Hiyori Japanese Bar & Restaurant — Restaurant in Manning

I went to Hiyori after seeing it on reels and seeing good reviews.

Came in on a Wednesday night they were at 50%-ish capacity?

We loved the intimate settings and feeling as we walked in. For a medium sized restaurant it runs with minimal staff - 2 kitchen, 1 wait staff and 1 runner (as we later found perhaps too minimal).

We had ordered the fried chicken skin, garlic butter prawns and then the Miso Cod and Beef bentos.

The prawns came out first. It’s aromatic and flavourful just smaller than we expected, 2 rather small prawns cut in halves but cooked well.

We were expecting the chicken skin to follow not long after but it hadn’t come out even after finishing the prawns.

To our surprise, the Beef bento came second. The beef is excellent, perfect temperature, succulent with the right amount of seasoning. The bento comes with a really nice egg pudding and some pickled vegetables.

We had to follow up on the chicken skin until it finally arrived with the Miso Cod bento. The chicken skin is nicely fried and very lightly (or not-)salted which is my preference as it just highlight the skin flavour.

Our biggest disappointment, however, came from the miso cod. When it came out we were surprised by the temperature, it unusually piping hot. And upon starting, we notice how hard the fish fillet is to the touch, it’s almost rubbery. Having worked in a nobu-esque izakaya and also dined in similar style venues, miso cod fish usually break apart easily on a touch of a chopstick. We were wondering if it’s either twice-cooked or (hopefully not) microwaved because the unusually hot temperature, texture and the dryness made us think that way. It is rather unfortunate as we usually like Miso cod and the fish that we got really dragged down our overall experience.

I think this restaurant has a lot of potentials, as it is starting to get some traction with customers I hope they invest more on staffing rather than cutting corners in...

Located in the new Manning Hub/Bradshaw mixed use complex in the leafy suburb of Manning. The restaurant fronts onto the internal pedestrian mall so it can be a little difficult to find if you are looking for it on Bradshaw Crescent, though there is plenty of on-street parking in the evenings.

The restaurant is relatively stark, with sandy washed concrete on the floor and walls. The French birch tables and chairs are keeping with this minimalist interior design approach. We went with friends on a Saturday night and were pleasantly surprised.

The menu is fairly extensive, consisting of shared plates and bento boxes. As a party of four we tried the Aburi Scallops ($16), Crispy Chicken Skin ($10), Wagyu Beef Carpaccio ($18), Grilled Miso Garlic Prawns ($18), Yakitori ($14), and Beef Short Ribs ($36) with steamed rice to share. Despite being a full house, the dishes were served relatively quickly after we ordered. We were all impressed by the flavours and freshness of the food - the way that they were displayed on the plate and the aromas. They were so delicious that our only complaint was there could have been more...

They have a limited drinks menu - Japanese beer, Sake and wine - the perfect accompaniment to our meal.

I felt that, after having visited Japan recently, that the flavours were authentically Japanese with a modern touch. Maybe not the same atmosphere and a bit more formal than a...

At Hiyori, the decor and fit out come across as quite minimalist...almost incomplete. However, once you sit and glance around, and daylight fades, the mood lighting starts to accentuate the details of the decor.

Dishes came to the table with their own captivating presentations and tastes. The distinct flavours of each dish were memorable, and the quality of the ingredients excellent. The Okonomiyaki stack, the crispy chicken skin, the jumbo prawn tempura, and shio teba, all flavoursome and made a family of four clamber for more. The Bentos, the Yakitori and Wagyu roast beef...both mouth-watering!

Certainly there are cheaper places to dine, but the quality, flavours and textures of the food at Hiyori are enticing and satisfying enough to make the experience worthwhile. Does the food quality compensate enough for the smallish portion sizes? That's hard to say, but the quality does speak for itself. Even the critic in the family (wife) could only speak highly of the ingredients, cooking and the finished flavours.

Atmosphere only gets 4 stars, simply because an early start meant the restaurant very quietly began its evening. Towards the end of our dining, more folks started arriving, and the vibrancy picked up several notches.

Compliments to the chef...