Kansai – Sydney CBD, Sydney
Recently, I have been feeling very lazy and fat. It does not help when some people keep going on jogs/exercises and diets (no meat? what the? 
I kid I kid) But I think it is more because of all the all-you-can-eat buffets I have been gorging on. So when Squishies and Ninja mention a sushi night, I thought “yeah, I am in need of some light and healthy Japanese fare” but boy was I wrong. Not pointing any fingers, somehow we ended up in the Hunter arcade and outside Kansai; the home of all you can eat sushi.
Okay, it may have been me that suggested this place but it was solely for research purposes!
Upon entering the place I was receiving a mixed vibe that this place may be run by Koreans but I shrugged the thought and decided to let the food do the talking. We were led to our table and handed the menu in which we started to frantically order everything. Here Comes the Food
Gyoza
The first to come was the gyoza which was a bit different to what I was used to. However, the crispy deep fried exterior gave way to the soft and tasty filling.
Agedashi Tofu
Once again, the dish came out differently as I had expected with the tofu being a bit firmer than other versions I have had but still decent with a sweet sauce and bonito flakes.
Chicken Karaage
The instant this arrives, it sets the Ninjas eye atwitching. For someone who is going cold turkey from karaage, these tempting little mouth-sized bites we like an oasis in the middle of a desert. Crispy chunks of juicy chicken pieces were pretty decent, not the best but not the worst either so I sit there happily popping these into my mouth and watch the Ninja experience withdrawal-sweats.
Volcano roll and Salmon Skin roll
Now came the heavy hitters – the carb loaded dishes where they intentional askew the rice:ingredient ratio in order to fill you up with rice. The volcano roll comes with a delicate topping of crunchy bits and crabmeat but it lacks the spicy explosion I wanted from something called ‘volcano roll’. However it was still very tasty while the salmon skin were nice and crunchy although the the ratio was clearly tampered with.
Yakitori
Next were skewers of sticky and sweet yakitori which were deliciously tender and this dish was reordered again and again.
In all the name of research, we initially thought of ordering 3 of everything but decided against it but we did end up ordering 3 of things which we thought would be worth getting. In this case it was the soft shell crab handroll (along with a scallop tempura handroll and spicy tuna handroll). There was little crunch with the soft shell crab which was slightly disappointing and we were only given a small piece per handroll and the spicy tuna was not tuna sashimi as I had thought it would be.
Sushi sushi sushi
The seafood was actually pretty decent and fresh although the huge lump of rice underneath seems a bit daunting. The thin slices of fresh were delicate and carried some good flavours but the scallops were definitely a better choice than the salmon or kingfish. Also, I am sure the ikura is a better option for those who like it as well.
Tonkatsu
More deep fried goodness of crispy batter and tender meat inside. The tangy sauce and meat combination had the Ninja digging in heartily for the kill and what a sweet, crunchy, tasty kill it was indeed.
Dragon roll and Rainbow roll
I could not pass a dish with ‘dragon’ in it without at least giving it a go. The meaty eel draped over the rice was soft and flakey in texture just as eel should be while the rainbow roll just involved a variety of sashimi in roll form. I also seemed to had missed out on some squealing which I must pay more attention to next time hee hee.
Italian roll and Salmon Skin roll
Clearly we did not have enough rolls so more was ordered! These Italian rolls were surprisingly warm and a good fusion of different cuisines. Melty cheese and drizzled with sweet chilli sauce I regret not ordering more of this roll, although we were getting quite full at this point.
Scampi sushi
The Asian inside of me had to order more scampi for they were smooth and silky in a very tasty manner.
Oh hai Squishies
Although our primary stomachs may have been satiated we still needed to feed that hungry dessert stomach and a trip to Max Brenner easily resolved that issue. Souffle and hot chocolates for all! (except Ninja, he got something cold).
So all in all I don’t think I will ever give up challenging myself with buffets or indulging on desserts but I should try and cut down on something… but then again I am too lazy to
Kansai
Shop B1, Hunter Connection
7-13 Hunter Street
Ph: (02) 9231 5544
FFichiban
May 27th, 2010 at 7:43 am
Hmm I’ve been here a couple of times. Didn’t have the all you can eat sushi though, but maybe next time!
