a big fan of this either but it looks fresh and juicy.

Salmon belly
Fatty salmon mmmmm another must have

Handrolls: (L to R) Spicy Salmon and avocado, Scallop omelette and Wagyu beef.
Their handrolls are very variable in my opinion. Sometimes you can get decent chunks of filling but other times you get a smidget of filling. This visit was pretty decent as my salmon reached pretty much all the way to the end.

Teriyaki Chicken Handroll
Hee hee perfect example of the chicken hiding away under the seaweed.

Green Tea Pudding
Yummmmm but this time it came with a bonus bit of plastic which ruined it for me

Bowl of wasabi
Hee hee yooiinnkk some for my collection

Strawberry crepe
Fresh strawberries and fresh cream wrapped up in a crepe cannot go wrong.

Green Tea Creme Brulee
Came out with a hot serving bowl but the inside of the creme brulee was surprisingly cool. It could also do with better caramelizing on top but otherwise it is a great dessert.

Tofu Steak (Have to order since I think it is not on the menu anymore and they never make this for the train)
I know I already had dessert buutt this is another of my usual orders. This time was shocking but! The tofu was mostly batter and the sauce was way too salty and ladled on too much. Was disappointed hopefully next time is much better or else this may be the end of this great little find.

Look at all the delicious soft shell crab omelettes mmmm I shall be getting one next time

Full and content.. and quite fat

Other Masuya Group posts:
Musashi – Sydney CBD, Sydney.
Miso – Sydney CBD, Sydney

Makoto Sushi Bar
336 Victoria Avenue
Chatswood, Sydney 2067
Monday to Friday 1130-1500, 1700-2130
Saturday 1130-1530, 1700-2130
Sunday 1130-1530, 1700-2100

FFichiban

I mentioned before, that I went through a ‘M’ phase either by coincidence or subconsciously so my next 5 posts will be about places starting with ‘M’. The first installment of this series is the lovely little Japanese place Miso.

This place is part of the Masuya Group, which includes Masuya, Makoto, Musashi and Miso. Since I am sort of a regular to the other restaurants in the Masuya Group, I was very surprised and happy to discover this place in the Sydney Morning Herald. I thought it was a newly opened place but I was shocked to find out just outside, by a few random friends I bumped into, that it has already been open for aagggess and aggesss Well, I have lots of catching up to do then!

I was told by my friends that there would be a long queue later on but I was very fortunate as I planned on an early dinner haha (around 6:30). I was not surprised then, when I walked in and the place was already 80% full. The bright lighting inside gave the place a clean look, bordering on sterile if not for the art decor hanging on the wall and the row of green/brown couches. I liked how the lights had been blacked out on the bottom half so they don’t blind the customers haha.

Miso is based on Teishoku meals, which consists of smaller dishes that combine to make one a perfectly balanced meal. “It is created for a perfect healthy balance of body and soul”, and that is why I love Japanese food so much – healthy and delicious ^^!

Here Comes the Food

Pork Miso Katsu Set ($15)
I found it weird that they served the main dish furthet away from you :S so I rearranged it haha one of my idiosyncracies.

Pork Miso Katsu Set (Rearranged)

They did mention on the menu that this was fatless pork so I was a little bit disappointed haha because I thought there would be a compromise to the taste. But I found the pork still very good and juicy. The meat was not dry at all and the batter gave it a very beautiful crunch. The only problem I found was that there was not even miso sauce on top and that the tonkatsu sauce easily overpowered it, so don’t add too much of the tonkatsu sauce when dipping. The miso was fragrent and sweet mmmmm love miso sauce.

The side dishes all complimented very well with a fresh salad, creamy macroni and some pickled veges.

I found the service typical of the Masuya Group, where the staff are ‘fob’ and strictly business. The serving time can also be very variable as my dish took about a while to come out but a businessman who came 15-20mins after I arrived got his tonkatsu only a few mins I got mine. Price-wise it is a bit more expensive due to the location compared to other Japanese eateries of this standard. All in all I am happy with this place and will definitely come back for more miso katsu or some of the other dishes.

I think I read on the menu that they used South Australian pork but can’t really remember now

Other Masuya Group posts:
Musashi – Sydney CBD, Sydney.
Makoto – Chatswood, Sydney (soon to come)

Miso
Shop 20, World Square
Sydney
Ph: (02) 9283 9686
Opening Times:
Monday to Friday (Lunch ) : 11:30 – 14:30
Monday to Saturday (Dinner) : 17:30 – 21:30

FFichiban

Hidden away amongst the twists and turns of the often neglected dining suburb of Artarmon can be found a predominantly Japanese-cuisine focussed eateries; separated by the railway tracks we have Sushi Tei and Rahmen Genki on one side; and our restaurant being reviewed on the other side: Wakana. It’s predominantly a yakiniku (Japanese BBQ) eatery, however also offers other dishes including a range of dishes that would satisfy any palette. Perhaps the biggest claim that Wakana boasts is stated on the front page of their menus: “There is no use of MSG in any of our dishes. We personally hand select all of our ingredients to make you receive only the best qualify of food possible”.

On entering, the charisma and enthusiasm of the owner is infectious – he’s loud and doubles as the sushi chef as well as regularly checking on his diners. With our BBQ grill greased and looking lonely, the food is ordered.

Salmon Sushi ($10): This is simple yet outstanding. I would rate the quality and freshness as well as the fattiness of the salmon close to the high end Sushi bars in Sydney. The salmon is wickedly plump and is not flawed. I’d highly recommend it to any of our salmon-loving readers. In fact, I’m craving it right now just writing about it.

Complimentary Salad: The only vegetables we ate the entire meal (it’s yakiniku after all!)

Beef Tongue ($11): As opposed to the mesh grills that would cause the meat to unrelentlessly stick to it, the greased grill allowed the beef tongue to slide freely and be taken off the grill with ease.

Springy and well cooked just at the right amount of time, Wakana’s beef tongue is great.

Wagyu Beef ($22): look at the marbling goodness. Didn’t really ‘melt’ in your mouth, but it had the great oozing of fat and beefy goodness. Alas, if only it were thicker, it would have make this serving of wagyu even better.

Wagyu Beef Premium ($28): to be honest, it was hard to distinguish between the normal wagyu beef and the premium. Both were equally matched and lacked any clear disparity.

Kimchi Fried Rice ($10): Pretty standard, nothing special about it. It’s just good to have a rice and yakiniku meat combination to soak up the yummy flavours haha.

California Roll ($10): It seems like there is just a bit too much rice, the ingredients are not compacted and fall apart too easily; it’s quirky that they did it as a ‘inside-out’ roll when the menu assumes otherwise, I would have preferred it to be done the normal way.

Salmon and Avocado Roll ($10): As per the comment with the California Roll, this roll also has too much rice, however the salmon that was used in your previously eaten sushi made another welcomed appearance…mmm….so good.!

Wakana
2A Broughton Road
Artarmon, NSW 2064
Closed on Monday; Tues-Saturday: 12pm-3pm, 6pm till 9:30pm (till late Fri & Sat); Sunday: 6pm – 9:30pm

D