Yayoi Garden

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Power lunch in a beautifully quiet Japanese restaurant in the middle of the city? Yes please.

Yayoi Garden is quintessentially Japanese - its lunch menu is all about having many small dishes surrounding a central dish, arranged beautifully and giving a little taste of all these things that we associate with Japanese food. Compared with the usual one-dish wonder that we regularly pass off as lunch, Yayoi Garden offers something that satisfies my tastebuds' thirst for variety.

Miso Pork Fillet Katsu Teishoku, $22
Wagyu Sukiyaki Teishoku, $25

Let's break down each component of these sets.

Miso Pork Fillet
The miso pork fillet is salty and heavy - this is not to be taken as criticism, I'm merely pointing out that it's a hearty and filling option that's perfect with rice (provided in the set menu). The egg in the middle is only very softly boiled, and takes away some of the saltiness of the miso sauce. Despite the fact that the pork fillets are fried in bread crumbs and drenched in sauce, it is not at all soggy.

Wagyu Beef hotpot
Just like the miso pork fillet, the wagyu beef hotpot is so large and hearty it really constitutes a meal in itself - the udon noodle makes the rice quite redundant, but I really enjoy putting rice in the soup.

Sushi
I suppose you could call these Californian rolls - a simple sushi of salmon sashimi, cucumber and avocado. I like the way Yayoi cooks its sushi rice - very soft but not cluggy.

Salad with salmon sashimi
A cute, small cuddle of salad topped with very fresh salmon sashimi of a quality cut.

The set menu also comes with miso soup, edamame (soy beans in shells) and rice. Special mention to the edamame - beautifully cooked, fresh and lighly flavoured.

Matcha Warabi Mochi, $6.50
A very traditional Japanese dessert, the matcha mochi (almost jelly like dessert) may not be to everyone's taste. I can certainly appreciate how well-made the dessert is: the matcha powder is sufficiently bitter without tasting grassy; the mochi is chewy but not sticky, the red bean syrup on the side is light and subtle. However, that doesn't mean I like it - it's far too bland to satisfy my sweet tooth, and the mochi texture doesn't quite sit well with me. That said, I'm sure those who appreciate very light desserts may enjoy this; and as I said, it really is well-made.

Score: 3.5/5
If you like big lunches and quiet ambiences in the middle of the hustle and bustle, Yayoi Garden is definitely for you.
Cost: quite reasonable for the amount of quality food you get, but your wallet will probably protest if you had this for lunch every day. Unless, of course, you are fortunate enough to have no money trouble - and I suspect there are quite a number of these people in the vacinity.
Address: 38 Bridge Street Sydney
Website: http://www.yayoigarden.com.au/

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