Izakana-ya Okuman, West End, Brisbane

December 05, 2016

On a busy Melbourne St lies a few Japanese eateries and one of them is Izakana-ya Okuman, bringing a modern twist to the Japanese cuisine and their dining room. Ordering is done via Ipads and the waitresses wearing Kimono makes you feel like you are sitting in a little bar eatery in Japan. Having bar seating, a traditional dining room out the back with the normal dining area being wooden tables and chairs throughout the rest of the venue. A range of traditional dishes are served on handmade Japanese pottery makes the dining much more elegant and enjoyable.

Though ordering is all done through Ipads, the waitresses are there to help you if you are unsure of how to order. Although their lunch menu isn't as extensive as their dinner menu, there is about 7 varieties of Bento boxes as well as a few other rice or noodle dishes to choose from.

'Sashimi Bento' (AUD$18) was what I ordered but all Bento boxes consists of warm rice, your choice of mains, sides including salad and Agedashi Tofu, assorted pickles and a small bowl of cold udon. Ordering a Bento box is always great if you're aren't sure of what to order or what to eat. Being able to taste a bit of everything, having meat as well as tofu, salad and rice will definitely satisfy your tastebuds.

Cold udon served with wilted seaweed and a little bit of spring onions on the side topped with tempura flakes. When it arrived on our table however, the soup was limited, absorbed by the noodle and the tempura flakes were not crispy as they were already soggy. The broth was refreshing and calming throughout the meal, allows you to have a break from eating the main meat of your choice and the rice.

Having chosen sashimi as the main dish of the Bento box, it included of Salmon, Tuna, Kingfish and Squid with a dollop of wasabi and also some seaweed.. The sashimi tasted fresh and the slices were also not bad meaning that it wasn't as thin as some other Japanese restaurants.

Agedashi Tofu is silken tofu cut into cubes, lightly coated with either potato starch or cornstarch then deep fried. What's unique about this is the thin layer of the deep fried coating yet still capturing the silkyness of the tofu. The broth has a light salty soy sauce base and is always a good dipping sauce as well for it. Just be careful when eating it as it does get hot when you take a bite.. Assorted pickles were also given on the side.

Potato croquette was topped with a drizzle of some sort of soy sauce based placed in the same box as a cold pasta salad. Mixing the hot croquette and the cold pasta salad may not have been such a good idea as either the croquette might get cold quicker and the fresh salad may be warmer..

'Chicken Schnitzel Curry' (S: $9, L: $12) was served in a big handmade Japanese pottery bowl which looked liked a coral shell. A pretty dish indeed when served and presented to our table, served with red pickles. The curry itself was not bad, full of flavour but there could have been more chicken katsu as it seemed at first it was enough but then when you start eating and mix it altogether, more chicken would be better as there would be more balance within the dish.