Izakaya Samurai, Neutral Bay

Sushi Samurai in Neutral Bay used to be one of my local favourites for Japanese food, but since new Japanese restaurants started opening up around the area, it seems to have fallen off my radar. I'm glad it was brought to my attention again though by Washoku Lovers, because even though it now has a new name and a new fancy touch-screen ordering system, the food is still just as good - I know because I wrote a blog post about it about 5 years ago! (excuse the crappy photos)

Sake selection* (L-R): Otokoyama Tokubetsu junmai, Ippin junmai and Urakasumi junmai

In true izakaya style, we kick start our meal with alcohol. Sake is our choice of drink tonight, and we're presented with three different sakes to sample before making a choice. Each has its own distinct flavour, with the Otokoyama being quite dry and the Urakasumi being sweeter.

Sushi and sashimi combo* - $20.40 (usually $40.80)

Izakaya Samurai also offers different specials on different nights of the week. Dining between 5.30pm and 7pm on a Monday night means you can get a sushi and sashimi combo for half price.

Sushi and sashimi combo*

The combo has some fresh salmon, tuna and kingfish sashimi, along with a neat row of nigiri and salmon and avocado rolls.

Sushi and sashimi combo*

There's a good selection of fish on the plate, including plump scallops, cuttlefish and ikura salmon roe which pop in the mouth.

Grilled spicy salmon sushi* (6pcs) - $14.80

Sushi Buffet @ Sushi Samurai, Neutral Bay

Judging from the number of posts about Japanese restaurants on this blog, you can safely guess that I love Japanese food. Having lots of cheap and cheerful places that serve fresh and tasty Japanese food around my area is a bonus. Sushi Samurai is one of those places that we go to frequently and we've never been disappointed.

Cream croquettes - $5.80; Eggplant with sweet miso - $6.80

The cream croquettes and miso eggplant are dishes off the normal menu that we order pretty much every time we go. The croquettes are filled with a creamy, potato-like filling that is supposedly crab flavour, but my favourite part is the crunchy exterior that are deep fried to a crisp. And who doesn't like miso eggplant? The eggplant is deep fried until the insides are soft and creamy, and a sweet miso paste is slathered on top for flavour. A few sprinklings of sesame seeds later and we're digging in to cubes of soft, sweet eggplant which are thoughtfully pre-cut for convenience.

Tempura pork dumplings - $9.80; Baked scallop - $15.80

There is also a specials menu which changes daily. We try the tempura dumplings and baked scallops from the menu which are quite generous servings. The crispy tempura dumplings have a pork and vegetable filling, and are drizzled with soy and Japanese mayonnaise. The scallops are served in the half shell, and baked with a miso mayonnaise.

Sashimi party platter - $25.80; King prawn tempura roll - $11.80

The White Hart, Neutral Bay

Sorry about the lack of posts lately, guys! Life has thrown multiple curveballs at me and since this year I am to be plagued by yet another thesis that means more reading of journal articles and less blogging. I will try my best to post at least every week but a girl needs to keep her sanity somehow, and sometimes the best way to do that is to veg out in front of the TV.

Anyway - onto the food! Those of you who have seen Sir D's extensive liquor collection will know that while I keep an eye out for tasty eats, he keeps an eye out for tasty drinks. As a long time appreciator of the cocktails at the Hilton's Zeta Bar, Sir D decides to follow Zeta Bar consultant Grant Collins to his latest venture at The White Hart in Neutral Bay.

"But does it have good food?" I ask. A quick squiz of the online menu has me sold and before we know it, we're sitting in a cosy space with a dining area and a lounge area, and decor that is a modern twist on the old English tavern. With a cocktail list that reads as long as a chapter book, we're spoilt for choice in the drinks department but soon we're happily sipping on cocktails.

Smokin' tiki punch - $18

The smokin' tiki punch catches my eye - mainly the novelty of having my drink served in a "smoking tiki mug" - but the rum-based drink is fruity and well-balanced with flavours of apricot and passionfruit. How the mug is actually smoking is beyond me but give me a novelty mug and a cocktail umbrella and I'm happy hehe.

Devonshire cider apple sour - $17.50

Sir D opts for the Devonshire cider apple sour which is definitely a drink for the apple lovers. With homemade apple cider that is frozen into a giant sphere that chills and flavours the drink at the same time, this drink is a take on the classic sour with apple-infused vodka and bitters. I actually end up liking this drink more than my own!

WHFC with creamy aioli - $15

Ribs and Burgers, Neutral Bay

Ribs and Burgers. A simple name for a restaurant that describes exactly what they do best - ribs and burgers. It hasn't been open for long but already people are flocking there so that it is packed out on a Saturday night.

We're greeted by a large blackboard displaying the menu at the front of the restaurant, while warm wooden tones, hanging cast iron pots and pans and dangling lights made from jam jars decorate the dining space. Order your meal at the counter before taking a numbered metal bucket and finding a seat, where your meal will be brought out to you.

