Manmaruya Hurstville — Restaurant in Sydney

Good prices and good sizing, all the food is very high quality. They have a little kids movie area where I can let my niece sit while I eat when she wants to go on the weekends, lets me eat in peace :) They have a super wide range of nigiri, which I love. Sometimes I notice some hygiene issues, bowls are dusty, floor is not clean, table is oily, chairs have weird stuff on the sitting side etc. I was given a small wasabi dish once and it was sticky on the bottom and the rim and had some dust on it. I don't think they washed it. But everything else is good.

However, reason for my 3 stars: I went today (on a Thursday, which is my routine) and I swear they changed chefs or something. I usually never eat anything that's not from the sushi train, so of course I was unsatisfied today. Why? Because there was literally NO sushi on the sushi train, it was almost empty. From the moment I got in there, I noticed there were five lonely sushi platters scattered around the train, and when I left, the same five dishes were still there. The chefs made NOTHING new. All they did was make special orders, and it wasn't like they didn't have time to make dishes for the train. I saw the two chefs chattering away for a minute before one of the waiters told them to make a new one. I had to special order all of my dishes from a really nice waitress who seemed very busy. I felt like I was holding up everyone who wanted to order from the regular menu.

Usually the sushi train is at least 50% full on every Thursday that I go, but today was just..eh. Left the restaurant not feeling full...I have my own faults; I'm an indecisive person so I had to get them to stand next to me for a solid three minutes to take my order so I didn't order more because I didn't want to bother the waiters again. Did not like the chefs today. They also had an attitude. It was probably a mum's first time here, so she tried talking to a chef directly to get him to make something for her kid and the chef waved her off, telling her something like "order with waitress" in broken English. Also understood them talking in Chinese making fun of the poor mum. It was really rude, don't know if it's a thing between the employees to talk about customers behind their back...

Usually would rate 4 stars but..chefs ruined it...

This review is for a lunch visit in April 2023.

Food quality: I ordered the Kabayaki Eel Bento. The eel itself was delicious – it was perfectly done, soft and melt-in-your-mouth - they were also very generous with the serving size. I also enjoyed two other side dishes that came with the Bento set: the potato salad and seaweed salad were both delicious. I did not enjoy the salty pickled vegetables but it might be due to personal preference as the vegetables tasted light, fresh and crisp, which I believe others might enjoy. Unfortunately, the fried lotus root in my Kabayaki Eel Bento was very chewy without any crispiness, which does not do the rest of the bento set justice – it tasted like it was not freshly cooked, and I did not give them 5 stars for this reason. They also have oysters (separate order) on their menu, which I found to be very fresh and delicious.

Service: Service was quick, friendly and efficient – great for a quick lunch.

Ambience: Ambience is laid back and informal. There is also free wifi.

Location: The restaurant is very conveniently located - just 1 min walk (19 metres) from the Hurstville train station (exit Hurstville Central via Ormonde Parade).

Accessibility: There is a lift at Hurstville Central (where the train station is) which brings you to road level at Ormonde Parade.

Value for money: Lunch Special is great value for money due to their generous...

Food overall is not too bad however the service is very poor after a run in with a waitress with glasses and of Asian appearance.

Upon entering me and my friends asked to seat 7 people she rudely said "I need to clean the table!". Noted this was expected as we could clearly see food still on the tables. When taking our order the waitress looked like she hated her job and have the coldest look. After each person order she would reply with "anything else?" in the most annoyed tone. She did this at least 6 times.

When waiting for our meal she came over and threw a plate of edamame onto the table without explaining which dish it was for. As our food came she said the dish and my friend raised his hand. Instantly she said "I can't reach you from over there" in a pissed off tone. My friend had to explain and spell it out for her to put the meal on the table and then he would take it to his side.

I don't think I've ever seen such a rude waitress before. Its such a shame cause the food is decent but the service ruined the whole experience. Would not come again. If you see this waitress then please go to...