Review: Kansai Japanese Restaurant, Sydney

Gyoza - $6.90

Ever since my friends realised that I had started a foodblog, it seems that they turn to me whenever they're in need of a place to eat.

Well, at times that may be a blessing.

But when they ask at a time when all you think about is your impending doom (exam) in the next 2 hours, the only thing that I could really suggest to them was KFC.

Dragon Roll - $17.50

There's nothing like a good ol' bucket of potato and gravy to drown your nerves in. And then feeling guilty about.

Oh wait. Guilt? What guilt? I joke too much.

Italian (?) - $12.50

So then when my friend MS first suggested that we goto Kansai, I had no idea that I would end up at a small, tucked-away Japanese restaurant right next to work. In fact I could not even care where I ended up. It's bizarre really, because I swear in the past two years I've probably walked past this place about 400 times not knowing that it was a pretty amazing place for food at exceptional prices.

Salmon Skin - $9.50

The place is unassuming and entirely missable if you weren't really looking for a place to eat. I've seen people eating there during the busy workday lunch hours and what not, so it may very well just be me being a bit slow on the uptake.

I guess some things never change after all...

Volcano - $15.50

Times are tough, and no doubt are uni students feeling the GFC harder than anyone else. (Haha, ok fine, a bit of an exaggeration - but there's a hint of truth if you would just scratch the surface.) A place like Kansai is really ideal for a simple night out with a bunch of rowdy friends. Good food, good value, great service.

Sometimes, simplicity is really the real charm of life.

Tempura Udon & Sushi - $18.50

Ambience-wise there's not really much to say. It's quiet on a Tuesday night, with a few empty tables here and there and I liken the feel of the place to that of a typical sushi parlour. There's nothing extravagant in its decor or restaurant design, but it's made clear that the attention to detail is placed in the food rather than any sort of pretentious design of the place. I could honestly say that my bowl of Tempura Udon was possibly one of the nicest I've had. The batter was light, and not too oily, and the tempura sauce was just as light and exceptionally tasty in flavour. Portion-wise it was spot on, and for the slightly bigger eaters there was the option of having a set which came with an extra platter of assorted nigiri (pictured above).

Crunch - $9.50

We had a pretty good time there. All of us were filled to the brim with really good Japanese food, with the exception of MW who probably got a little over-excited with the amount of food available. I'll definitely be coming back here.

Life is good when you enjoy a few cheap thrills.

We nommed it all up and would nom it some more.


Kansai Japanese Restaurant
Shop B1, Hunter Connection
7-13 Hunter Street, Sydney
Tel: (02) 9231 5544