V^3 Food Review: Izumi Japanese Cuisine, Victoria Park

Izumi Japanese Cuisine

Once in awhile you find one of those little gems in Perth that serves excellence on a plate. Izumi is one such place that I have discovered in my journey. Whilst at breakfast in Victoria Park, I spied this place along the main street stuck between two competing Chinese food stores. For some reason, the establishment caught my eye, the place had a real authentic yet humble appearance. I decided I had to visit this place for lunch on a later date...

This is what I saw and tasted, and I will tell it as it is… It tasted gangsta!

Takoyaki



Served as an entrée, these fried octopus balls were hot bite sized pieces of bursting flavours. The smooth and sweet barbecue sauce goes well with the fillings of octopus and batter, there is no overpowering smell from the octopus, so the flavours are well balanced. With a generous serve of six, these are always a popular item on the menu. 4/5

Tetaki Beef



Essentailly beef slices doused with rice vinegar and swimming in soy sauce, this cold dish is for those who enjoy beef at its best. The steak is seared on the outside until brown whilst leaving the inside rare for maximum tenderness. The beef melts in your mouth comparable to that of kobe beef which would cost around $100 per bite or $800 for a 250gram steak respectively. It may have something to do with the liquids breaking down the cold rare beef. I don't know the science behind it, but who needs to know the science to enjoy it? This dish is far less a burden on the wallet compared to kobe beef and a definate one for the beef lovers. 3.5/5

Agadeshi Tofu



Three soft Japanese tofu cubes crusted in a light batter bring forth a mix of textures that spill perfection. In other words… it was dope! The dish itself is rather large and for some this would be a meal in itself with rice. But as they say, the more the merrier! So bring it on! Izumi gives us more than expected by adding some tempura vegetables to complete the dish. The sauce has a scent of ginger, which is sweet, and one whiff would make mouths salivate in hunger. The mushroom included in this dish was juicy and I will definitely make a special request this on my next visit. This is a dish I will always remember from Izumi. 4.5/5

Okonomiyaki



This is a rare dish to be found in Perth and is the reason why Izumi reflects authenticity. The dish originates from Osaka and is essentially a pancake composed of shredded cabbage, shredded carrots, batter, welsh onion, your choice of meats (white, red and in between) all topped off with nori and bonito flakes that come alive with energy and movement. Okonomiyaki is quite filling as most cakes generally are. The okonomiyaki topping sauce is thick and sweet and has a hint of ginger, the tanginess of mayonnaise makes for an interesting mix of flavours. Definitely a good dish on its own, even better in a meal. 3/5

Teriyaki Chicken



I usually gauge the quality of a Japanese restaurant by the way it serves the simple iconic dishes. Izumi’s serve of teriyaki chicken was smooth and generously large. The chicken is moist and steaming with aromas that make me hungry as I write this… Honestly, the serve was so large, you could probably eat this as a one on its own. However, not the absolute best teriyaki chicken I have tasted, this one is special in its own way and is definitely above par in terms of flavour and satisfaction. 3.5/5

Japanese Salad



So far, I have found that Izumi’s dishes are rather on the sweet side and this salad to my expectations, was also quite sweet. The fresh garden leaves, tomato, carrot and cucumber are splashed with a citrus dressing and makes a great refresher between the hot bites of the main courses. 2.5/5

Green Tea Ice Cream



Finish off the meal with a chilled green tea ice cream, rich in flavours and green tea goodness, a perfect compliment to a Japanese meal. 3/5


Izumi Japanese Cuisine

Entrée $5-8
Mains $10
Dessert $4

806 Albany Hwy Victoria Park
9472 1339
BYO

Izumi is one of those humble establishments that exist to bring culinary authenticity and memorable flavours to the masses. This place will always be a favourite for me, I believe one day you will enjoy it just as I have.

V^3 gives Izumi 4/5

V^3 Food Review: Musashi - Joondalup

So I was in Joondalup recently and decided to try a place that had been mentioned in some conversation over good Japanese food. The target was Musashi, who claim to serve some fine take-away.


It seems that there is a current surge of Japanese food joints popping up everywhere. Needless to say, there are the poor excuses for food and some rather unauthentic horrid combinations of Chinese/Japanese cuisine. However. Musashi is not and example of such poor excuses for fare.


The dishes are simple, I ordered a teriyaki chicken which is a common dish among all Japanese eateries. This place executes it rather well and reflects their authenticity. The taste is smooth and like that of Jaws teriyaki chicken. A blend of sweet sauces with rice makes a hearty serve. It comes with a side of cabbage salad and something that I found rather strange, a potato ball filled with vegetables. Probably not the best salad I've had but its a good filler. At $6.50 per box it's not a bad deal at all.


Musashi Fine Japanese Food
Unit 7/ 113 Grand Blv, Joondalup
Japanese Take-away
Telephone: 9301-0226.

V^3 gives Musashi. 3/5

Hajime! The Japanese who dared to change the destiny of a nation.

Hajime.

Hajime was a guy from my tute class in Year 9 at Morley SHS, and he was a Japanese exchange student who not only revolutionized my opinion of Japanese people, but keeps on popping up in my life in ways that I never would've anticipated. Not only myself, but those around me are still feeling his influence.

Firstly, he used to always get questions from people in class about popular Japanese phrases and cool things to say. He'd always answer them with:

Bobobo-bo bo-bobo.

We never gave much thought to it, always assuming that he was just being an eccentric Japanese student... until now.
Ladies, gentlemen, I give you Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo. (Well, the opening sequence for the show.)




From Youtube comments: It's like being high, but not.

From what I can gather from my sources (okay, it was just Wikipedia), it's about a world where everyone has their heads shaved and only one man, Bobobo is willing to stand up to them, fighting with his prehensile (for lack of a better word) nosehair.
He used to say all this in 2002, and now it's 2007 and we're just catching up to him.

Japanese music was also another thing he'd be asked about. I don't ever recall asking him, but Sean distinctly remembers the phrase "DJ Crash". Skip forward to tonight, and when looking at "IGN's 26 best albums you might have missed", DJ Krush ranks in at position 15.
After YouTubing again, turns out DJ Krush is actually quite good. And incredibly famous.
To top it off, Hajime introduced Mike to Dir En Grey, his ultimate death metal Japanese heroes.

Who is Hajime to you?