CBD Eats

Roast jerk chicken, carrot and sweet potato mash, roasted garden vegetables, garlic broccoli, dried cranberries and farmhouse gravy. Chicken was very tender and moist, and everything was perfectly seasoned - no bland veggies here. This was a hearty and delicious protein bowl and we couldn’t stop raving as we ate it. That gravy just pulled everything together perfectly.

A bit of an indulgence for lunch at $28 but a worthy one indeed. The slices of sashimi were very fresh and the prawns not slimy at all. Comes with a free bowl of salad, with 4 choices - sesame eggplant, wakame, potato salad and a normal green salad. Best of all - there was a blackout and their service recovery was 🥇 cos they only charged us for 1 out of our 2 mains. One of my fave places.

This is one of my all time favorite pork dishes. The unctuous and unabashedly fatty pork is perfect with the pickled raisins which provide a perfect contrast.

How have I not visited this place... it’s so close to my office and it costs about $10 for a solid bowl of pho! The soup was light but very tasty, and it seems like there was no MSG used at all since I wasn’t thirsty afterwards. But the true star was that fried spring roll. Definitely not one of those half-filled, airy, stodgy spring rolls - this was served piping hot with a great crunch to it and it was full of delicious filling. #legit

We were majorly impressed by this. Served piping hot, the crispy fish skin was coated with an amazing salted egg sauce - one of the best we’ve had. Slight pricey at $12 but it was goooood.

This is my fave item here - crispy and juicy and all around flavourful and better than the xiaolongbaos. We were served by a wizened old lady who has been working there for decades. The last time I went the shop was more rundown and rustic; it is now upgraded and clean and modern. Pity business has dropped a lot because of the construction boarding all around. All the better for us since no crowds to deal with because the food is still great~

Part of Aburiya’s newly launched lunch sets, this was delicious. Melt in the mouth slices of beef and onion with perfectly cooked rice. Even the salad starter was delicious, with a slightly different (but tastier) sesame dressing. $12 nett. This was the original rice bowl but there were some other interesting dishes on the menu, including udon and curry dishes. Will be back!

Generously portioned and super tasty steak rice bowl for $10? Sign me up.

Part of the set lunch, which also included super delicious mixed mushrooms cooked in butter and dessert. One of my favorite places to sneak away to in the CBD for a quiet and indulgent meal. While the set lunches cost upwards of $25, I think the quality makes it worth it. The beef had great char and smokiness while remaining super tender.

Generous amount of tender pork heaped on top of a fresh salad - this was so good. Particularly enjoyed the variety in the salad, including sweet potato, beetroot, pine nuts and the usual salad leaves. Not particularly cheap at $13 but the quality (and quantity of meat) makes it reasonable.

One of 4 lunch set options - this was super yummy. A bit wetter than usual, but not too salty. Chicken was nicely marinated too. We were surrounded by Japanese diners and colleagues say this is very authentic. Will be back to try their yakitori at dinner one day.

Added $1 for an onsen egg with tobiko. Super yummy. Soft, perfectly cooked salmon topped with punchy ponzu marinated garlic and mentaiko. Rice had great texture too. I want this place to succeed but the question is whether it will survive in the long run, what with the (probably killer) rent, the fact that the shop wasn't full when we went, and the relatively high prices of the bowls ($16.90 and above)...