Finding a good Japanese restaurant in Canberra is like finding a needle in the haystack. Being so far away from the sea, I can say that Canberra can not compete with Sydney in terms of fresh seafood with a good price. I hardly eat Japanese food in Canberra except getting sushis from the sushi shop so when I found out about Kokoro in Gungahlin, I was so excited about the visit.
The restaurant is located just outside the Coles shopping centre building so it should not be difficult to find although my friend and I were lost because we are not familiar with this area.
My Rating: 7.5/10
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| Kokoro Front Kitchen |
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| Kokoro Menu |
We were greeted by a very friendly waiter and the restaurant was almost full at around 6.30pm. The menu has an extensive 10 pages selection of entree, udon, sushi, sashimi, donburi, makisushi, tempura and salad. The price of the food is at the higher end. The service was attentive and quick.
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| Blooming Tea - Flower Tea In A Teapot |
We did not order the flowering/blooming tea this time but I had a peek on the blooming tea ordered by customers sitting next to us. Blooming tea is made up of a bundle of tea leaves which is wrapped around flowers and then binded together into a bulb and are set to dry. When soaked in hot water, the bundle expands and unfolds which resembles a blooming flower. The tea is usually served in a glass pot so that the blooming process can be enjoyed.
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| Kokoro Restaurant |
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| Chicken Katsu Udon $15.50 |
The udon came with deep fried chicken fillets, enoki mushroom, shredded seaweed and tofu in clear soup. A shaker of dried chili flakes is also provided to give the hint of spiciness to the dish. In terms of flavour, it is not as flavoursome as ramen so I had to put a reasonable amount of chili flakes to lift up the flavour.
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| Lion King Roll $21.50 |
The lion king roll is a very interesting name for sushis. The lion king is a rolled cooked tuna with avocado and grilled salmon on top generous amount of fish roe. The flavour combination is just heavenly! I can easily eat 2 serves of this by myself. The sweetness of tuna complement the freshness of the lightly grilled salmon with the saltiness of the fish roe, yummmmm. The red sauce tastes like the chili sauce served in the Vietnamese restaurant (if you know the one with a chicken logo on the plastic bottle :) ).
In overall it has been quite an enjoyable dining experience. I will definitely come back to try other Kokoro special makisushis.
WHERE CAN I FIND THE FOOD LISTED ABOVE???
Kokoro Japanese Restaurant - Shop 34 Coles Shopping Centre, 40 Hibberson St Gungahlin Canberra.
