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Showing posts with label Langford Eatery. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Langford Eatery. Show all posts

Monday, December 16, 2013

Bites: Kanta Japanese Restaurant @ Langford (revisited 2)

If you have been a reader of WenY Wonders Why from when it first started, the name Kanta would have been brought up many times over the years of my food blogging hobby.  There has always been a strange attraction between this restaurant and I ever since I first came here.  The price has always been right at the bottom when compared to other Izakayas in town like Bonsai, Ha-Lu, Satsuki, Shiro and even Izakaya Sakura.  Yet the satisfaction has always been top notch.  Additionally, the level of showmanship whenever I came here to dine was lovely.  The chef used to be a lone ranger running the whole show in front of his diners for which he only does two sittings a night.  Even now with an extra hand to do the deep frying and sort, the sitting at this little Izakaya is still extremely limited.  Typically, you would get one sitting at 6pm and the other at 7.30pm.  A meal at Kanta cost 10 times less than a degustation at the famed Tetsuya’s in Sydney, but in my mouth it provided no less satisfaction.

WenY’s take on Tetsuya’s @ Kent Street, Sydney

My choice of food here is very limited as I have grown fond of my past orders and so have always stuck to the same thing with perhaps one or two new orders from time to time.  After an amuse bouche of savory pasta, I always call for an Agedashi Bean curd ($8) to start.  Its light palatable flavors has always been a key attraction of this dish. PC050728Mixing the grated ginger into the soy, I cannot help but devour more of the liquid with the delicious bean curd.  Kanta always seems to provide all the condiments and sauce in the right proportions!

 

Next up was something a little heavier but still extremely delicious.  The Ika Shioyaki or grilled squid tentacles ($8.50) served with a dollop of mayonnaise and a wedge of lime.  Lovely grilled flavors of the stove that leaves the protein a little crisp at the thinner ends with a yummy smokiness.OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

 

One of the newer dishes on the menu that has now become and indulgent staple.  The scallop wrap in salmon.  For $11 you get two large scallops wrapped by a salmon before being seared at the bottom.  To finish, a wasabi – mayonnaise concoction that is blow torched.I normally eat it whole.  Chewing this, you get a bit of salmon, a bit of scallop, all those lovely sauces and then repeat.  This is in someway a blow torched seafood aka Aburi, so there is the lovely melt in each bite and those slightly charred flavors from a Salmon Aburi which are as always, sensational.PC050735

Last of the Izakaya is the salmon sashimi, and chicken roll with some avocado roll to clean the palate.  If you have not been to Kanta before and intend to only eat the shared plates, definitely order a chicken roll to share.  Every Teriyaki dish in Kanta is a forte and if you had just one bite, you would understand what the hype is all about.  And with the perfect seasoning used in the sushi rice, there could be no more perfect setting than this.OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAWhile the Avocado roll and salmon sashimi looks typical, it definitely was one of the best in town.  Rich, and fatty.  Smear a little wasabi and soy before finishing with a pickled ginger to cleanse.  Dammmmmmmmmmmn that was fine!

 

While I could do without mains and linger on with more shared plates, there are some mains that just makes this part of dinner too hard to miss.  For the veterans, we have the good old Teriyaki.  Aforementioned as a forte, some cannot get enough and what better way is there than to enjoy two large crispy tenderloins coated with that sweet and sticky sauce.OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAIt used to be $9.50 when served on a rice bowl.  Now it is $12.50 for more chicken and served separately.  Massive serve that can easily feed two!

