The lovely Japanese lady returns with a little blackboard to explain the bento options, and points out the menu written on another blackboard directly across from our table, over the sushi window. Ahhh decisions… with four ladies on the table, it takes a while to sort through our options.

Cooked tuna roll, $2.50

My cooked tuna roll comes out with a bowl of soy sauce, and it’s everything I was hoping for – super fresh, soft fluffy rice, and lots of tuna.

Pork dumplings, $8.00 for 6

Next up, mum and I decide on the pork dumplings to share around the table. They come out quite quickly, and again, are perfectly fresh and soft. The casing itself is crisp, and the filling of pork, cabbage and herbs is delicious. But the hero of this dish, and possibly of the day, is the dipping sauce. Oh my goodness, it was spectacular!! I asked the waitress what it was, and once she understood me (minor language barrier), she explained it was a mixture of soy sauce and vinegar. The saltiness of the soy and the hit of the vinegar was beautifully married with the simple flavours of the dumplings.

Miso soup (as part of the bento box)

Mum’s miso comes out next, as part of her bento box. It’s steaming hot and smells great. Once it cools down enough for me to try some, I note that it’s not as salty as some other miso’s I’ve had in the past – it also has a slight mushroom flavour to it. With that tasted by all four of us and polished off, it’s time for our mains. 

Chicken Bento Box, $16.00

Mum has ordered the Chicken Bento Box. Clockwise from bottom left: baked sweet potatoes and not sure what else, rice with Japanese basil, “pickled something” (mum’s words), mixed salad with peanut oil, and chicken meatballs in broth. The chicken meatballs were soft and fresh, and the broth was a tasty combination of mushroom and ginger. The other highlight was the rice with the Japanese basil – you can’t really tell from the photo unfortunately, but it was a bright purple colour, with a very salty, slightly sweet taste.

Tuna Sashimi Salad, $19.00

Princess has ordered the Tuna Sashimi Salad, a mix of fresh salad leaves, carrot, sesame seeds, seaweed, tomato, and of course, tuna. When she tells me the tuna is “melt-in-your-mouth-soft,” I’m automatically doubtful. I’ve heard that claim more than once, and been disappointed just as many times. But, upon tasting it, I stand corrected; melt-in-your-mouth was an understatement! Perfection

Teriyaki Chicken Donburi, $16.0

Stinky has the Teriyaki Chicken Doburi (upon researching this salon before lunch, I found out that donburi basically means “served on rice.” Good to know!). The rice is topped with green beans, broccoli, carrots, and of course chicken. The teriyaki sauce is mouthwatering, and upon all having a taste, we all agree that Stinky’s meal is a winner.

Wagyu Beef Meatball Miso Glazed Donburi, $20.00

Lastly, I ordered the Wagyu Beef Meatball Donburi. My rice is topped with broccoli, meatballs, seaweed and shredded onion. The meatballs were, again, melt-in-your-mouth soft, literally falling apart and almost impossible to hold onto with my chopsticks (made even harder by the fact that I’m completely incompetent with chopsticks anyway), and the miso glaze covered in sesame seeds is really different than anything I’ve tried, yet it’s already giving me ideas of miso-marinated chicken next week for dinner…All in all, we thoroughly enjoyed our lunch – couldn’t argue the quality or freshness of the food, the service was very good without being intrusive, and I’m already looking forward to heading back to try a few of the other items on the menu (crumble chicken katsu donburi, I’m talking to you!).

Would rate it 8 out of 10.

How about everyone else? When was the last time you tried something new at an old favourite neighbourhood?