This restaurant has now closed.
The other day I walked past Japan City and realised something was different; the Asian homewares retail outlet now has expanded into food too with ‘Eat Street’, a mini food court featuring various Japanese delicacies. It’s nice to know that some retail outlets (eg. IKEA) are differentiating themselves by including a culinary experience as part of the shopping experience and I thought I’d check it out.
Japan City Eat Street features 6 small eateries along a winding path – a dessert bar, teppanyaki bar, noodle bar, tempura bar, sushi bar and tea house. The menu features all food items but requires you to order them individually as they are prepared by different staff. A buzzer is given similar to food courts but there is one per stall, and our table accumulates a nice little collection of buzzers. Thankfully the service is quick and they sound in no time.
Prawn Tempura (6 pieces) – $13.90
Our first dish is the prawn tempura which features succulent prawns in a light and crispy tempura batter. There is a sweet dipping sauce provided highlighting the juiciness of the prawns and is a great start to the night.
Kingfish Steak – $24.90
Next is the kingfish, served on a bed of vegetables on a hot plate. It is cooked well but I find it’s lacking marinade and sauce, and is disappointingly bland.
Wagyu Steak – $26.90
The wagyu steak comes out next and is presented similarly to the king fish. There is also a bowl of rice and miso soup accompanying this order. We requested it be cooked medium rare and I find the steak quite juicy and soft, as are the vegetables which are drizzled with a light soy sauce. However it’s not that filling and I find myself wanting more after we devour it.
Aburi Scallop Roll – $8.90
Grilled Salmon Roll – $8.90
Our last dish are some sushi rolls featuring seared salmon and scallop. Both are seared well keeping the seafood soft and juicy. The same sweet soy sauce is drizzled on both and the fillings of avocado and crab stick match the sushi roll well.
Overall the food at Japan City Eat Street is of average standard. It wasn’t amazing but there aren’t many faults either. I find the pricing on the slightly above average end compared to similar eateries and that lowers the value for me. However I’m quite impressed by the ability for a retail store to provide a dining experience as part of the package and it is sure to please customers and shoppers of the Japan City chain.
Japan City
Shop 605, Westfield Shopping Centre Chatswood
1 Anderson Street, Chatswood NSW, 2067
Ph: (02) 9468 6000
View Comments (8)
I think I'd want to be able to order everything from the one place - seems like a mission the way it's currently set up (or am I just lazy/hungry).
I did find that a bit annoying that when I ordered multiple items I had to pay for them separately at each store :(. But then again it's set out as a Japanese food court rather than an individual restaurant
I love the idea of having all styles of Japanese eating in one place, even if it's not amazing quality.
The food was ok here but I thought it was little overpriced compared to similar places in Chatswood. I did enjoy the novelty of eating inside a retail store though!
Dear DK,
I remember Japan City used to have a small shop selling Japanese homeware in Westfield Chatswood years ago but they subsequently closed. Looks like they are back with a vengeance now. Lovely to meet you two recently. Have a merry Christmas and happy new year!
Lovely to meet you too! Sorry for the late reply, we've been overseas for xmas and new years and are finally back. They're definitely back, I think taking up the spot where Borders used to be!
DK
It seems to have shut down.. :(
Oh no! Thanks for the heads up, will update this blog post