Izakaya Goku West End — Restaurant in Brisbane City

Extremely disappointed. We have eaten here many times and have always been very satisfied with the classic authentic Japanese food. After not having eaten there for several months, we were saddened to find out today that the interior and the menu are unchanged, but unfortunately the quality of the food has declined considerably. (they rather remind of a cheap Chinese fast food restaurant).

On a positive note, the service was fast and friendly. The miso soup tasted good.

Absolutely disappointing were the miso-glazed eggplant: unfortunately just deep-fried eggplant sticks doused with thick miso paste. Visually, it was more reminiscent of stale fries with rancid ketchup. The rice was also just tasteless and overcooked (this was definitely not Japanese sushi rice). The salmon skewers were tiny and overpriced, and all the plates were decorated with unappetising green salad leaves and too much mayonnaise. The rest (Agedashi Tofu, Squid Karaage and Takoyaki) tasted average at best and were probably ready-made products.

It's a shame, but it seems to me that there is no Japanese chef working there anymore, and the replacement chef was unfortunately not well trained. We will probably not go there again.

Answer to the Chefs comment:

Dear Chef, I understand and accept your disappointment with my review and would also like to point out that I mentioned that I was satisfied with the service today and with the food on my previous visits (and I rated with 2 stars because of this). I have liked the simple authentic atmosphere of your restaurant so far, and even tolerated the paper cups in your restaurant without comment. Today, however, I was so disappointed with the preparation of the most basic dishes that I suspected that someone inexperienced in Japanese cuisine had prepared them. I had already listed the basic shortcomings, from the poor quality rice to the portioning and preparation of the dishes. I'm not alone in this disappointment, by the way, if you look at the other reviews.

I love Asian cuisine, and especially Japanese cuisine, so I can easily form an opinion and make comparisons. And I have commented on my experience today. However, I find it impertinent of you to call me a racist because of this. I couldn't care less about the chef's cultural background. But I do expect the chef to be able to prepare proper Japanese food in a Japanese restaurant, otherwise disappointment is inevitable.

You should see my feedback as motivation for improvement and not drive your customers away even more...

I ordered the miso beef rib with tofu and gonyaku. Staff put through the wrong order and I ended up with the stewed beef with potato, I took a bite of this dish which was quite disgusting and bland with a mushy texture then I realised it was the wrong order. I told a staff member that it was not what I ordered, she brought back the same dish and told me that they did not have the ingredients for what I originally ordered. I said that I didn't want to eat the dish because it was not what I ordered. She took it away and I was unsure what was happening. Then about 10 minutes later someone brought out the actual dish with the ingredients which meant that they had it the whole time. I also noticed that the new dish had recycled ingredients from the previous dish as there was overcooked potato in it which was only in the stew and was not meant to be in my dish. The flavour of my new meal was marginally better but still tasted mushy and had elements of the stew as i could tell they reused the ingredients. In addition, the tofu and gonyaku in my new meal was cold in the centre since they hastily put it together and added random vegetables to it (which were also not stated on the menu). I also had rice and miso soup, the rice was the only good part of my meal. Lastly, when I left the bill had 3 extra meals on it which I did not order thus bringing the total to more than double of what it should have been. The staff did not apologise at any point of the night for the order mix up or the incorrect bill. I found the service to be poor and the food also disappointing. The meal was also extremely overpriced and not delicious at all. I would not return to...

Very good..myself and my 12 yo girl had lunch yesterday.we had ramen with pork with a boiled egg. The good... waited only about 10 minutes after seated for the ramen. Massive hot bowl of delicious chicken broth..the pork was fantastic. Noodles flavour fantastic.im not a fan of seaweed but miss 12 loved it..the spring onions really lifted the dish.i had a 500 ml beer .big cold glass nice head .it was a Japanese beer so not much like a aussie beer..price..very good for size and service. 3 ramune soft drinks 1 500ml import beer 2 bowls of ramen and pork in chicken broth with boiled egg and spring onion .cost 57 dollars. Well spent..the walls had some really cool posters..tables small but very clean with cool water chop stixs and napkin..the male staff member who served us was great.fast and attentive.tables were cleaned almost immediately. 10/10..the only gripe is it was a very hot day in Brisbane I don't think the air-conditioning was keeping up..air flow was needed. We travelled 2 hours too vist and would definitely will do it again..next time at...