Musashi Japanese Restaurant

Hubby and I went to see Mary Poppins in Capitol Theatre and just before watching the show we thought we'd have dinner at a nearby restaurant. So I had a look at the Capitol Theatre website to see what restaurants were suggested and noticed Musashi Japanese Restaurant which is conveniently located next door to Capitol Theatre. Great!

When we arrived we noticed immediately that it was a popular place to eat. The restaurant was packed and looked very busy so we had to wait outside the restaurant (they apparantly don't take bookings). 15 minutes later we got a table inside the restaurant and immediately upon walking in, all the wait staff and sushi chefs greeted us in Japanese (I think they were saying welcome or hello??)

We kicked off with an entrée of soft shell crab- one of my favourite dishes. This soft shell crab was nice and crispy with just the right hint of spiciness. Presentation of this dish is beautiful and vibrant looking.

Mushashi Bento $24.80

Whilst waiting to order our food, I could see what some of the other tables had ordered and the nice displays of sushi and sashimi on their plates/platters. Since hubby and I didn't have a lot of time to sit down to a three course meal we decided to order a Mushashi bento box each so that we could get to try a bit of everything- sashimi, sushi, teriyaki chicken, tempura etc.

When our bento boxes arrived it looked so well presented and appetizing. The sashimi was very fresh and well prepared and the sushi delicately moulded. The tempura had a nice and crispy batter and did not taste oily and the teriyaki chicken was tender and not overly sweet.
Overall, the bento box contained good quality food with lots of variety and tasted absolutely delicious. The only disappointment with the bento box is that it didn't come with miso soup or rice. I had to pay extra for my miso soup ($2.80) but I'm just nit picking here.

Overall I had an enjoyable experience at Musashi. The food was delicious and was at a reasonable price. The service was polite despite the dinner rush and the waiters and waitresses rushed off their feet the entire time we were there.
Walking out, I hear the wait staff and sushi chefs shout out something in Japanese to us, maybe they're saying thank you for coming???

I must come back to try their desserts and their mocktails- I saw on their dessert menu they had tofu pannacotta and green tea creme brulee. Yum!

Udon Noodle Soup with Crumbed Prawn Cutlets

Panko breadcrumbs make these prawns deliciously crunchy but if you don't have any just substitute with fresh breadcrumbs. Dried or long-life udon noodles are great to keep in the pantry, so you can turn out something as light and comforting as these soupy noodles on the spot.

Ingredients

20g instant dashi powder
3 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp mirin
6-8 dried shitake mushrooms, soaked in hot water for 30mins and then thinly sliced
250g dried or 400g long-life udon noodles
10 medium green prawns, shelled (tail left on)
1 egg
3 tbsp vegetable oil
½ cup panko breadcrumbs
2 spring onions, cut into 5cm lengths
200g silken tofu, cubed
1 bunch Chinese green leaf vegetables, trimmed (e.g. baby bok choy, baby choy sum, Chinese cabbage)

Serves 2-3


Method

1. For the broth, bring 800 millilitres of water to the boil, then add the dashi powder, mirin and soy sauce and simmer for two minutes. 
2. Add the mushrooms and simmer gently for five minutes. 
3. If using dried noodles, cook them in simmering water for 9 to 10 minutes until tender, then drain and rinse. If using longlife, cover with boiling water for 30 seconds, gently separate with chopsticks, then drain and rinse. 
4. Meanwhile, cut each prawn along the back and remove any intestinal tract. Open it out and run a rolling pin gently over it to flatten the meat and trim neatly. 
5. Beat the egg until light and frothy. Heat the oil in a small frying pan. Dip each prawn in the egg, then the crumbs, and fry the prawns for one to two minutes each side until crisp and golden. 
6. Add the noodles, spring onions, Chinese vegetables and tofu to the soup and heat through for two minutes. 
7. Using tongs, divide the noodles between warm, shallow pasta bowls. Ladle the soup on top, add the prawns and serve.

Samurai Japanese Cafe

Didn't feel like cooking last night so hubby and I went to Samurai Japanese Cafe in Balmain for dinner. I had learned of this restaurant whilst browsing some recipes online for wasabi ice cream. Unfortunately, when we arrived at the restaurant it was no longer on the menu :( I was so disappointed since I was so looking forward to trying such a unique flavour of ice cream!

