Friday, July 24, 2009

Miso - World Square, Sydney




I can't believe that it took me close to a year to finally have a meal at this place. It's understandable, really - during its first months of operations, it's almost impossible to get a table straight away due to the hordes of people waiting to be seated. Nowadays, it's still crowded, but if you come at a time which deviates slightly from peak dining hours, you'll get a table quite easily.

This brainchild of the Masuya Group (their fifth establishment after Masuya, Musashi, Makoto City & Chatswood) is specializing in bentou and teishoku (set-meal) type of dishes. The whole experience dining in this place can be summed up as "glorified, pricey-ish obentous with freakishly saccharine service"

However, it can't be denied that any restaurant belonging to Masuya Group has pretty high standards. The ingredients are always very fresh, the food impeccably prepared, and prices are quite tolerable. Miso has a killer take-away menu, too (I especially love the look of their "Shinkansen bentou" - packed in a container that emulates the real thing sold at Japan's train stations (ekiben), and priced about the same, too (around 1000 yen / 13 bucks). Nice!

I have yet to try their famous tonkatsu (especially the miso-katsu). The reason being that I need sufficient mental preparations to try their hyped-up tonkatsu, remembering that tonkatsu is pretty much on my top 3 favorite dishes of all time.


Kukicha

-> A pot of tea, and a copy of Newsweek magazine featuring a person I freaking like and totally voted for, Indonesian President Yudhoyono on the cover. (lanjutkan!) <- his presidential campaign catchphrase, translated as "continue! (one more term!)"



Anywhoo, kukicha is a very nice green tea made from a blend of the stalks, stems, and pale tips of green tea - creating a wonderfully subtle yet tannic flavor. It's kind of lighter than normal sencha, but with a creamy edge to it.

Rating: 7.5/10



Hokkaido bentou

-> Looks really awesome indeed. I was immediately smitten. Look at that bentou lacquerware, I want to buy one just like that!! The rice was perfect, and it's scattered with ikura (salmon roe) and salmon flakes.

Okay, let's delve into the contents:


Seafood gratin

-> I adore gratins. Especially when the Japanese made them. Perhaps some purists would argue that the French are still the experts when it comes to gratins, but Japanese gratins are very edgy and it's always a surprise what lies beneath that cheesy-licious crust. This one contains kanikama, fish, broccoli, and tomatoes in cream sauce.

Rating: 7.5/10


The middle section

-> Contains (in ascending order of yummy-ness): tofu steak, seedless grapes, stewed broccoli with mayonnaise, kamaboko (fish cake), nasu dengaku (stewed eggplant with sweet miso), teriyaki salmon, dashimaki tamago (rolled omelette), and tsukune (yakitori-style chicken meatball - YUM YUM)


Salmon sashimi

-> Really fresh - as expected from Masuya Group...



Deep-fried soft shell crab

-> The piece de resistance, and perhaps, the reason why this dish is called "Hokkaido bentou" (Tokyoites mostly go to Hokkaido to eat crabs, LOL) I don't usually go crazy about soft shell crabs, but this one is a yum-yum.

Rating: 8/10


21 comments:

Simon Leong said...

i love a good soft shell crab.

Leony said...

Nyum... Dunno why, but I think I will be happy to just eat the rice with the roe and flakes without the other contents. And yes, go SBY! Lanjutkan ! (Despite all of his weaknesses, at least he doesn't need a translator during his visits to other countries haha... Am I too shallow?).

Erique Fat Owl said...

@Leony

Heck, I'm even shallower than thou. I only voted for him because he looks so damn handsome and among all of the candidates, he looks like a president the most. LOL. Kidding. His policies aside, I just like him and I feel like I can trust him. He's very charismatic.

and yes, he speaks good English (perhaps the first Indonesian President since Soekarno to have that ability) - Habibie doesn't count 'cause who has ever considered him to be a real president anyway, LOL

Anonymous said...

dayuuummmm haven't had a good tonkatsu for aaggess now and their misokatsu is pretty good mmmm must go back soon

Bean Sprout's Cafe said...

I like this place, have been there a few times.. the bento there is so cute !

by the way, I would love to give you a "kreative blogger award" for you, and if you have time,
please check at

http://beansproutscafe.blogspot.com/2009/07/kreativ-blogger-award.html

Anonymous said...

Hi there!

I really enjoy your blog -- the reviews are incredibly detailed and the listing on the right column is great!

I was actually wondering what you thought about the Time Out magazine 'Sydney Food Awards' (http://www.timeoutsydney.com.au/restaurants/sydneyfoodawards)? They reviewed lots of restaurants and cafes and ranked them I don't know if you'd agree?

Anyway, you should check it out when you get the time and maybe add your two cents worth as well! :p

Mary

Tephy said...

Where have all the cows gone?

joey@forkingaroundsydney said...

Oh no, ANOTHER place I've been meaning to try but haven't. Looks good though. Thanks for the review!

sb said...

Ohh newly discovered this blog, and loving it!
Must check out this place in World Square... I visit World Sq. all the time but haven't been here yet! =)

And in another of your posts you mentioned a place at Maxim Plaza on George Street? What's the exact location of Maxim Plaza? I've been looking everywhere on George Street for it but can't find =P

Anonymous said...

Are the cows having mad cow disease?

It's been sometime since the last update, and I miss your updates! they are good, well spoken and entertaining!

hope to see your updates soon.

Anonymous said...

Guys, updates please.. we're missin u a loootttt :(

-cows'fan-

Erique Fat Owl said...

Hi everyone,

Just a quick hello -
It's been quite a few hectic months for us all, and we're thinking of updating the blog recently, but I procrastinate a lot (heh) so this blog has been abandoned for quite awhile. Well, fret not, I'll post some more stuff VERY soon, I promise!

(and hopefully with a new banner + layout as well)

cheerio for now,

erique

Anonymous said...

interesting blog! hope to see an update ;)

glutzee-g said...

i look forward to the new blog entries. Diverse cuisines unite the differences amongst humanity ;-)))

Monica said...

Whenever I've eaten at World square it's always been at Makoto - well now that I've seen the goodies you've had, I'll be more likely to come give Miso a shot - :)

Anonymous said...

I tried this place a couple of weeks ago and I loved the food as well as the service. I think I'll go back there again to try out the rest of their dishes.

irene said...

u guys's blog is so funny! dari indo ya? hehee

Vivian - vxdollface said...

love the bentos at Miso! I love how jap food is always presented so delicately beautiful :)

Andy said...

The katsu-don in Miso is great too!

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