Samurai — Restaurant in Melbourne

Restaurant was PACKED on Friday night. They do not let you reserve seats if you are a party of 2. We were forced to wait outside for 15 minutes. If you wish to go, make sure you are a party of at least 4 to guarantee a table. Of course, that is probably a testament to the popularity of this joint. From the outside, it looks positively tiny, but there are several dining rooms upstairs.

As mentioned previously, service is efficient, but of poor countenance, with not so much as a hint of a smile from any of the waiters. They remained steadfastly stony-faced the entire evening, and did not appear remotely amiable. This is definitely not the place to go for a romantic dinner, or any special occasion for that matter.

The food was merely acceptable. I do not recommend the miso soup, nor any dish beginning with "teriyaki". The sauce is simply far too salty, and this likewise applies to the soup. The servings, while generous, were consistently over-seasoned, and one laments the complete ignorance for the traditionally subtle flavours of Japanese cuisine.

Having said that, the tempura prawn entrée arrived deliciously hot, with the decapod crustaceans cooked perfectly. The green tea ice cream (see above picture) was sublime; I honestly have not experienced a more delightful dessert. That alone is enough to tempt me back another time.

Overall, the food must be chosen with care, with some excellent dishes let down by some rather poorly constructed food. Otherwise, it is an excellent choice for some cheap-and-not-so-cheerful food, but they do offer a...

Update: Back again. We ordered Unagi bento again and Tobiko Gunkan plus new - not on the physical menu - breaded fried chicken bento.

The Unagi bento and the Tobiko Gunkan were consistent as per last visit. But this time I noted in the bento - the tofu was not agedashi tofu as I first thought but fried tofu with a dollop of teriyaki sauce. It was yummy.

The breaded fried chicken was only listed on the digital tablet. Looked like individual strips of well marinated chicken thigh, crumbed , topped with mayo. Same accompaniments as the Unagi bento. It was juicy and tasty.

The serves were consistent, they were friendly, polite and food served promptly. Still cannot fault.

Previous Visit: A simple and small Japanese place serving good food at very reasonable prices.

Ordered:

Tobiko Gunkan - generous topping of Tobiko.

Sushi Bento Box - swapped the soba noodles for rice instead. Decent cuts of salmon sashimi, 4x nigiri, 2x California maki, edamame, seaweed salad and fruit.

Unagi Bento Box - comes with one each of an ebi fry, takoyaki, gyoza and Agedashi tofu plus a small serve of salmon sashimi, edamame, seaweed salad and fruit. The unagi sauce is served on the side.

Service was friendly, polite and accommodating. Well portioned for the price. Tea is complimentary. Order via a touch screen pad at the table. Pay at...

Food was not great even compared to other cheap japanese establishments. I would say Hoko Sushi in camberwell is the same price, better quality food and easier seating.

This restaurant feels like a student fast food cash grab and is NOT the place to go to unless you’re getting takeaway. It is stressful eating here because of the shortage of seating and the staff are constantly watching to check if you’re leaving. What’s even the point of eating in a restaurant if you can’t talk at all?

It is the equivalent of eating in a factory line.

The sashimi is quite old and I suspect they are using regular white rice instead of sushi rice for the nigiri. Teriyaki sauce was inedible and overly sugary, and the unagi isn’t fresh or marinated long enough. The takoyaki has barely any octopus in it.

It doesn’t need to be pretentious or even well presented but at least put effort into good...