The Bonsai Restaurant and Cafe Lounge - http://www.the-bonsai.net/
Cuisine: Japanese Fusion
Address: 30 -36 Roe Street, Northbridge, Western Australia

I always seem to walk by the Bonsai Restaurant in Northbridge but never got around to dining in there. It was one of those places you put on the never-ending list of “Things to try” which BF and I have finally ticked off. Even from the outside, I thought that the decor is really something. Very spacious and open due to the high ceilings, and gives a warehouse feel due to exposed brickwork and a/c duct. It seems like a relaxing place to just chill.

We arrived about 8:30pm with no reservation, it was quite busy but thankfully there was still a table available.

Unagi Sushi and Prawn Tempura Sushi

Chilli Crab Claws

Our Order:

• Unagi Sushi and Prawn Tempura Sushi: It wasn’t bad but nothing too exciting, I would rather go back for Tansawa Tei’s much tastier sushi.
• Chilli Crab Claws: The dish reminds me of the crab claws you get in Chinese restaurants but with more texture in the stuffing. I think you can get similar ‘Crab Claws’ in the frozen section of Emma’s Seafood and fry it up at home. This isn’t really “Chilli Crab” Claws but “Crab Claws” with Chilli sauce.
• Fried Chicken Tosazu: This is basically crispy fried chicken, but in all honesty I think KFC is tastier. Recommend you dip in the sauce provided as it adds a lot more flavour to it.
• Takoyaki: Although BF prefers it without, I prefer my Takoyaki with bonito flakes. These were ok, not undercooked on the inside although I thought it was a bit on the small side. I would much prefer the ones found in the Singapore Ion shopping complex food court which you can select egg topping.

Teri-Angus Steak

Mango Cheesecake

• Teri-Angus Steak: Call me lazy but I loved the fact that it was pre-cut. I thought it was a little odd that they didn’t serve it with a steak knife, but was pleasantly surprised to see it all pre-cut. The Teriyaki sauce was ok, but nothing compared to the one we had from Ha-Lu. I’m not a big meat lover, so like the Chicken Tosazu, I thought it was nothing special.
• Mango Cheesecake: This was served with cream, chocolate vanilla sauce and Green Tea ‘Makaron’ topped with some chocolate flakes. I do like my desserts and this slice wasn’t too bad. Personally I would have liked it to be less cheesy and more mango (though BF seemed to like it), and it could have been served a little more chilled. The base could have been a bit more crummy – it seemed like it was extremely dense, and the macarons were a bit too much on the sticky side.

The service was very good despite our waiter not putting through one of our orders even though she verbally confirmed the order. The drinks were promptly served and plates cleared efficiently, so efficiently that we had to ask for another set when the main came. I would have liked my tea to have been refilled a lot more throughout the night, instead I alternated between green tea and still water. The bill totaled to just under AUD$45/person which was okay though I think Ha-Lu was a much nicer and filling meal.

Ha Lu - http://halu.net.au/
Cuisine: Japanese
Address: Shop 4/401 Oxford St, Mt Hawthorn, Western Australia

Ha Lu is in Mount Hawthorn, it isn’t really fine dining in that the restaurant presentation is quite casual but modern with a cafe-like feel. I assume that the choice of dining outside (street side) is because there’s not much space internally.

They explained their menu was something like tapas, each person orders a few dishes to share. The waiter was very helpful, even suggesting we select a few cold dishes so we wouldn’t have to wait too long for food to arrive. Unlike some restaurants I’ve been to, the waiter actually told us the rough number of dishes we would need to order (definitely handy if you’ve never been to the restaurant before).

The Cold Dishes we ordered included: Fresh Springroll, Duck Breast with whole grain Mustard, Home made Tofu & Mizuna Salad with Wonton crisps.

The Springrolls are like salad wrapped in rice paper but a lot more appetizing than in my description. Personally I’m not much of a fan of Duck as I find the meat has a bit of an odour, but for some reason the Ha Lu Chef prepared the Duck so well it could have been mistaken for some other animal, you just have to try it yourself. I’m a big fan of the typical Japanese Salads you find at the fake sushi stalls (the ones run by non-Japanese) so you can only image how much nicer this Tofu Salad was~

Halu’s Fresh Springroll

The Deep Fried Dishes included: Chicken Kara-age with Iwanori Sauce, Vegetable Tempura, Gold Coast Tiger Prawn Tempura, Soft Shell Crab Tempura, Scallop Nanban

Firstly, I’m not a huge fan of deep fried dishes so this whole section may be under-appreciated. The chicken Kara-age was super crisp, and the Iwanori Sauce on top gave it an edge over it’s other dry competitors. The batter on the Tempura is actually tasty and crisp, not too heavy or thick either. There’s nothing too special about the Vegetable & Tiger Prawn Tempura, but the Soft Shell Crab was a bit of a let down. The crab itself was just difficult to eat… it needed to be uber crispy so we could bite through it, instead it’s like you’re chewing on a bit of juicy plastic. The Scallops on the flip side were delicious! It could have been a little more tender, otherwise it’s pretty perfect~

Halu’s Scallop Nanban

Yaki Mono – Grilled Dishes included: Succulent ‘Teriyaki’ Chicken, Duck and Aubergine Madeira Sauce

The Teriyaki Chicken as the BF described “..is the best Teriyaki I’ve had” (and he’s had a lot of teriyaki in his time). I wonder if the Chef changed something in the Teriyaki sauce to make it stand out? The Duck and Aubergine Madeira Sauce again, like the Cold Duck, is just delicious!

Halu’s Duck and Aubergine Madeira Sauce

Ni Mono – Simmered Dishes included: Kingfish Belly Nitsuke

The Kingfish… to be honest I can’t remember if it was the one where they pour the sauce over the pillar of meat. If it is, then I can say that it’s definitely worth ordering and tasting for yourself!

We ordered a a lot more than we probably should have, and it turned out to be quite a filling meal for 4 people. We couldn’t even fit in ice cream! In the end it cost about AUD$50 per person, a bit on the pricey side but I think I would still go back.

The staff is helpful, the food came out promptly, the presentation is beautiful and most importantly the food is scrummy!