Kokoro is a pleasant restaurant situated near Coles in the Gungahlin shopping area. It offers lunch specials and a variety of Japanese food and also is a place where you can try the Blooming Tea which is pretty to look at and nice to drink.
As both Lindsay and Alexi desired sushi, sashimi, takoyaki, etc., ta decision was made to try a banquet for two people and thus this blog entry will be a little different to the normal entries.
Alexi and Lindsay
We chose the Course 1 Kokoro $39.00 per person menu because we wanted to try certain things on the menu that we remember from our travels in Japan. Individually they rack up in cost so the meal was good value.
Lindsay: It saved us money so that made me happy.
Edamame and Lencon chips
Alexi: The lotus chips were nice and salty and crunchy. The Edamame were not my cup of tea but the nicest I’ve had.
Lindsay: Edamame isn’t something I go out of my way to eat. They were nice, just the same. The lotus chips I liked and then they brought out a dipping sauce. It was a creamy wasabi or horseradish sauce. I am unsure as it was so creamy it didn’t have the bite. It wasn’t hot at all but had the flavour of that kind of root. I loved that dipping sauce and it just made the lotus chips so moreish. I think neither Jamie nor Alexi enjoyed the sauce as much as I did as I cannot stop raving about it.
Sashimi and Sushi
Lindsay: Salmon, tuna and mackerel sushi and sashimi were the next course (we think as we are not experts on fish.) I found the white fish (mackerel?) to be perfect as a sashimi and sushi. All the fish was very fresh tasting and the sashimi was perfect as was the sushi.
Alexi: There were two pieces of salmon, tuna and mackerel sushi and four pieces of each as sashimi. I started with the salmon sushi and it was really nice, really smooth and tasty. Perfect rice, beautifully presented and it tasted fresh. Then I had the salmon sashimi which was just as good and fresh. Then I moved onto the tuna which to my surprise had a small bead of wasabi buried in the rice. I normally do not like wasabi but this was such a small amount that it just added to the flavour perfectly. Then I tried the mackerel which also had some wasabi which only enhanced the flavour without spoiling it. I haven’t actually had horseradish before so I am not entirely sure if it was horseradish or really well prepared wasabi.
Takoyaki with Okonomiyaki
Alexi: When this came out I was really happy as it was smothered in bonito flakes and sauce. A winning combination. Having the Takoyaki reminded me of having them in Osaka including eating them too quickly and scalding the back of my oesophagus. They were perfectly fluffy and the octopus wasn’t rubbery. The Okonomiyaki was good but I was disappointed as I wasn’t able to cook it myself as if the custom in Japan.
Lindsay: When the plate was put down, I watched happily as the bonito flakes danced for my amusement. It reminded me a lot of when I was in Japan cooking one for myself, at a bar in Shinjuku. My biggest disappointment was when I had to cut it in half and give half to Alexi. It was topped with shallots, bonito flakes, mayonnaise, seaweed and the special sauce. Inside it contained perfectly cooked prawns, cabbage and other good stuff in a nice fluffy batter. It was heaven.
The Takoyaki were delicious and perfectly cooked and fluffy.
Chicken Karaage
This is a Japanese version of deep fried chicken.
Lindsay: I am incredibly picky about my chicken. I’ve only liked bits of chicken that aren’t breast in circumstances in which it is done perfectly with the right amount of cooking time and sauces. I tried a piece and it wasn’t quite up to my incredibly difficult standards.
Alexi: I enjoyed this chicken. I enjoyed it more than the lotus chips. I am a big fan of thigh fillets. I find it to be moist and contains more flavour than breast. This wasn’t the best fried chicken I’ve ever had, but it was definitely up there and a thousand times better than a certain chicken chain.
Sweet Snapper Roll
Alexi: This was a sushi roll with an incredibly amount of depth in it. It had roe, crispy bits of tempura batter, a piece of snapper and a nice mayonnaise on the outside and delicious crab on the inside. With putting a whole piece in your mouth at one go, the different textures and flavours sing a delicious melody on your tongue.
Lindsay: Best thing on the menu, hands down. 10/10. Would eat again. And again, after the first one is finished. Would order five plates.
Teriyaki Salmon
Lindsay: I don’t know what I would recommend more in this dish. Mind you, I was incredibly full at this point. The salmon had a really pleasant teriyaki sauce on it. The skin was delicious and a little salty which complimented the sauce. The flavour of the salmon and sauce did not overpower each other but were both present. But I think the winner of the plate was the stir fried vegetables that were underneath the salmon. I can’t remember a time when I have enjoyed a piece of onion that much. Best stir fried Teriyaki vegetables I’ve ever had in Australia.
Alexi: I’m not usually a huge fan of cooked salmon. I find it overly fishy, as in fish oily. I enjoyed this mostly. I would have enjoyed it more if I were not so full from the rest of the meal, but as Lindsay said, the stir fried vegetables were amazing. If I got this again I would try to negotiate for Teriyaki Chicken instead.
Dessert
Lindsay: I was so full at this point that I gave my dessert to Jamie.
Alexi: I really enjoy green tea ice cream and the chocolate sauce added to it and the ice cream was adequate. It was a nice way to round out the meal.
Jamie: Brain freeze. I love ice cream but always eat it too fast. It was nice.
Atmosphere and Staff
Lindsay: I loved the interior decoration and the tables were nice and the chairs were comfortable. I felt like the serving staff weren’t particularly enthusiastic. They seemed nice but nothing to write home about like some of the places we’ve gone to recently. We cleaned most plates.
Score: 4.5/5
Alexi: The decorations and table were good. I liked the atmosphere and the jazzy Japanese music added to the atmosphere. The serving staff were adequate. Nothing special and because of this my score was lowered.
Score: 4.5/5
Jamie
I ordered the Teriyaki Beef Bento Box Lunch Special ($13.50) and ordered the Rose, Camelia and Lemon Blooming Tea ($9.00).
The staff kindly listened to my request for no seafood and the rice rolls or sushi were very tasty. As I rarely eat sushi, it was probably the best I’ve eaten. The small spring roll was crunchy and tasty and the pickles gave me the usual amount of enjoyment.
The Teriyaki Beef was probably my least favourite part of the bento box. It is good for the price but didn’t entice me and make my tongue sing, dance or perform acrobatic tricks; not that food usually does. I have had better even in the course of writing this blog, but it was fresh and the vegetables were good.
As the lunchtime crowds I did notice the staff became quite busy and the restaurant appeared quite busy which might be one of the reasons the service quality declined. The plates on which the food was served were very attractive.
I too enjoyed the music, some of which I recognised as soundtracks from popular animes.
I cleaned my plate.
Score: 4/5
Overall
Lindsay and Alexi enjoyed some of their banquet greatly, other parts not so much. The quality and quantity of the food was worth the price and plans are being made to return for the Sweet Snapper Roll and Takoyaki with Okonomiyaki. The lunch special was pleasant but not remarkable but good value for a filling lunch.
Overall Score: 4.3/5
Clean the Plate 