Oiishiiiiii

What really wowed me about this bowl of ramen was the texture of the noodles. It was just hard enough, with enough bite, But didn’t feel undercooked. The soup was super flavorful but do note that it thickens when mixed in with the chilli sauce. Not sure why though. For $13.90, I’ll be back.

Probably the best gyoza ($5) in town. Simple, unassuming, flavourful gyoza pieces that are crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside, with not too much skin. Paired with white vinegar here, the combination goes perfectly!

Saw some people making their own spicy vinegar chili base, similar to the Chinese Spicy wanton (红油抄手), with the available condiments and I am so interested to try that the next time round.

A cheap-ish alternative to the Japanese food within the area. Gyoza no Osho is most well known for their gyoza itself and I’m sad to report that their Tonkutsu Ramen ($15) is pretty bland. Noodles were slightly overcooked and the soup base just want creamy enough. However, it could be saved by throwing in heaps of chili sauce (found in a container on the side of the table). The result will remind you of the Ajisen Volcano Ramen (but less spicy).

Really? Granted, the gyoza here are more than decent, but to be rated no. 1 is really quite a big hat to fill... Nevertheless, at $4.80/ 5 pieces, I believe that’s the best value you can get in town. I liked how the gyozas are plump with minced pork, and how the skin is nicely crisp, but I thought the skin felt a little too ‘commercial’. Still, I’ll be back.

The upgraded version of the original mentaiko. I thought the mentaiko flavour was pronounced and flavourful but I didn’t feel it blended well with the gyoza. Furthermore, the sauce reduced the crispness of the gyoza ):

This Buta Ramen ($7.80, +$2 for spicy) is so damn spicy, it kind of reminds me of the the spicy volcano chilli from Ajisen Ramen. While tasty, I thought the noodles was overdone and the soup was a little too oily. Portion was kind of small too. But that portion of Chashu is quite generous.

Ordered this as it seemed to be one of the best sellers here. At $19/bowl, I can see why.

It's infinitely better than one of the supposedly famous Japanese shops that I've tried recently. The Bara Chirashidon was super generous. The fish cubes were never ending, I still had some pieces left over after finishing up my rice.

Even more importantly, the freshness is indisputable. I could almost smell the sea with every mouthful.

Also, two thumbs up for the wasabi and picked ginger on the side. The wasabi can surely bring tears to your eyes (cause it's so pungent and so good!!!) and the pickled ginger is a perfect balance of sweet, tangy and spicy.

Ok I got to admit. I am way too late to the game.

Oh Wagyu Don ($34), where have you been all my life? Seriously one of the best beef bowls I've had (I haven't had Fat Cow's though), this Wagyu was nothing short of smoky and umami. Every mouth, I feel the marbled fats melting into my tongue and releasing a sexy smoky flavour that just keeps me going back for more!

The price point is a little high for the quantity you get, but the quality can certainly justify.

Oh, and I also loveeeddddd that deep fried garlic in there. Pungent, dry and crispy max, it was the perfect side kick to the superstar beef!

I guess you could say that my idea of comfort food goes both way - extremely soupy or deep fried. Really couldn't resist it when I saw this Tempura Udon ($16, there is a soba option too!) on the menu cause it has 2 things I love - soup and fried food!!!

I liked that the soba base was only not overly salty and had a nice soyu fragrance. Coupled with the thick chewy soba noodle, it was a really comforting eat. The tempura didn't go wrong. It wasn't overly oily and remained nicely crisp towards the end on the meal. My only gripe - they served a slice of carrot instead of a sweet potato.

To be fair, the gyoza ($8) was really quite yummy - the skin was of the right thickness, the meat was okay. But I wished they left it on the pan a while more for the skin to crisp and brown ): I'm such a sucker for crispy skin gyozas.

Their famous Chirashi-don has earned tons of praises from the people around me. I mean, if the fish is really so fresh, I guess I would get a similar experience when I have their Chirashi soba ($19) right?

Not sure if it was the high expectations that killed or pure bad luck, the Chirashi soba was... just above average. Not bad, not fantastic. Was expecting the fish to melt-in-the-mouth, but that didn't happen...

Oh well.

A quick check at Burpple and you'll see that almost every Burppler who has been to Sumiya reviewed it's Chirashidon set ($20) that comes with pickles, chawanmushi, salad, soup, mochi and the highly rated Chirashidon. With fishes so chunky and fresh, I enjoyed every spoonful of fish cubes! Best part, the mountain of chirashi is sizable and I felt very very satisfied after the meal.