Overall, most of the food we ordered here was nice and good value for money. The food on the menu is mainly hearty almost home-style Japanese, with some sophisticated elements, but it's mainly comfort food.

Service was efficient and staff were friendly.

Antique-style prints of Japanese scenes decorate the walls of the restaurant whilst soft glowing lanterns shielded by pretty painted parasols gave it a funky feel with a warm welcome.

For entree we had salmon sashimi, ebi gyoza and seafood okonomyaki. Salmon sashimi was beautifully presented to us on a bed of salad leaves and tasted wonderfully fresh.

Salmon Sashimi $9.00

A short time later our Ebi Gyoza arrives. These prawn dumplings were delicately wrapped in rice paper and each mouthful was tasty :)

Ebi Gyoza $8.80

Our Seafood Okonomiyaki arrives next and it's a round mayo and tangy Okonomiyaki sauce lattice patterned delight. Cutting it into quarters the texture is soft and crispy with plenty of prawns and fish. The taste is both tangy and creamy all at once.

Seafood Okonomiyaki $11.50

My favourite dish, the salmon tataki is next and it's delicious. A row of rectangular shaped salmon sashimi sits seared on the outside atop a bed of onions and covered in Samurai’s unique mayo miso sauce and scattered atop are deep fried noodle shards. The sauce on this dish is nice and the salmon is soft and the noodles crispy and the sauce liberally doused on it so that its flavour upon soft crispiness. Lovely!

Salmon Tataki $17.00

The next main to arrive is the Kakuni- stewed scotch fillet in ginger and soy, accompanied with wilted spinach. This dish was somewhat disappointing in that the meat was quite dry and I struggled to swallow the meat without the help of a few mouthfuls of water. Whilst the sauce was nice and flavoursome, I didn't like the fact that the meat wasn't smooth and melting in my mouth. Not to mention, the mains didn't arrive at the same time. This dish came out 10-15 minutes after the salmon tataki.

Kakuni $14.00

Desserts were next and the sake pear with green tea ice cream and red beans (blackboard dessert special) arrives looking gorgeous with a paper umbrella. Unforuntately, the sake pear was not particularly sake-ish, tasting more like an unspiked sweet simmered pear. It was still very light and refreshing as a dessert and a great way to end the night. The green tea ice cream was bursting full of green tea flavour and the red beans were candied with a sugar syrup.

Sake Pear with Green Tea Ice Cream & Red Beans $7.00

For dessert, hubby ordered tempura green tea ice cream drizzled with syrup. This Japanese version of the Chinese deep fried ice cream was somewhat of a let down. The tempura batter didn't taste very crispy and the ice cream inside the tempura batter had melted to the point that it was a pool of green liquid once the batter that encased it was broken through. Still prefer the Chinese style of deep frying an ice cream....

Tempura Green Tea Ice Cream $4.50

Teriyaki Salmon

Presentation is an important part of Japanese cuisine, so adorn your sweet glazed salmon with easy-to-make shallot curls.

Ingredients

55g (¼ cup) caster sugar
60ml (¼ cup) soy sauce
60ml (¼ cup) mirin seasoning
4 (about 250g each) skinless salmon fillets, halved lengthways
2 shallots, green section only, ends trimmed
Peanut oil, to grease





Method


Place the sugar, soy sauce and mirin seasoning in a medium glass or ceramic bowl. Stir until the sugar dissolves. Add the salmon and turn to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 60 minutes to marinate, turning the salmon occasionally.

Meanwhile, thinly slice the shallots lengthways. Transfer to a small airtight container of iced water. Place in the fridge for 30 minutes or until the shallot curls.

Preheat grill on high. Line a baking tray with foil. Brush the lined tray with oil to lightly grease. Drain salmon, reserving the marinade. Place the salmon on the prepared baking tray. Cook under grill, brushing the salmon occasionally with the reserved marinade, for 5 minutes or until the salmon is golden and just cooked through.
Drain the shallot. Arrange the salmon on a serving platter. Sprinkle with the shallot curls to serve.