Izakaya Kuroki, Chatswood

 Patty and I had walked past this restaurant on several occasions, each time telling one another how badly we wanted to go in and last week we finally had the chance! Izakaya Kuroki (300a Victoria Avenue, Chatswood) has only opened recently upon the relocation of Bread Top in Chatswood. It is directly opposite the bus stops outside Chatswood Chase and during dinner it is near impossible to miss with bright lights in and around the front foyer area.

Outside

Bench Area at Front

 

 

 There's not a whole heap of seating in the restaurant but they make the most of their limited space by having a cushiony wall couch running along the entire length of the wall.



Rest of the Restaurant

 

Lit up Sake Bottles!

 

 The main menu was like a picture book with heaps of detailed photos.

General Menu

 

 There were about 3 sake pages, there were so many to try! 

 

Sake/Drinks Menu

 The sake looked so good on the menu that I had to go for the 'Sake Tasting Sampler' where you could pick any 3 different sakes from the list for $9. Quite cheap. I was spoilt for choice so I let the waitress pick any 3 for me.

Sake Being Carefully Poured

 From left to right: (descriptions as per the menu)

Nebuta Momokawa Tanrei Junmai (Aomori)
Elegant and dry aroma

Bishonen (beautiful boy) Ginzukuri Junmai (Kumamoto)
Slight dry and sharp, rich rice flavour

Kurano Uta Junmai (Kyoto)
A smooth dry flavour Junmai, sweetness of rice and dryness when served cold. Matches well with Tempura, Karaage and Agedashi Tofu

Big Bottles

The Sake

 One of Patty's personal favourites, Edamame. The menu had a chilli version, 'Spicy Edamame' which is was we elected for. A little bit of a let down because all they did was add some powder that was barely spicy, but nevertheless it was still microwaved goodness.

Spicy Edamame

 

 There was an abundance of choice on the menu and the best thing about it was that there were heaps of interesting dishes that Patty and I have never seen or heard of before. One of those dishes being the 'Popcorn Prawn Tempura'. The others looked amazing but we just couldn't go past the half paged photo of the dish in the menu.

 It was our favourite dish of the night, light batter, piled prawn perfection, accompanied with a delicate black sesame mayonnaise and a simple salad on the side. The flavours all worked but if there is any criticism, the batter could have been a bit crispier even though it was drowned in sauce.

Popcorn Prawn Tempura
Prawn Tempura with Popcorn like Texture
with a Sesame Mayo Sauce

 

 

 

 It's pretty much impossible not to order a bowl of ramen when the people on the table next to you are digging into theirs. Hence the chain reaction starts. The 'Kuroki Ra-Men' was the choice for us. A pork based broth that was smooth and silky and had such a creamy flavour. The noodles were quite nice too, made just the way we like it, a little bit chewy still keeping its body. The let down for us was the pork mince in the bowl that was clumpy and dry. Overall though, the ramen was probably a little bit above average in terms of quality but still decent.

Kuroki Ra-Men
Pork Soup Base, Little bit Spicy, Kuroki Original Ra-Men Noodle

 

  

 

 

 Another thing which is pretty much impossible to pass by (well for me at least) is good beer! And with a current promotion happening, Sapporo is only $5, which is not bad for a restaurant.

 

 

Sapporo

 Initially only here for a quick bite we couldn't help ourselves in ordering more food. To end the night we got an additional 3 hand rolls. They were all delicious and we were especially surprised that the tuna and avocado roll was made with fresh raw tuna rather than cooked tuna.

 

Soft Shell Crab, Salmon Avocado, Tuna Avocado

 

Sink in the Toilet

 This restaurant is quite unique in that it has all the Japanese cuisine essentials such as the variety of Sushi Rolls, Teriyaki Beef/Chicken, Ginger Pork and Wagyu Steak but with that added extra touch. The menu encourages tapas style eating and in doing so it contains a variety of dishes such as;

 

Beef Cheek Stew

with Red Wine and Red Miso

 

Moro-Miso Baked Chicken

Miso Marinated Chicken, Baked in Oven

 

Ethnic Style Simmered Pork Belly

Pork Belly Simmered for 6 Hours, with English Muffin & Spicy Miso

 

Crispy Pork Belly

Baked Pork Belly served with Tobanjan (hot bean sauce), Mustard & Fried Shallot

 

Nagoya Style Tebasaki

Crispy Japanese Fried Chicken

 

 There are several more interesting entrées and tempura dishes too which would be well worth a try. I do regret not finishing off with a dessert as they had a 'Green Tea Brulee' that sounds really good in my head at least.

 The restaurant itself is presented really well and the food is quite decent. Patty and I really enjoyed the variety of the menu and would love to go again and try more food. In the end a great night and reasonably priced for the quality that was provided along with excellent service.

Bunny Rating-
Category: Dining