Many rising suns ago, your correspondent was confined to Japanese foods for a full two weeks – and never felt better.
In Tokyo on a journalist exchange program, Buster indulged in foods he couldn’t identify – including purple-coloured, skewed locusts (crunchy, nutty) served as a bar courtesy.
On one evening, my host ordered takeaway. The courier dutifully brought it into the dining room and set it all up in our individual places, complete with table mats and chopsticks.
We opened our food boxes to reveal perhaps fish on a bed of rice. But, no. It was eel… smoked and delicious.
About an hour later, the courier knocked, returned to the dining room and packed-up everything, including used napkins and chopsticks and took it away.
Our usual routine involved host mum (mother of one daughter) shopping for fresh food every day and cooking our evening meal on varying portable table cookers.
Host mum cooked while standing at the table and served their honourable guest (me) and host dad before serving her own meal after we had finished. Host dad skulled a single shot of Japanese whisky and headed to bed.
It was an eye-opening, gob-smacking experience in the land of the rising sun. Japanese are nothing if not courteous and creative.
In Northbridge, these qualities can be tasted at a sumptuous eatery, Is Donburi, tightly-tucked into colourful, cosmopolitan William Street.
In Australia, Japanese food quickly gained a reputation for high-class, exotic food, considered expensive, especially against Chinese food.
Cost-conscious consumers can rest easy at Is Donburi, especially for brunch.
Donburi has added small plates to its extensive, 124-dish menu.
For seniors, adverse to large meals, this delivers a double bonus; light, flavoursome Japanese food in generous, entree-size serves. Buster’s brunch buddy, Professor Ken, dubbed it: “a brunch breakthrough”.
Their small plates present two or three-piece meals such as vegetable tempura ($13.50) and soft shell crab ($16.90), our choices.
We opted to add rice which was just $3 and a large pot of hot Genmai tea, also $3.
Meal sizes, snappy, courteous service and Japanese-mood, tasteful surroundings, including individual table lighting, mountain pictures and potted plants (including Japanese wisteria) put Is Donburi’s high on our brunch favourites’ list.
Donburi is Japanese for rice-bowl dish, mostly with fish, meat and vegetables, simmered together and served over rice. Japanese oversized rice bowls are also called donburi.
The menu’s authentic Japanese dishes include sushi, sashimi, noodles and bento boxes. Top fare is a gourmet bento box at $38, chef-selected sashimi with grilled salmon, prawn, salad and heaps more.
A fresh raw salmon and avocado salad, with choice of apple or chilli apple dressing, is $17.50.
Brunch-suitable, small plate choices of 14 dishes include takoyaki ball with fish flake on top ($11.50) and tempura prawn ($13.50).
A two-piece salmon and scallop shell with mozzarella cheese on sushi rice, grilled, is ($18).
Japanese deep fried chicken with sweet chilli mayo sauce is $14.90 and a combination nibble set including 3-piece pork gyosa, 2-piece vegetable spring roll, 4-piece takoyaki ball, three-piece chicken karrage and two-piece salt and pepper squid skewer is $29.90. It’s a suitable share dish.
Our total bill: $36.40.
5 Spoons
Is Donburi,
227 William St, Northbridge
Open 11am daily
9328 2621
