Musashi

447 Pitt Street (Cnr. Pitt & Campbell Street), Sydney

(Lunch) Monday to Friday 11:45am-2:30pm, (Dinner) Monday to Saturday 5:30pm-10pm

Who can't resist places with daggy/amazingly cool photos of the restaurant's chefs plastered upon the walls?! Certainly not me.

Having previously been here for dinner - and at that time being treated to the unique and wonderful culinary delight of watching six or more chefs, kitchen-hands, in addition to a sashimi-master (yes, he was a MASTER) prepare and cook your food in front of your headface whilst you sit at a bar area - the thought that lunch would be nice to share with friends was a good one.

Being seated at a normal table, one was able to notice the simple Japanese interior design so employed at Musashi rather than, like before, staring into the eyes...I mean, pans flipped and swirled by artisans. Is nice! Nevertheless the food is amazing, and all in all the architecture was not really that important. I'm just obsessed with that kind of thing.

On a whim I ordered a Green Tea Shake for an extra two dollars with my meal. Not usually into the whole 'mocktail' thing loved by namely this restaurant, it was nevertheless, well, quite good. A little bit watery for my liking, but I guess I shouldn't evaluate too harshly as I tend towards the preference of 'creaminess' rather than that more watery texture of sorbet's etc. in my taste. For a friend who loves the green tea though, it was enjoyed muchly!

Lately having the most bizarre need for the type of eel cooked at most Japanese and Korean restaurants, I decided to go with the lunchtime Unaju Set priced at $15. Mayhaps it is my new way of measuring the goodness of other restaurants specialising in these cuisines...sort of a "base" to judge upon? Maybe not. I love this restaurant quite alot for so many other reasons that their eel could not at all be the foundation with which my opinion rests upon. What a silly idea.

The presentation was, as usual, rather pleasing. It came out with side dishes of miso soup, a mini-salad, and a few pieces of sashimi salmon. Not being a huge fan of miso soup in general, it was, in fact, reported to be "really good". The salad was delicious - with a delightful sauce that I imagine was some sort of conglomerate between a mayonnaise (of sorts) and a sweetened soy - and the sashimi was as good as it gets...that is, it exists only to amaze the tastebuds. The eel was cooked to it's soft perfection and the (apparently) simple ingredients in the soy-based sauce melt with the small strands of dried seaweed and sesame seed garnish. Such an incomplex dish and yet so flavoursome. As tasty it was, the main problem for me were the tiny bones that were still there - it is supposed to be completely filleted. Thus I have never had eel with the bones remaining, and found this to be odd for such a meticulous place. Although really quite minute (the bones could never have been picked out like some other fish) it made the dish a tad unsavoury, if bites were not placed intermittently with plain rice, and just that little bit disappointing. Despite this I still highly recommend going here.

I wouldn't have written this much, if it were not the case.

What else was good? All others that accompanied seemed to be completely satisfied with the price and quality of Musashi. The Tonkatsu & Sashimi Set was yum, the Teriyaki Chicken & Sashimi Set (below) was scrumptious, and the Wagyu Yakiniku Beef Set (not tried) was professed to be fabulous.

I really love Musashi.

It's full of delicious things! The sashimi is fresh, and delicious! The sauces are so good that they often outshine the Kurobuta pork and Wagyu beef you're dipping them in to! They have Green Tea Crème Brûlée!

If you like Japanese food at all, this is a place you want to check out. Sure there's a queue to get in most times. But its awesometown japanese food at prices that students can afford. I just love that they pay attention to every detail, from how the random sides taste to how everything is presented. The major sashimi platter in particular is all kind of spectacular, but even the bento boxes we recieved for lunch was utterly perfect.

ITS JUST GOOD, ALRIGHT?! GO GET IT.

Also, they do a Sashimi + Wagyu Don for about $14. What kind of crazy came up with that? Are they insanity?
I just wish they kept the poster of the chefs smiling cheesily.

Ichi-ban Boshi

The Galeries Victoria
Level 2, 500 George St, Sydney
7 Days, 11am - 9pm

It's a ramen house!! And dayumn is it fine.

No matter what the hour is, or day, the queue for this place is always a long one. Personally I don't see a big problem with this as Kinokuniya lies directly opposite always waiting to consume anyone who dares enter. Level two, therefore, of this building is one of the best 'mall' levels EVER. Don't even try to contest that one.

So after what seems like an age of wanting to try this noodle bar out, a window of time is found to be had for some ramen. With a reasonable on-the-door waiting list for those before us, we mingle about the front podium - which marks the open entrance and which usually holds a cute Japanese girl with a headset - worrying about whether enough time was left to eat. Nevertheless we are taken in reasonably fast. And then supplied with a basket next to the table...which was for what exactly? My dirty laundry? Food scraps? Turtles? No, apparently my coat - I like the idea!

After much deliberation I decided to go with Aburi Chashu-men - gorgeously succulent pieces of pork which were flamed (who can't resist the addition of throwing flames at something?) and sitting within a mildly salty broth flavoured oh-so-slightly with ginger. The actual ramen was delicious, and accompanied with broth-marinated bamboo shoots, chopped spring onions, a bok choy (I would imagine) of sorts, and other soaked root vegetables, it became a hearty meal indeed.

Ichi-ban Boshi serves are huge (see scale of chopsticks in picture) and filled me up well enough for lunch and kept me going so I only had to have...a hot chocolate and Oreos for dinner *blushes*. For the $11.50 paid this was well worth the amount of food presented, as well as the anticipation of coming here.

As a side note, a big draw for this place is its famed 15 bowls-a-day-only Tonkotsu Ramen, a dish made with pork, and, among few other things, collagen. Yes, the stuff that fake lips are made out of. Will be in early upon my next visit in order to sample this dish of curiosity!

Instant Ramen has been a staple in my household for as long as I can remember. Easy to make, always delicious and generally awesome, I've oft considered the notion of moving out and eating nothing but ramen. The instant kind of ramen doesn't compare however, to some nice, freshly cooked fresh ramen that I was to receive at Ichi-ban Boshi.

Of course, being Korean, I have looked upon Japanese ramen with disdain, due to the consistent inability of the Japanese ramen I have tried to achieve the right type of spice to make that perfect bowl of ramen, and this was the case again. I went for the Tantanmen, which was delicious yet not quite fulfilling the requirements to be the "perfect bowl" that I was expecting from the recommendations I had heard. It was nice enough, but a tad bland. The servings are hearty, and the prices are low, perfect for students who want to eat a quick, filling dish.
I sound more disappointed than I actually was. A great place to go for lunch, the only downside being the wait for a table. The service is good, if a bit curt, and the atmosphere is very much food court-esque. I'd love to go back and try the other ramen on offer, but with Full House, Kura, Musashi, Ma Dang and a host of other excellent eats at the same price point abounding, it may suffer from the absurdly excellent competition in the area.