May 27th, 2010 at 8:40 am
I hate it when they load up the rolls with heaps of rice! You do not need to cut down on anything! Don’t be silly!! Besides, we all need a little extra padding for winter
May 27th, 2010 at 9:17 am
All you can eat sushi AND Max Brennar?! *sniffle* can i come next time, pretty please? Mmm karaage
May 27th, 2010 at 11:05 am
Ohhhhhh suuuuuushhiiiiii :F (that is drool, by the way.)
May 27th, 2010 at 11:23 am
Wow.. never thought there’s actually a restaurant that serves decent food with all you can eat!! looks like really good value for money..
May 27th, 2010 at 11:38 am
I’ve heard mix reviews of this place, one that has steered me away from trying it out was a case of food poisoning. Looks like you survived though, perhaps I’ll look at it with a new light haha.
May 27th, 2010 at 1:17 pm
I’m so sad when you invited me for desserts you didn’t mention sushi =( I woulda dropped anything I was doing for sushi. That’s it, you owe me one! btw I’m loving the look of all the rolls, dragon, italian, rainbow, bring it all on! haha who says buffet meals equals shit food and shit service.
May 27th, 2010 at 2:49 pm
Oooh – I’ve never dared to try the all you can eat… but it looks great and fair value! I could probably sit there and just order scampi after scampi…
Those look more like Korean dumplings….
May 27th, 2010 at 3:43 pm
lol obviously I’m the most laziest one out of the three, not having my post up yet and all… gg.
on another note … bahaha my camera looks huge! Surely it’s not that big =P
May 27th, 2010 at 4:33 pm
omg all you can eat sushi! when are we going next and can I come?
do they care if you just discard some of the rice and eat the fish instead? haha
May 27th, 2010 at 9:08 pm
I love cheap all you can eat deals! I went here for my birthday last year and it was pretty good. YUM YUM YUM
May 27th, 2010 at 9:48 pm
It’s because my soul is cold.
Scampi tempura hand roll had me wondering whether it was scampi or shrimp…best not to cook scampi, in my opinion. However, the nigiri more than made up for it – was happily impressed.
I like buffets where you get food served to you.
May 27th, 2010 at 11:56 pm
All you can eat for $28!! Oh yeah! I’m totally there. It is so rare that an all you can eat establishment is this good. $28 is a great deal!
May 28th, 2010 at 1:48 pm
Maria – Hee hee yeah give it a go! nomnomnom
Betty@TheHUngryGirl – Yeah but all places do that :S haha I got plenty fo padding!
Steph – Another gathering is in order!! sushi and dessert!
Wei-Wei – Haha I am behind in the emotes language so thanks for clarifying!
YW – Heh yeah it wasn’t too bad but there are quite a few decent all you can eats out there! (suminoya, rengaya lols)
D – Haha I was hesitant at first as well but gotta dive in headstrong rar!
Linda – Wahhh sorry Linddaaa! Hee hee next timmmee for sure
Tina – Hee hee that was what I should had done! Yeah they are Korean style gyozas
Squishies – Yes, its huuuugggeeee *insert Ninja*
Jacq – I was thinking about that but there wasn’t really much places to hide the rice haha
Phuoc’nDelicious – Ooh nice nice, nothing beats celebration like a buffet heh
The Ninja – Lols I thought it was scallop tempura? Hahah no hashtag?
Amy@cookbookmaniac – It is definitely nowhere as good as some other places but for 28 dora all you can eat it is pretty decent
May 28th, 2010 at 3:00 pm
I have eaten at that place when I was in Sydney. Not very impressed to be honest.I’m still searching for the perfect sushi with fried soft shell crab~
May 28th, 2010 at 10:59 pm
What an array of food! Love the dessert too – I must visit Max Brenner…
May 29th, 2010 at 11:04 pm
i almost forgotten about this place, i love it here and after going to a poor quality all you can eat japanese place recently,i have to come back
May 29th, 2010 at 11:56 pm
omg scampi sushi! i could just eat nothing but that. have yet to try this place out~everything looks delicious!
May 31st, 2010 at 10:25 am
I want to visit a night market……….. like NOW!!! Beautiful photos
June 1st, 2010 at 11:15 pm
Sounds like a place where you can get a great bargain – are you sure that you didn’t put this place out of business with everything you ordered?