Tel: 9886 7755
SOPHISTICATION IN THE SUBURBS
It is a far too common occurrence in the suburbs that one enters Japanese restaurants only to find them staffed by waiters, and far worse, chefs, from Hong Kong or China. Sushi shops are the new juice bar and it seems as if everyone is trying to cash in on the craze, even if it means substanddard food.
Shira Nui suffers no such downfall. Upon entering this little 30 seater restaurant in Glen Waverley, one is immediately greeted by calls of 'irashaimasu' (welcome in Japanese). The chef, Hiro Nishikura proudly displays his certifications and credentials behind the sushi bar. As time would reveal, these were well earnt.
We went on a weekday for lunch and had no trouble securing a booking the morning we were going. However I would suggest booking as the restaurant is small, and does attract the business element from around the area. When we were there, it had no trouble filling up all 30 or so seats by 1 pm. The reason for this became apparent. The sushi lunch menu offers exceptional value for around $15-20. There is also hot food available, but undoubtedly the strength of this restaurant lays in its sushi/sushimi.
We had the $20 lunch set which included 2 small entrees, miso soup, chawan mushi, and a bowl of sushi. The entree included a few pieces of gently poached eggplant in a pool of dashi broth topped by Bonito flakes. Most definitely a highlight of the meal - simple, yet the flavours worked well together. My dining companions agreed. The cold noodles in a light mayonnaise with rocket were nice but not spectacular.
The chawan mushi was an eggy custard served warm with flecks of fish at the bottom. This custard had a suitably silken texture however one minor complaint is that it was a touch salty.
The sushi spread consisted of a couple of pieces each of Salmon, Tuna, Eel, John Dory (and another white fleshed fish I can't place) and egg served on a bed of sushi rice. The fish was firm and tasty, with none of the fishy taste one associates with fish that has past its sushi use by. The eel had a lovely fatty flavour to it that was only enhanced by the way it was cooked.
All in all it was a great meal that was only marred by the slightly inattentive but well-meaning staff.
Rating: 17/20
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