When it came to pleasing their target market, Mizuya definitely got it right. Sleek touch screen menus, sophisticated karaoke rooms and even 50c Green Tea Ice Cream Takeaway... it all appeals to the young urban Asian demography – the typical residents of Sydney’s George St.
J&L had already tried lunch at Mizuya some time ago but with the desire to try some of the dinner-only items AND the opportunity to try their karaoke rooms, we grabbed along a few more stomachs (and voices :P) to join us. Accompanying us was Y, P and T and we were starved! =)
Dim lit, air-conditioned and separated private booths, it was a perfect place to relax and escape from the heat. Upon arrival though, we discovered that the dinner karaoke package required us to spend a minimum of $198!
“Umm... Wasn’t it like $20? For Food and Karaoke?” questioned Y.
“Umm... Wasn’t it like $20? For Food and Karaoke?” questioned Y.
“Yeah! That’s what we read last time...I remember! ” J confirmed.
A quick reference to the menu, it turns out that during lunch Mizuya offers a Karaoke and Lunch Package for $20 (2 hours) and a Karaoke and Dinner Package for $198 (3 hours). With that in mind, we decided to just skip karaoke and go straight to the food...after all that’s what we were most interested in anyways right? ;)
We really wanted to try these test tube drinks which we saw from our previous visit. But even after several attempts to find it on the menu, we still couldn’t find it =( So we asked the first waiter passing by ...
“No sorry. We don’t have them anymore. Probably later,” he brusquely explained before rushing off to assist another table.
Still unfeeling satisfied, we couldn’t help but ask the waitress this time.
“Ohhh...we might have finished them already today! But let me check with the kitchen first ok?” she offered.
A few minutes later she came out with a smile on her face
“Do you still want the test tubes? We can make them for you!”
“Awwww yes please... THANK YOU! ” we chorused, ecstatic that we had asked a second time.
Mizuya Test Tubes ($18)
The test tubes came in a rack of 6 with 2 of each of the flavours – peach, grapefruit and pineapple. They had very little alcohol, making it a nice light fizzy drink. It was actually quite hard to get the crushed ice and liquid to come out, but we definitely enjoyed this novelty.
Looking at all the hotpots around us, J Y and T decided to follow their lead. Y went with the Wagyu Beef Shabu-Shabu while J and T chose the Wagyu Beef Sukiyaki. The Shabu-Shabu was a light and clear meat broth, whereas the Sukiyaki was a stronger-flavoured sweet soy soup base. They both came with the same ingredients- thinly sliced tender wagyu, vegetables and mushrooms… it was a feast on all of its own. Extra rice or udon noodles can also be ordered to eat with the tasty soup.
Small Wagyu Beef Sukiyaki ($15.50), Small Wagyu Beef Shabu-Shabu ($15.80)
Shabu-Shabu
Sukiyaki (with cracked egg in soup :P which you're not supposed to do as it's meant for dipping-like a sauce)
Udon noodles ($4.80)
P had the Ochazuke- a tea soaked rice dish with a generous serving of salted salmon, japanese pickles and seaweed on top. The portion was very tasty and very filling for P.
Ochazuke ($6.80)
L went for the Salmon Kushiage which was crunchy thanks to its deep friend coating. The salmon inside was moist and very soft. L also ordered the Chicken & Prawn Chawan-Mushi which actually took ages to come out – even after alerting the attendants multiple times. It was however a pleasant dish with generous chunks of chicken, vegetables and prawn in the soft steamed egg mixture.
Salmon Kushiage ($4.00)
Chicken & Prawn Chawan-Mushi ($4.00)
One bad thing about having a touch screen menu with us is that we get to see photos of all the dishes they offered. Flicking through the menu again and again, we got so tempted by the looks of the cheese baked oyster and scallops! Mmmm… anything topped with baked cheese can never go wrong hehe
Creamy Miso Cheese Oyster ($10.80)
Creamy Miso Cheese Scallop ($9.80)
And of course... dessert =) We couldn’t resist ordering the Green tea Crème Brûlée which was a definite pleaser. A Japanese take on the classic dish, we could taste the creamy green tea goodness with the unmistakable top layer of caramelised sugar.
Green tea Crème Brûlée ($6.50)
While Mizuya lacks in restaurant service, the menu boasts affordable prices and a wide range of innovative choices. Next time we go, we’re thinking karaoke... for lunch :PNibble on Nibbles! xx
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Mizuya Japanese Restaurant & Karaoke
Basement, 614 George St
Sydney 2000
Sydney 2000
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