Being unable to procure a table at Kawasamei at short notice - booked out on a WEDNESDAY - the other half and I went in search of sit down Japanese.
Now you would think that Orizuru sharing space with Mures would have GOOD seafood at its disposal. Unfortunately not.
Booked a table for 7:15 - arrived and was shown table and handed hot towels - nice touch.
We examined the menu for what we felt like - I was craving sushi and/or shashimi, the other half wanted similar. So we decided on the dinner platter for 2, complimented with some yakini beef entree for him, and oysters for me.
The beef was tough - and difficult to eat with chopsticks, the pieces were too large to be a polite mouth size. The oysters, while fresh, did not have that lovely sea salt taste to them you would expect with truely fresh oysters.
As for the main course - oh dear, oh dear oh dear. A large platter was presented to us, including about 9 small pieces of sashmi, 2 oysters, 4 maki and about twenty smallish pieces of sushi (6 nigiri, 3 californian, 3 vegtarian (letteuce and mayo), 3 salmon, 3 tuna and 2 other pieces).
Firstly, the oysters were not that good - definately not fresh, as they were not plump and juicy.
The sashimi was dry and shrivelled looking. The tuna in the shashimi was a dark maroon colour as oppose to a lovely dark pink colour you would expect. The salmon was ok, but the white fish (not sure what it was) looked like it had either being frozen and defrosted, or dried and rehydrated. It was stringy and chewy. This applied to the nigiri as well. The prawns on that were wrinkled - obviously prepared earlier and left to sit out. The tamagoti (rolled egg) had no flavour or texture what so ever. The sushi itself had quite dry rice, and the nori around the rolls had no discerable seaweed flavour. We actually left some of it, as it was so unappetising.
The service was patchy at best. My second requested solo never arrived, and the other half had to go and ASK for another set of chopsticks when his first pair was taken away with the entree plate.
Total cost (including 1 beer, 1 solo and 1 green tea) - $82.50. DEFINATELY not worth it. 2.5/5 and thats being generous. I'm going back to Kawasemi and never darkening any other Japanese in Hobart again....
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5 comments:
Cross that one off my list then!
I went there last week and it was fabulous, fresh and tasty, couldn't fault it!
man, take another review plz, i went there last couple week, it was good, sushi and sahimi was fresh, like just caught from the sea. it's so differece as what you said
Been to Orizuru four times in four years and I've always been unimpressed. It doesn't feel clean, the sashimi is dry and presented without the delicacy I expect of Japanese cuisine.
The place in Moonah is half the price and twice as good.
I was a regular at Orizuru from when it first opened in 1988. I was one of their best customers in between living regularly in Japan, but go every 2 years now, long enough for my memory to forget how really downhill it has gone the past few years.
Such a shame as was so good for so long. But the quality of the fish is really dry, tasteless and the serving sizes are not commensurate with the price.
Now we have Kawasemi, always excellent and well priced I never consider Orizuru for dinner or lunch.
Lunch: the many norimaki places in the city are good enough.
The salmon at the Chinese run Japanese norimaki/ nigiri bar in lower Liverpool st is great for its price and fresh efficient and friendly. Sush across road has best inari in Hobart
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