Goryan-San

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An izakaya is a Japanese pub, but unlike Australian pubs where it is filled with pokie machines and beer-soaked bar tables, the izakaya focuses on food just as much as on alcohol - and as a lover of both food and alcohol (and who thinks slamming down drinks until you black out is a despicable waste of calories allowance and alcohol), I can certainly get behind the concept.

It would appear that so is everybody else - make sure you book! The place is completely packed out by 6pm; and the first time I visited (hoping to just drop in), I wasn't able to because, again, the place was already packed out.



Goryon-san has an impressive list of Japanese whiskey, sake, umeju (plum wine), but I'm here for the food - to be specific, the mouth-watering skewers cooked right before your eyes in the open grill kitchen.

LPB Skewers (sauce / chese), $7.50 per serve 
LPB, I presume, stands for lettuce pork belly. One head of lettuce yields only 5 skewers, it is wrapped around some fatty pork belly, and drenched with a sweet soy and mayonnaise based sauce; or alternatively with a slice of American cheese laid on top.

Sukiyaki wrapped in wagyu beef, $9
One of Goryan-San's specialties, the sukiyaki swerkers consist of kale wrapped in wagyu beef and dipped in a soft-boiled egg which coats the sweker with its soft, silky goodness.

Scallop and Bacon sweker, $8 each
This is a comparatively pricey skewer, but it is worth it! My favourite by far, it is the best of scallops and bacon - the scallop is tender and flavoured by the fat of the bacon, an entirely melty, wonderful experience.

Wagyu Tama Toro Croquette, $18

Wagyu Tama Toro Croquette - $18
Basically a Japanese scotch egg - a soft boiled egg wrapped in wagyu and potatoes, drizzled with a red wine tomato sauce. The soft boiled egg makes everything dreamy, but I would saywagyu is barely noticeable. It really is a softer, less hearty version of scotch egg. Delicious, yes. Best item on the menu? Well, read on - there are so many other wonderful things that I'd save my stomach for them instead.

Unagi Kabayaki Bowl, $17
This is extremely good value. Unagi (Japanese grilled egg) is one of the most prized items on any Japanese restaurant menu for me. It is grilled perfectly, and rests on paper-thin omelette, seaweed, cucumber sesami seed and pepper-drizzled rice. The flavours and textures are interesting, I would eat this all day.


Tempura Prawn chili yogurt style, $18
Four gigantic prawns, slightly battered, with a tantalising, creamy sauce. The prawn has lovely bouncy flesh, and its natural sweetness is not overpowered by the chili yogurt. I highly recommend it.

Hakata “TAKI-AWASE”, $27
I didn't expect to find yet another contender for my favourite ramen in Sydney at Goryon-San. To be honest, if it weren't for the fact that it's traditional in my culture to have noodles to celebrate a birthday, I almost missed out  on this item - it's not a ramen house, so how good can the ramen be? How wrong I was.

The broth is thick and meaty, the noodles with a delightfully satisfying chewy bounce, and it comes with 6 house-specialty gyoza. A solid lunch for two right there.

Score: 4/5
Price: approx $60pp
Address: 47 Reservoir Street, Surry Hills
Website: https://goryon-san.com.au/


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