Sushia Izakaya, Perth CBD

In short: Beautiful small share plates of Japanese food. Soft shell crab salad and the tofu cheesecake were the stand-outs of the night!

Food: 8/10

We went out for dinner with Bunny’s parents and got to sample a wide range from the menu!

Sashimi Moriawase ($38)

From the Raw Bar selection, we ordered three dishes. The Sashimi Moriawase consisted of tuna, salmon, scallops, snapper, and octopus. Everything was fresh and soft, and Bunny favoured the creamy salmon. The Hamachi Carpaccio had very subtle thin slices of kingfish, which went well with the yuzu gellee. Towards the end of the meal, we were still hungry and ordered the chef’s selection of sashimi – salmon, tuna, and snapper – which was delicious.

Hamachi Carpaccio ($18)

Sashimi Santenmori, chef’s selection ($18)

Our main concession to having vegetables was the garden salad, which was cute to look at, tangy, nice enough to eat, but underwhelming with its small serving size. We know, we know, it’s not the kind of place that does big servings of anything.

Garden salad ($14)

Sushia’s takoyaki (fried battered octopus) were very satisfactory and what you could expect from takoyaki – crisp (but could be crispier) on the outside, creamy batter, contrasting chewy octopus, with a sweet sauce.

Takoyaki ($14)

We ordered the Crispy Crab as Kitty and Bunny were after a certain crab dish that they had on a previous visit – this crab tempura with dashi broth/sauce was not it, though it was nice enough.

Crispy crab – crab meat in dashi ankake sauce ($28)

The stand-out dish of the night was the Soft Shell Crab Salad – the one we were searching for! Combining the fried soft shell crab with watermelon created a great salty-sweet, textured combination that was adventurous.

Soft shell crab salad – watermelon, baby greens in amazu ponzu ($24)

Bunny and his dad really enjoyed the teppanyaki duck breast (yuzu and soy marinade with lemon zest) and eye fillet (bok choy, smoked cherry tomato, kinoko teriyaki, and truffle oil). They were succulent and well-paired with their sauces. Kitty found them tasty, but not memorable.

Duck teppanyaki ($32)

Teppanyaki eye fillet ($38)

The dessert platter was really enjoyable! We couldn’t find it on their online menu, so this is what we think was included: mango sorbet, green tea and black sesame mochi, molten chocolate cake, sweet spring rolls with passionfruit sauce, another kind of ice cream, and tofu cheesecake. The tofu cheesecake was silky, not too sweet (a good thing), and melt-in-your-mouth soft – we liked it enough to order it on its own so we could have moooore.

Dessert platter

Tofu cheesecake

Ambiance: 5/10

If you like a dark and cool bar atmosphere, this is it. We don’t prefer it quite this noisy, particularly on the Friday night we went, though it did get quieter as it neared 10pm. The decor is crisp and clean. The service was impeccable: water was frequently refilled despite how busy it was, and one waitress offered extra sashimi so we could all have one of each kind of seafood.

Value for money: 4/10

Sushia is on the pricier end, as to be expected for food that is as beautifully presented and prepared as this.

Innovation: 3/10

There were some interesting flavours in Sushia’s dishes, and again, everything just looked so beautiful.

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Sushia Izakaya
Brookfield Place, Shop HLG103
125 St Georges Terrace, Perth
9322 7771

Veggie Mama, Mt Lawley

In short: Clearly labelled and tasty vegetarian food.

Veggie Mama is one of our usual haunts for the last few years when we’ve wanted something healthy, quick, and fresh. We only really come here for dinner and eat a mix of hot food and salad.

Food: 6/10

Coconut curry, Thai green curry, kale salad, and napa cabbage salad ($16.95)

On this particular visit, Bunny had a half-and-half dish of coconut curry and Thai green curry, with a kale salad and a napa cabbage salad. Kitty had the pumpkin and mushroom gnocchi with a red cabbage salad and a napa cabbage salad. The hot dishes (and the food here in general) are simple and homey. The gnocchi was light, the pumpkin and mushroom sauciness went well together, and the curries were thick and flavoursome – not spicy, though.

Pumpkin and mushroom gnocchi, red cabbage salad, and napa cabbage salad ($17.95)

We really like these three particular salads, although we don’t know exactly what’s in them. The red cabbage salad has sultanas and apple, and the napa cabbage salad has carrot and desiccated coconut. The kale salad has walnuts, tomato, cucumber, and red onion.

As for other food at Veggie Mama: The hot food in the bain marie section is worth trying (Kitty doesn’t think the Morrocan delight or savoury rice are that good though), as well as the filo parcels and patties.

Hot food in bain maries.

Salads, veggie patties, quiches, and filo parcels.

We never seem to have enough room for the desserts on offer in the fridge and on the counter. 😦

Dessert/takeaway meal fridge and counter

Ambiance: 5/10

Typical cafe style setting with ordering/paying done at the counter. Although small and frequently busy, we have never been without a table. Service is generally prompt, though nothing special.

Value for money: 8/10

Veggie Mama’s hot meals plus salad are a generous size for under $20.

Innovation: 2/10

The clear labelling is a big plus point for this cafe, with food marked “e” for egg-free, “d” for dairy-free, and “g” for gluten-free. Neither of us are vegetarian/vegan or have other dietary needs, so perhaps this might help those who do.

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Veggie Mama
Corner of Beaufort St and Vincent St, Mt Lawley
9227 1910