Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Ryotaro Japanese Takeaway

Ryotaro Japanese Takeaway
Shop 117 Sunnybank Plaza, Mains Rd, Sunnybank



It's something of a ritual to have lunch with my parents once on the weekend. We tend to pick somewhere casual, Asian-influenced and in Sunnybank (since that's on the way from their house to my house). It tends to be Chinese food. Newway has been our regular eating spot for a while now but last week, we opted for a change.



My dad recalled a time when those Japanese plastic food displays were a marvel to him and claimed that he's never eaten 'one of those'. I assumed he wasn't talking about the plastic plates of food themselves but rather, the intricate bento boxes they're mimicking. Nowadays, I can think of a dozen or so Japanese places that would do a mean bento box but since none were close by and Ryotaro was right there, we decided to give it a go.


I'm a bit more critical with Japanese food than my parents since I eat at Japanese eateries quite often. They thought the prices were extremely cheap but to me, $8 for a curry is very normal... bordering on expensive. But the point is, this was the closest option.

I chose a pork katsu curry and mum and dad chose a sushi + sashimi box and a garlic fried rice to share.
Katsu pork curry

Miso soup

My curry came out first. I've had Japanese curry from lots of places and they tend to taste the same so I was under the impression that you don't get a lot of variety with Japanese curries. That's not a bad thing - they're consistently good. This one was a bit different though. I thought it was a bit watery and the flavor was slightly different too. Weaker. I couldn't put my finger on it until dad proclaimed that it tasted like Chinese curry. And it does too! I don't mind Chinese curry (especially with chicken and potatoes mmm...) so I'm not complaining but it's true that this Japanese curry was different to others I've had. The pork was nice and crisp though. Miso soup was normal - I'm not a huge fan so I don't really know how to 'rate it'.
Sushi and sashimi box

When the sushi + sashimi box came out, I noticed the fish etc wasn't that fresh. It wasn't so bad that you could taste it but this is the kind of thing that sets apart the REALLY good Japanese restaurants.
Garlic fried rice

The garlic fried rice was only $5 and it looked pretty tasty. I didn't try the sushi or fried rice so I can't comment on either of them.

Ryotaro Japanese is reasonable quality for an acceptable price. There are better Japanese eateries out there but if you're in that area and in the mood for Japanese, there's no reason not to stop by. It's located in the food court so ambience isn't really a factor but service was good.

1 comment:

  1. I have tried their garlic fried rice before.. it is quite nice considering it's so cheap.. I think they may use butter to fry, hence the 'tasting nice' :P

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