Kabuki Shoroku - Sydney

Late lunch with Aditta. Haven't been here for awhile and glad to find out that they're still doing fine. Actually, this restaurant is known just as "Shoroku" among the Japanese community, and I have no idea why did they add the "Kabuki" in the English transliteration. Heck, even the logo just read "Shoroku" and there's no Kabuki anything in there. After checking their website, I found out that they intend to attract customers (most likely local Sydneysiders) by claiming that they serve meals in a Kabuki-style environment. Well, pardon me for saying this, monseiur - but apart from the wooden floor, there's nothing remotely Kabuki-anything in the restaurant! This place is considered upscale Japanese restaurant in Sydney, however, it is really sad to note that most upscale Japanese restaurants in Sydney is absolutely crappy compared to upscale Japanese restaurants in Jakarta or Singapore in terms of decor, ambience, and food presentation.

Sashimi moriawase
Sake (salmon), Maguro (tuna), and what seems to be Suzuki (Sea Bass). The basic three-color sashimi served outside Japan.

-> Shoroku is famous for their exquisite sashimi. It's fresh, delicious, and served on a bed of crushed ice for lasting freshness. Very nice.

Rating: 9/10

Salad
...in cracked black pepper and mayonnaise dressing

-> So-so. They should have served something crunchier like shaved cabbage because the dressing is rather runny.

Rating: 5.5/10

Tonkatsu
(deep-fried pork cutlets)

-> Good Tonkatsu should be infused with a little flavor on the inside, which is not the case for this one. Quite understandable, really - most people aren't aware that Tonkatsu, although looks simple, in reality requires great skill to prepare, and only chefs with wide experiences in making Tonkatsu should attempt to cook it. In Japan, Tonkatsu is a specialty food and REAL Tonkatsu is only served in Tonkatsu-ya, which are restaurants specializing in Tonkatsu dishes only. This is something that I very much believe - being a Tonkatsu enthusiast since I was in middle school. Even Kitchen OEC, a small, affordable Tonkatsu stall in Sussex Centre foodcourt (in Sydney), serves much better Tonkatsu because they specialize in it.

Rating: 7/10

Grilled Oysters ~Kabuki Style~
...grilled Tasmanian oysters dressed with Mornay sauce

Rating: 9/10

Kushiage platter
...Buta-negima (pork skewered with leek), Uzura-no-tamago (quail eggs), Green Asparagus, Ebi (prawn)

-> Very nicely done. I like the shape of the Uzura-no-tamago, and I think that shape is somewhat hard to achieve when frying. Anyway, everything is perfectly fried, and my absolute favorite one would be the asparagus. The asparagus is amazzzing...it's really sweet (makes me think whether or not they soak the asparagus in syrup), crunchy yet tender, and goes well with the blue cheese sauce. Yum yum.

Rating: 9/10

Barbecued Unagi

-> Portion's a little bit disappointing but the look is perfect. Nice utsuwa (dish).

Rating: 8/10

Chicken Teriyaki

-> Now this is what I call the perfect teriyaki. Perfect taste, perfect texture, perfect sauce-to-meat ratio. Generous portion, too. So far, I have only tasted 2 perfect teriyaki in Sydney - the one at Ju Ju and this one. Two thumbs up. Subarashii!

Rating: 10/10 (yaay!!)