I’ve always been curious about Kobe Jones. The critics seem to be divided, some praising its innovative workings of Japanese and Western ingredients, some dismissing it as destroying what’s good about both. Well, I decided to test it out myself once and for all.
Food
As soon as I walked into the place, I knew why the critics were divided. There were seas and seas of black hair, made up of Japanese tourists and Honkies. Kobe Jones was simply catering to their clientele, who would want weirdo interesting food.
We went with the flow, and ordered two of their famous rolls:
- Salmon Skin Roll (8) ($13) - Crispy BBQ'd salmon skin, cucumber, burdock root, sprinkled with sesame seeds and thin bonito shavings - beautiful juxtaposition of sweet and salty, the crunchy salmon skin paired with the sweet vegetable soft rice. No need for the soy sauce really.
- Dragon Roll (8) ($21) - Our crunchy roll with unagi and avocado layered on top with nori, tempura flakes and smelt roe sprinkle - another winner. This one is really more like a well-made sushi, but with the ingredients on the outside! The roe added a salty crunch.
As well as the rolls, there are cold entrees and hot entrees that offer typical Japanese eats, but what caught my eye was the “Signature Menu”, offering the innovative mix of East and West, with some weird ingredients combination. The Seafood Papaya Motoyaki ($18) - A baked Papaya filled with seafood and vegetables with a motoyaki sauce was a good example of this. I would describe the flavour as more interesting than fantastic. The papaya was sweet and juicy, and beautiful on its own. The seafood mixture was quite generous, with the sweet capsicum and mushrooms complementing the sauce quite sell. But the two together? I don’t really get it…
Rating - 6
Atmosphere
Strange – this place is geared more for the curious and the tourist than the foodie. It kinda feels like you’re dining in another country! We were seated on the balcony, which had quite nice views onto the tall ships of King Street Wharf. Unfortunately, we were seated right between two seaters, so it got progressively colder, meaning I didn’t really want to stay for long.
I like the décor, best described as modern Asian luxe. There are these weird orange lattices around the place and an open kitchen.
Rating - 2
Service
It was really weird! First of all, they have a dedicated person who would show you to your seats. It seems no one else can do it besides this guy. We had a booking but it didn’t seem to matter at all. We had to wait at the front bar for the guy to show the 2 couples before us their seats before we could go to ours.
Our dedicated waiter basically came around straight away to take our drinks order. She was servicing the whole balcony so she was pretty busy. They have a computing system that links to the kitchen, so she could place the order and bring us the bill, just by using that. Her English skills were pretty poor, and when we asked her if 3 dishes was enough for us, she couldn’t answer. She also couldn’t recommend a wine for the lady at the next table to go with her dinner. Nice to look at, but useless.
Rating - 2
C-factor
I want to applaud them for trying something new instead of delivering the same old. Plus, they now have branches in Melbourne, Bangkok and London, so they must be doing something right.
Price wise, it’s about on par with the “top” Japanese. For a tourist destination and the view, the prices are fair, but for great food, you can find better.
Rating - 1
Brownie Points - 11
Info
29 Lime Street
King Street Wharf,
Sydney
NSW 2000
Phone (02) 9299 5290
Website
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