THE BONSAI!
Located on 30 Roe St Northbridge. I thought it was a contemporary Japanese cafe/restaurant..but after looking at the menu, I discovered the dishes are Japanese styled with an essence of French.
Hideyoshi Sake
Sweet sake with a smooth finish. You can choose to have the sake hot or cold. Since it’s winter here, we decided to go with the hot sake...it takes about 5 mins to heat up the sake. When you drink it, it feels like the sake is burning your throat…afterwards your face will feel hooot..it really warms you up. There is no alcoholic after taste! Costs $8.00
Aburi Salmon Nigiri
“Topside lightly flamed sashimi on sushi rice garnished with den-gaku miso with sprinkles of sesame & chives.”
This would be my favourite dish. The blob on top of the sashimi is the sweet miso..and the flamed part of the sashimi actually tastes like it was set on fire. Veryyyy delicious…..soooo gooood. Costs $13.90 (X____x) …ouch.
Sweet potato and Lotus root Tempura
This was also delicious…the tempura stayed crispy for a long time. Costs $7.90
Salmon Sashimi Ceviche
Raw salmon, witloff (from the onion family I think), salmon roe, lemon, olive oil. It is served cold…and tastes..freshnesssss. Costs $13.90
Agedashi eggplant and Mochi
“Japanese specialty dish of thinly sliced deep fried eggplant accompanied by mochi (Japanese Rice Cake) served in agedashi sauce. Finished with grated radish and kizami nori.”
The square pieces are the mochi (not the white ball on the right side – found out that is horse radish which I believe you mix in the sauce). Costs $8.50
Wagyu Beef Tataki
“Premium wagyu beef rump cut into thin slices and dressed with garlic soy caramel sauce and whole grin mustard vinaigrette. Witlof and leek julienne is made to garnish along with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese.”
MMMMmmmm…the beef is marbled in fat… buttery, melt-in-your-mouth beef! Costs $15.90
Smoked Salmon Reverse Sushi Roll
“Smoked salmon wrapped sushi with cream cheese and bean dressed with aioli.”
Nice, but not as good as the salmon nigiri. The cheese is strong…kind of over powers the salmon. Costs $8.90
Puffy Leaf
HEHEEE …this puffy leaf makes me laugh…it’s resting on the corner of the plate…getting ready to be mashed in the soy sauce. Too bad I didn’t get a photo of the aftermath …it’s just randomly funny LOLOL. I bet this puffy leaf costs 2 dorras.
BAHAHHAAHA
just had to order all these desserts..just had to
Crepe Napoleon
I’ve wanted to try this for a while..finally had the chance…yup it is a French dessert..made of layers of thin crepes and light custard creme. The sauce drizzled on top is caramel. The hamburger on the side is a green tea macaroon – like chewy candy! This dessert was actually refreshing and not too sweet…it’s filling though. Costs $6.60
Green Tea Martini
I think they like to put macaroons on the desserts for that Frenchness. Martini is made of layers of moist green tea sponge and green tea mousse. There was something at the bottom that was brown in colour…maybe chestnut?? don’t know..tasted good! The cream on top is not whipped cream…I think it’s buttercream. Costs $8.90
Mini burger on top. Costs $80
Green Tea Mousse Cake
The green tea flavour is strong …same as the martini – which i like! I am a green tea fan. The mousse is quite solid, similar texture as the sponge…and has red beans in it which is a traditional match. It would’ve been yummier if the mousse was more moussy…but still good because green tea is the win flavour.
Final review
I think it is worth visiting The Bonsai if you love Japanese food (which I do!). The French characteristics make the food interesting and not like the typical Japanese food you find here. Each dish is delicious and flavoursome…i can tell they put a lot of care and effort in to each dish. The sashimi is extremely fresh. I was also surprised they had REAL wagyu beef that actually has fatty marbling in the meat. Also forgot to mention…the atmosphere is very cosy and warm…the seats are extremely comfortable!!! you can lean back in the seat and rest on the giant soft pillow while browsing the menu..they also have sofas for the larger tables. The waitresses are super polite and professional…the food also comes out FAST! a max of 5 min waiting time. It’s quite pricey…not a place to get your tummy stuffed full…but more of a place to enjoy the different mix of Japanese X French flavours – though the desserts really did make me full! I tried my best to finish the desserts…but we had to leave behind a bit of the unfinished green tea mousse cake and crepe napolean. Overall…I would come again! especially for the salmon nigiri, wagyu beef and the desserts. ^___^
