Takeru, Umami, Mary's and more!

If you read some of my previous posts, it should be clear at this point that I adore Japanese food. As the title suggests, I will further share with you two more places that offer another dimension of Japanese cuisine that I have not covered before. In addition to some really amazing Japanese food, I will also talk about the other polar opposite, burgers and fried chicken. I will take you on a trip to Newtown to discuss the area’s best hidden secret. Then, I will bring you back to the city, where we will stop by the most sought after dessert in Sydney - and I’m not even exaggerating one bit.

Alright, let’s start around lunch time, noon-ish. You don’t have school or work today, and you woke up a little bit late. In other times, not enough for a nice breakfast of eggs and bacon, and not late enough to just wait for afternoon or just dinner. Then, you should head over to Sussex street and check out Takeru just next to the corner of Sussex Street and James Street. Well, technically there is a small cafe/ice cream shop next to it at the really corner, but that’s where Takeru is. This is a cheap eat place like Oiden, Mappen or the one at Eating World, but it’s definitely ip there in terms of taste. Also run by a team of Japanese people (or at least most of them), the food Japanese with a western twist, similar to a few places back in Kobe, where I lived in Japan. What I would recommend that you get here is the dish that they pride themselves for.

As you could see before, it’s a piece of chicken thigh that is crumbed then deep-fried, then covered with amazingly delicious tartare-ish sauce. Do not come here expecting the same type of deep-fried chicken like that of from katsudon or tonkatsu, because what you’ll get here is somewhat soggy. In saying that, the use of chicken thigh makes the meat super juicy, which for me is probably as good as a piece of cutlet that’s crispy but more dry. It comes with no rice but does come with a massive salad drizzled with really good dressing. You need to order rice as a such dish, and even miso soup if you soup. If you do get both the rice and the miso soup in addition to your meal, you might be looking at a price range close to €15. 00. This is by no means a cheaper meal compared to the standard set by their Japanese counterparts, but I strongly feel that it is a good change from the cheaper eats. The food is delicious and the service is decent. One negative point about this place though, is that they’re often quite slow with the orders. There was a time I had to wait about 30 minutes for my food, and the restaurant wasn’t even pumping. So this is one thing that you could take as a small warning, but I’m sure that the food will do the place justice. They also have other similar items on their menu, with a more spicy version and so on so worth to satisfy all the diversity in Sydney. You will do well to visit this place for lunch, since I’m sure this very dish will not disappoint you.

Takeru Japanese Restaurant, Sussex Street Sydney - Ratings :

-- Accessibility - 8. 5/10

-- Price - 8. 5/10

-- Selection - 7/10

-- Staff Friendliness - 7. 5/10

-- Cleanliness - 8/10

-- Overall - 7. 5/10

I just want to add in another place for a decent Japanese meal, but again, for something even more different. This time, I will be sharing with you Umami, which lives up to the idea of bento lunch boxes. Umami is just a stone throw away from Home Thai and minutes from Sussex Street, now on 73 Bathurst Street. Exclusively for the lunch period, you will be able to select which bento box you would like, and they will make it fresh for you. You could choose from a strong range of main dishes, from chicken to pork to beef, with teriyaki sauce, a more spicy sauce, and a few more. As you could see for yourself, the portion is quite small. The presentation is nice since it comes in a long, wooden bento box, with your rice, salad and choice of meat. In addition to the neat bento boxes, you also get free tea here. In order places, you would actually have to pay a bit more to get some tea - which is essentially hot water. Like other places in the area, there is usually a queue here as well.

Umami Japanese Restaurant, 73 Bathurst Street, Sydney - Ratings :

-- Accessibility - 8. 5/10

-- Price - 8. 5/10

-- Selection - 8. 5/10

-- Staff Friendliness - 8/10

-- Cleanliness - 8/10

-- Overall - 8. 5/10

Now, let’s fast forward and pretend that you’re getting hungry and it’s closing in on dinner time. You don’t know what to eat, so may I suggest a place in Newtown? Great, hop on a bus or take the train to Newtown and put into Google Maps this address: 6 Mary Street, Newtown 2042. This will lead you to a hidden place in a small, dark alleyway called Mary’s. I actually don’t know whether this place is still in a dark and quiet alleyway since a lot of people (especially students from University of Sydney nearby) have discovered in recent times. If you come here on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings from maybe 7:00pm onwards, chances are high that you’ll have to line up. But what makes this place so good at people line up in the dark?

