Happy 4 10 — Restaurant in Queensland

I found this via reviews and liked it so much I came back a second time while visiting Cairns, which I'm usually reluctant to do when traveling because I like to try as many places as possible. The food is good, and it's a very comfortable restaurant. There's plenty of indoor seating and outdoor seating, the latter of which is covered so people can sit in either place any time. The menu is a mix of Japanese and Korean, with some random Chinese mixed in (e.g., gyoza, which are vegetarian here, by the way, although be careful because for some insane reason they pour mayonnaise all over them before serving--can the Australians really like the stuff that much?!). They have various teas and juices and even milkshakes during the day, as well as a selection of Movenpick ice cream. The teriyaki and sweet chili chicken bentos are good. I didn't end up trying the sushi here. The bentos come with miso soup and kyoza. It's not a cheap dinner, but it's very reasonable for Australia in general and Cairns in particular, especially the combination meals. It's a few blocks off the esplanade and is set back from the street, so one might miss it, but I thought it was...

We went with another family and sat in the outside courtyard. Its a pleasant environment so we had high hopes for the food. The girl took our order of entrees: sushi rolls teriyaki chicken and spicy chicken and kimchi gyozas. We also ordered mains and drinks with her. She appeared to be writing it all down and we pointed at the pictures. Our entrees came well two were correct but the sushi was tuna. So then we said we'd keep it but ordered the teriyaki again. Later on it came back as tuna again. Try again. Finally came. An hour later a random extra drink turned up. Sent that back. But no mains. So we asked the manager and he seemed confused said no there's no more food ordered. Argh. The kids were getting tired. We debated leaving but he said he could have the food out quick so we reordered our mains. Scratched our heads as to what the girl was doing.... he had said she's new but still she forgot to write down most of our order! Our food came back pretty quick. But we reckon we were charged for all the extras that came out it was confusing as we split the bill. Won't be going...

Standard fusion Japanese/Korean fare with some bright spots in the menu, like the grilled squid with teppanyaki sauce. The soft shell crab maki is usually tasty. Portions are generous and staff are friendly with prompt service. I do not find the spicy pork or teokbokki to be impressive, and there is remarkably little seafood on the menu for such a place. A focused menu would be an improvement, I think. The major downside to this place is the ventilation - it is sandwiched between two buildings with a shade sail for a roof at the alfresco area. This means that all the heat and cooking smells are trapped and it gets very stuffy. There are not enough fans to help circulate the air. This is good place for a quick dinner and the lunch deals are popular with the working crowd. I have had long meals with colleagues here and it turned rather uncomfortable after about an hour due to the heat/stuffiness.

Conclusion: Good place for quick standard Japanese/Korean fare, but don't hang around too long or the heat and smells...