Fast forward to a time in 2016 looking for delicious affordable Japanese food. They apparently renovated last year and the decoration is now whiter, flashier and more modern. There is a back area or upstairs (I think) and the clientele remains the attractive private school students (albeit more trendy fashion these days) with some smatterings of others. I am proud to say I was there before (almost) everyone there.
The menu has expanded quite a bit too.
Firstly the green tea milkshake is exceptional. Very nice strong green tea flavour seemingly from a combination of icecream and milk. Probably the best version I've tasted.
- Takoyaki - not overly crisp but quite nice and with visible pieces of octopus;
- Tempura Soba $9.5 - nice chewy soba in tasty broth. Tempura served separately is a nice touch (as it should be to preserve the crisp batter) but the one prawn and odd vegetable medley were a bit average;
- Samurai Egg Noodles (fried chicken, egg noodles in miso base) $9 - the bowl has increased in size quite a lot since 10 years ago. The chicken is ridiculously tender and the noodles are perfectly cooked with some residual bounce. The broth is more watery and less rich than I remember.
The food isn't as exciting as I remember, but it's still very good. For the price and location (with relative ease of parking) it still can't be beaten for cheap Japanese food. Ocha-To-Go is another nearby one but my last visit 5 years ago was quite pricey and not as enjoyable.