Well, Mary’s is a bar slash casual bistro. I know the term bistro is often associated to casual dining, but this place is super chill. They have two levels. The ground level has a bar with the kitchen just right behind it. If you’re lining up to get drinks here, you’ll actually be able to see into the kitchen where the chefs are busy running around preparing your orders. While speaking of the bar, they have an extensive beverage list here. I’m not sure of a drink they do particularly well, but they have good ciders here for sure - I adore ciders. If you’re feeling more elegant but don’t know what to get, their gin and tonic is simply done and is simply perfect. If you’re neither a cocktail person nor a cider person, they do have really good beers here (another thing they’re famous for) and of course the usual non alcoholic soft drinks.

Moving on to the things that will satisfy your stomach, also known as dinner. I must warn you now because you head over to Mary’s, that dinner service will be slow. I went there on two separate occasions and there was a time that I had to wait for more or less 45 minutes for my food, and it was a weekday. But if you have the patience and self-control to wait for the food, you’re in for a good treat. They’re really well-known for their burgers and fried chicken here. I prefer the basics straight from their chalkboard menu on the wall: a cheese burger with bacon and some fried chicken. Cheeseburgers can bring about many different images, but I now want you to imagine Mary’s Cheeseburger. Alright, so you have the most perfect, mouth-watering patty with just the most flawless combo of fat and meat. This, by the way, is grilled to charred perfection. On top of this goodness, you have cheese, don’t know what type but whatever it is, it’s melted and just hugs the patty. On top of that, you can also get some bacon, but not just any bacon. This is the bacon worth killing for - but please don’t go killing anyone/anything. They call it ‘trash can bacon’, a technique in which bacon is smoked in a bin. By the taste of it, I could quite saying guarantee that the bin has never been used for the purpose it was made for, so don’t worry about getting that sour, stinky smell from a traditional ‘bin’. The fried chicken though, is just ridiculously good. I love fried chicken and the best I could do at time is our mate KFC. Mary’s changed my love for Sydney’s KFC completely. The chicken here is like that of a ‘southern fried chicken’ with perfection in its seasoning. The best though, is that there is so much juice and moisture in the chicken. Without any exaggeration, I could eat a kilo of the fried chicken they made here. And there you have it, cheese burgers and fried chicken that will bring you to your knees. Okay, well if they don’t literally bring you to your knees, I’m sure their drinks will.

Mary's Newtown Burger, Fried Chicken and Bar, Sydney - Ratings :

-- Accessibility - 7. 5/10

-- Price - 8. 5/10

-- Selection - 8. 5/10

-- Staff Friendliness - 9/10

-- Cleanliness - 8/10 (this is quite hard to judge since the lights were dimmed and the place was quite dark, but since the place is well presented and super hip, I think an eight is appropriate)

-- Overall - 8. 5/10

If you still want burgers but don’t eat beef, you may also be interested in the pulled pork burger at Hard Rock Cafe in Darling Harbor. Like every signature Hard Rock restaurants, they have a very American outback kind of menu, so you could find everything from pork ribs to burgers to chicken parma to all that deliciousness. The prices also come at a higher level since you’re also paying for the brand. The service here is amazing as with all their other restaurants: very friendly, casual and talkative to a good point. They have a strong menu for beverages here, and they always have offers every once in a while. They do have seating with view of the harbour and the city, too!

Hard Rock Cafe, Darling Harbour - Ratings :

-- Accessibility - 8. 5/10

-- Price - 8. 5/10

-- Selection - 8. 5/10

-- Staff Friendliness - 8. 5/10

-- Cleanliness - 8/10

-- Overall - 8. 5/10

And there we have it, a slightly long post that will take you to four excellent places to eat. Oh, I forgot to throw in one last place, but if you’re in the city, head over to N2 Gelato for some amazing ice cream and gelato made from liquid nitrogen. The lines here are long for two reasons. One, going to this place and seeing how they make their ice cream is already an experience in itself. You will see ice cream makers dressed with a long white lab coat and a pair of scientific goggles, pour liquid nitrogen into the mixer, creating a cool white mist. Two, it just taste good. They change their menu every once in a while, and they love to play around with what’s in trend and create in flavors. I have tried some excellent creations from here, like Ferrero Rocher and Popcorn (yeah! ). Just one last pointer, Mary’s have very recently opened up a joint in the CBD. For more information, check out the post down before from good food.

N2 Gelato - Ratings :

-- Accessibility - 7. 5/10

-- Price - 8. 5/10

-- Selection - 7. 5/10

-- Staff Friendliness - 9/10

-- Cleanliness - 8/10

-- Overall - 8. 5/10

Mary’s Sydney CBS - an article on the newly open place

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