Menya - Haymarket, Sydney

One of the few ramen shops in Sydney that feels extra Japanesey - in the sense that just like many ramen shops in Japan, you order and pay before you're seated. Queues can be horrendous around 7 - 8pm at any day.

Miso katsu bento (chicken)
-> Considering the price, I'd say that this is quite good - but this dish really re-affirms my belief that money really doesn't lie. Can't really compare this to the real deal miso katsu in tonkatsu restaurants, but good enough for a quick meal.

I'd say that this is somewhat like standard ekiben (bento boxes sold in train stations in Japan) miso katsu quality. Not that good, but can't really complain.

Rating: 6/10

Menya ramen
-> Tonkotsu based and chashu with a twist. Instead of rich, pork-y aroma, this one is really leaning towards egg-y. Overall taste is so-so, and sometimes, it even tastes like very thick noodle water (i.e. water that is used to boil egg noodles over and over again 'till it's yellow and very cloudy in color). So....I guess...yuck?? LOL not really.

Rating: 5.5/10

Menya Gyoza
-> It's fine, except for the fact that they put SRIRACHA sauce on the top of the negi...AAARGH I hate sriracha!!! The idea may be novel for Japanese tongues, but for a Southeast-Asian, this really cheapen the food into an abysmal level. I mean, if I want Sriracha, I'd go to some street boiled clam stalls in Bangkok!

BTW, normal people would just discard the Sriracha sauce if they don't like it, but in this case, it sits on the top of my negi...you know how I LOOOVE my negi...

Rating (WITHOUT the stupid Sriracha): 7/10
Rating (WITH the stupid Sriracha): 4/10

Fujiya - Sydney

This place is certainly the most popular izakaya in the City area. The food is okay, but the service is really really slow due to the fact that they're severely understaffed for such a big and crowded place. They only open for dinners, and expect an hour queuing time plus another hour wait for your food to arrive if you dine on weekends.

Strictly speaking, the food is nothing special compared to other izakayas in Sydney. However, their convenient location and spacious venue made it popular among drunken Japanese students. As expected from an izakaya-style restaurant, the place is as noisy as Tsukiji fish market when packed on weekends. Prices are on the higher side considering the rather small portions, and some waiters do not even speak English well.

However, they do serve a wide variety of cocktails and chuuhai, most of them really yummy and do justice to their original counterparts in Japan.

One word of advice - order everything you can possibly expect to consume in one go - because as I said before, there's a looong waiting time for the food to arrive. Ordering extra stuff would cause frustrations as your appetite might wane by the time the extras arrive. And also, don't expect all the food for your party to arrive at the same time. Really frustrating, I know - especially when it's highly possible for you to finish your food before your friend's food even arrive.

...or just go to other places. There are better izakayas like Ju Ju in King's Cross.

Sushi & Sashimi Boat

Gyoza

Tempura set

Beef Teriyaki set

Mochi spring roll

Takoyaki Gratin
(Note: not as good as it looks.)

Agedashi Tofu

Strawberry Cocktail

Grape Chuuhai