iMasticate

It’s a lazy weekend and we wanted some cheap eats near our house. Uninspired by our usual local restaurants, I casually browsed Urbanspoon and found a well-rated spot in Vic Park. Don’t let the sign fool you; Kabuki Japanese does both dine-in and take-away.

‘No Frills’ Casual Dining

Underwhelming decor, hard wooden chairs, and disposable chopsticks didn’t scare us away. We wanted quick and easy Japanese food, nothing fancy. Make sure you check the time before you leave. A phonecall to the restaurant revealed that they close at 9pm on Saturdays, with the last dine-in orders at 8.30pm. We rushed out the house and made it with time to spare!

Beef Tataki ($7)

The evenings are slowly getting warmer, so we picked a rice bowl and a couple of cold dishes. I was keen to try the Beef Tataki after spotting a photo on another blog. We both really enjoyed it, even my mum who doesn’t eat much beef and likes her meat cooked through! The beef was tender and moist, with no icky stringy fat. Lightly fried garlic chips gave a sweetness to the vinegary dressing. It was easy to grab bite-sized portions packed with flavour.

Sashimi Moriawase, with prawns instead of surf clams ($14.50)

The sashimi combinations were slightly unusual. We wanted tuna and salmon, which came with the Sashimi Moriawase, but didn’t feel like raw surf clams. The waitresses were friendly and quite helpful - we swapped the four clams for three pieces of cooked prawn. The prawn pieces are perhaps a warning not to order sushi nigiri at this restaurant, because they’re just slivers really. The salmon tasted fresh, but wasn’t sliced properly so I used my fingers to pull the pieces apart (tch tch). I wasn’t overwhelmed by the tuna because it seemed a bit dry. If I ordered sashimi from Kabuki again, I would just stick to the salmon options. Also I’m a wasabi fiend, so unfortunately the small blob didn’t last until the end of our sashimi plate.

Unagi Don ($13.50)

I do love a well-cooked unagi don. Ever since I devoured it in Japan (mistaking it for fish), I’ve always stayed on the look-out for eel in Japanese restaurants. So far, Senoji in Vic Park seems to be one of the better offerings in Perth (check out my review). Kabuki is nothing outstanding, but it was a cheap and filling feed. Thankfully, the eel wasn’t too fatty and there was plenty of sauce to finish off the large serving of rice.

Summary 
Likes: cheap, tasty Japanese food

Dislikes: poorly cut sashimi

Value for money: good

Overall: easily keeps within budget, we’ll be back!

Contact
Address:
356 Albany Highway
Victoria Park WA

(08) 9362 3550