Pork ribs - $28

Jugemu & Shimbashi, Neutral Bay

Handmade noodles. There is something about them - perhaps the extra bite and chewyness, the fact that it's fresh, or just that it's been made with love - that makes them special. Here at Jugemu & Shimbashi, the soba noodles are all three of these things, with the noodles being freshly made by hand (and with love!) before each service and perfectly chewy.

The restaurant consists of two sides: Jugemu, which specialises in okonomiyaki and teppanyaki, on one side and Shimbashi, a buckwheat noodle house, on the other. Tonight we are seated on the Shimbashi side in a sunken wooden table where we must remove our shoes first. We're given the menu which includes items from both sides of the restaurant, as well as an A4 sheet detailing their specials for today.

(left) Soba dips - $6; (right) Grilled beef tongue (2pcs) - $8

To start we order the soba dips to nibble on. The crunchy soba crisps are the perfect vehicle for the avocado and minced salmon sashimi dip and the dish is light enough to just whet the appetite. Sir D and I also share the grilled beef tongue skewers which are tender and flavoursome from the white miso marinade.

Asparagus wrapped with pork belly - $18

Spain Meets Japan @ Japaz, Neutral Bay

I've always been fascinated by fusion food and how you can take two seemingly distant cuisines and merge them together into one. Japaz is a place that cleverly fuses Spanish and Japanese cuisines by creating small tapas or izakaya style dishes using both Japanese and Spanish ingredients and techniques. Tonight we're dining at the SIFF Drink and Dine event held at Japaz (at a discounted rate thanks to a hungry.digital.elf!)

It seems like we were not the only ones to take up the offer since we see other tables taking photos of their food too, including the awesome Mademoiselle Delicièuse and Monsieur Poisson from spoon, fork and chopsticks. The dinner consists of eight courses paired with matching sake. As soon as we're seated, we're given the first sake of the night which is served as a sangria with lemonade and little cubes of apple and orange.

Gaspacho with Soumen Noodle

The cloudy sake sangria is paired with the first course of the night, a gaspacho with soumen noodles. The dish is cool and refreshing, with the acidity of the gaspacho and soft slipperyness of the soumen noodles. There are a few drops of herb oil on top of the gaspacho as well as a clove of black garlic, which is surprisingly mild and doesn't have the bite of normal garlic.

Sashimi of Lobster with Crushed Spanish Gordal Olives and Tomato Seed Dressing

Sushi Samurai, Neutral Bay

Queen Chu is one of my best friends. The reason why we work so well together is because we're both obsessed with food. We both love to cook, we both love to read cookbooks, and, of course, we both love to eat. Unfortunately since uni started this year, there hasn't been much time for us to do any of those things together because we are both drowning in the seemingly insurmountable workload that comprises an honours thesis. Somewhat amazingly, along came a weekend when we were both relatively free and immediately we began brainstorming places to eat. We rounded up a group of 6 and headed to Sushi Samurai to catch up over some sushi.

Luckily I had made a booking earlier in the day because when we arrived at 7.30pm on a Saturday night it was completely packed and they were turning away people who had rocked up hoping to get a table. The restaurant was quite dark which made it difficult to read the extensive menu as well as take photos. We were also seated under the air conditioner which was dripping water occasionally onto the table so we made sure we didn't put any of the food in that spot!

Agedashi tofu - $6.80

Japaz, Neutral Bay

Japaz is a restaurant which combines both the Japanese Izakaya style and Spanish tapas style of serving small plates, often accompanied by drinks. The idea of Japanese-Spanish fusion intrigues me, so we make a booking for 8pm and a bunch of us venture out to see what Japaz has to offer.

Sir D and I are fashionably 15 minutes late (since we got caught up in Masterchef!) but the others arrive on time. When we arrive, Queen Chu tells us that the waiter has asked about our order several times already so we quickly make some selections. Midway taking our order, the waiter excuses himself to serve another table which BLT in particular finds very rude. We end up ordering about 12 dishes between 7 of us, since none of us are big eaters, and the waiter insists that this will not be enough and recommends that we order fewer selections but double up on them. However, we decide that we prefer to sample more of the menu so we stick with our order - to which the waiter again insists on ordering more dishes. This overattentiveness continues throughout our meal, and whilst his concern for our appetites was genuine, many of us find it quite unpleasant (as though he was trying to milk more money out of us!). Apart from this, the service is otherwise impeccable with dishes being removed promptly after they are finished and water being topped up regularly.

Fried eggplant with honey and balsamic - $11.00

The first dish to arrive is the fried eggplant, which is crumbed on the outside with soft, juicy eggplant on the inside. The honey balsamic dressing tastes sweet at first, but then the flavour of the balsamic takes over. I'm not usually a big fan of eggplant but I actually quite like this dish.

Crumbed portobello mushroom - $9.00

The portobello mushrooms are also crumbed in the same way as the eggplant with the mushroom juices oozing out with each bite. I enjoy this dish but it could probably do with a bit of sauce to give it a bit more flavour.

Scallops with a sweet soy and onion butter - $5.50 each