Is Donburi, 6003

Is Donburi is another notch OnWilliam’s belt, worth bragging about. They’ve only been around a little while but Is Donburi has already norm’ed its way into savvy Northbridge dweller lunch schedules. And why wouldn’t you make this a regular with what’s on offer? A clean well-lit dining space, take-away meals at the window, speedy service, complimentary Japanese tea and Miso, and delicious Japanese meals. 

The menu - what a selection! All the usual suspects are going, with special attention to Donburi, which takes the form of Teriyakis, katsu, kimchi, don with egg, seafood Chirashis and more. 

Teriyaki Salmon Don, $15.80

We tucked into the Teryaki Salmon Don (above), $15.80 - a substantial serve of glazed pink salmon with a variety of salady bits atop steamed rice. And also the Seafood Chirashi Don, $15.50 – a mix of fresh salmon, king fish, tuna prawn, squid, an exciting tapestry of mixed veggies and a zingy fruit based dressing. The raw fish was A-grade and Donburi overall was very fresh.

Seafood Chirashi Don $15.50

Of course, no Japanese eatery is complete without at least one novelty. Get a load of their Spring roll sushi rolls :D - 

Food: 4/5 (fresh, varietal, lengthy menu)
Value: 4/5 (too pricey and modern for the ‘cheap and cheerful’ category but for the freshness and size, very good bang for your buck)
Service: 4/5 (open 7 days, fast, plus free tea and miso soup)
Ambience: 4/5 (clean open space with access to decent William St. people watching) 

Mr. Munchies Sushi - 6050

Bespoke, made fresh sushi? Hell yes! I am LOVING this idea. And its an Australian first. I met Mr Munchie when I was travelling through the arcade that divides Grill'd and Gelare in Mt Lawley. At the end of the passageway I discovered a funky little sushi bar, looking spanking new and begging for me to break it in.

The way it works is that you choose your base - chicken, beef, pork, salmon, tuna, other seafood, or vegetarian (about 16 options!). Then add your stuffing, like cucumber, carrot, raddish, tofu, bacon...Next select fancy toppings such as black sesame, garlic chips or Tobikko and finally pick from one of their Japanese sauces. Your sushi is then made fresh, right before your eyes. In the back kitchen you can see a chef grilling cuts of juicy meats, which are brought out steaming and laid down on the neat rows of sushi and nori, ready to be rolled.

If you find yourself overwhelmed by the freedom of options (I spent at least 20 minutes deciding), then they have some ingenious sushi combos to suggest. I went for the ‘Seafood Roll’, Small size ($10.50). Thick chunks of fresh salmon, cucumber and steamed prawn were wrapped artfully in reverse rice and seaweed, then topped with little chunks of tuna sashimi, chilli flake coils and wasabi mayo and chilli mayo. Just awesome. The effort given to presentation goes beyond expectations of a casual sushi bar and the portion size was very reasonable for a small. Filled me up good.

Small Seafood Roll

This place is going to be a hit. And with options this good and sushi this delicious, I can tell you already I am going to become a regular attachment.

Hits - fresh, fast, customised sushi! The choice!

Misses - No brown rice (pffffft...clutching at straws here.)

Tak'E Sushi, 6059

This has got to be the best take-away sushi I know in Perth. Phenomenal freshness and big time deliciousness, at next to nix prices. I go bananas for the classic canned tuna roll. Flavoursome flaked tuna wrapped with just a slither of lettuce, smudgy avocado and crisp cucumber. The rice is the perfect consistency and there is a generous filling to rice ratio. Six pieces of this fantastic tuna sushi is just $5.50. Bargain! Donburi and bento sets go for about $10-$15.

The miso is also high quality. The taste is wholesome and you’ll find shaved leek wading at the bottom of your styrofoam cup, and its always piping hot!

6 pcs tuna $5.50

Miso soup

The family operating Tak'E are so sweet, greeting everyone with a genuine smile and little bow of the head.

Note that Tak’E is strictly take-away. Standing room only. The shop is tiny! Locals love their Tak’E take-away so be prepared for a bit of a wait if you come at peak times.

Food: 5/5 (Fresh, tasty, good portions).
Service: 4/5 (Helpful, fast…may be a 30-minute wait for fresh made sushi after 6:30pm)
Value: 5/5 (For the quality, it’s awesome!)
Ambience: 4/5 (Even though its just an in-and-out set up, the display of sashimi and friendly family make it a bit special).

Suisen, 6054

You wouldn’t know it existed unless you frequented the area, in fact maybe not even then – I asked the lady working at the Op Shop on the same street for directions and she hadn’t heard of any Japanese in Bassendean. Another lady browsing the shop overheard and excitedly told me where to go, calling after me; “they do the BEST sushi!”.

From the front, like most hidden Japanese take-aways, it’s pretty "meh", wedged between a butcher and a bakery. Inside it’s very basic but there’s still an inviting and serene air. Pale green walls, saxophone tunes and bamboo matting shielding the interior from the outside mundane and heat. I can't put my finger on it, but it's unexplainably and quietly ambient. 

The menu is pretty typical Japanese – sushi rolls ($6.50 - $6.80 for 5 pcs and $13.00 - $13.80 for 10 pcs), Nigiri, Sashimi, Bento sets, Japanese curry, Donburi, noodle soup and fried noodle dishes too.  Something I haven’t seen on many take-away menus is the grilled Snapper set  ($20) and “Shio Saba (salted Mackerel) Set” ($16.00).

I waited with a copy of Japanese Australian News...not that I could read any of it

  I ordered two pieces of Salmon Nigiri, a miso soup and a cooked tuna and cucumber hand roll which they made up for me on special request. I got a side of pickled ginger too for an extra $1 – a little steep, but the overall the price – about $14 wasn’t too bad I thought.

Tuna hand roll with cucumber, salmon nigiri

The Salmon Nigiri was especially fresh and fleshy and the cooked tuna was awesome too.

 The walls are dotted with pictures of custom-made sushi which you can have made up on pre-order and for parties – like heart shaped sushi rolls, interesting sashimi presentations and other random eats like batter fin? Still not quite sure what that is...

rolls and entrees ready to go

At the counter was a quirky collection of Japanese bits and bobs like hair accessories and character key rings.  They also had some copies of Japanese Australian News - a nice touch. 

Japanese knick-knacks for sale

Overall I enjoyed the hide-away setting, the sushi was tasty and service friendly. It's a sushi hit!

Suisen, 6054

Sushi: 4/5
Ambience: 4.5/5
Service: 4.5/5