 

For the keen tongues out there, look no further than the Gyu Tongue Steak or simply, the Ox Tongue Steak $13.  Cooked to perfection, the outers bits which tend to overcook taste more like steak whilst the middle parts are still pinkish in the middle.  It almost melts in your mouth if not for the common trait of the Ox Tongue which was the mildly chewy texture.  The sauce is quite similar to the Teriyaki except that it is a little less potent in terms of sweetness and feel more peppery than the usual. Served with rice, this is another staple that I added to my list around the same time like the scallop wrap in salmon.OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

 

The final main for tonight was something XL decided to try. It was the pan fried salmon with creamy sauce ($13.50).  This was perhaps the underdog and true enough, it felt underwhelming to our senses.  As far as I know, this was a new creation slightly more than a year ago.  The fish was cooked nicely but it was the sauce that lacked flavor.  It was cream on oil if you get me?  The salmon itself is a beautiful oily fish which need not be complimented by another creamy sauce.  More so when the sauce did not have substantial acidity or sweetness to move away from being bland.  Bad luck but this was by all means a mediocre dish.  A worthy try that might appeal to some.OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

The night ended with a serve of Kanta special ice cream for $5.50.  With the appetizers and mains we ordered for 4, the bill came up to $132 including 4 pots of green tea.  Needless to say, we were filled to the brim and was every bit satisfied despite the lows from the pan fried salmon in creamy sauce.  If you ever happen to land a booking which should be done AT LEAST 1 week prior to your preferred date for group of more than 3, definitely do come in and enjoy some truly authentic Japanese food without a wallet busting bill.

2008 – Kanta Japanese @ Langford

2012 – Kanta Japanese @ Langford (revisited)

WenY

Kanta on Urbanspoon

Friday, October 26, 2012

Bites: Kanta @ Langford (the 100th time)

Kanta has always been an enjoyable eat.  For most of the food we shared today it was satisfying.  Every trip we had is joy and rarely have we found the food to be deplorable.  Nonetheless, its ever increasing popularity means the crowd is typically more than the 25 seats this places packs and they are immensely particular over their sitting.  You cannot opt for a 7.00pm sitting mind you.  Its either 6.30 or 7.30pm.  Anyways! I have done a few reviews now, the only reason for this is because I was just shooting around more with my new 25mm f1.4 Panasonic Leica lens.  A really shallow DOF for that sweet bokeh, but perhaps a little too shallow!

 

Appetizer on the house:OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERACold noodles with pickles!

 

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAAppetizer to share, Ika Shioyaki or grilled squid tentacles with salt.  Lovely!  A drizzle of lemon juice with some mayonnaise! RWAR!

 

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAAgedashi tofu.  Delicious sauce with nice condiments!   Always a crowd pleaser!

 

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAMain to share: Gyu tongue steak!  Supposedly one of the healthiest beef cuts in the market, this is one of my staples at Kanta other than the Teriyaki Chicken and Kamo Steak!  Slurps!!

Saturday, October 22, 2011

Bites: Kanta @ Langford (Visit 2!)

Kanta has been, for a long time my choice of restaurant for quality Japanese food.  Over the last 5 years I saw this establishment in the Langford suburb bloom from a hidden jewel, to a restaurant where it is impossible to be seated without a booking.  Sometimes, a week or more in advance for dinner.  Leading the kitchen is Akira-San who seems to have taken the backseat and is now only managing the sushi/sashimi side of things while everything else is left to his trusty apprentice!

 

While I have been here plenty of times before, Kanta has changed this year with its staff now wearing official Kanta shirts and more importantly, a revamped menu.  Oh, and don’t forget the new website they have which you can check out here. New introductions to his already decadent menu includes an array of pork belly dishes and a few more traditional Japanese sushi like the spicy Uramaki or the thick Futomaki.  In this visit of mine, I knew I had to depart from my usual Teriyaki Chicken or Gyu Tongue Steak to find out how the new offerings stand against an already impressive list of dishes!

 

For our appetizers, we ordered plenty of rolls, sashimi and other entrees like the Agedashi Tofu and the Ika Shioyaki which is a classic favourite among my circle of food loving mates.

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Ika Shioyaki @ $8.50 or octopus tentacles grilled over the stove with salt were every bit appetizing .  The fresh seafood naturally carries a sweetness which, when paired with the charred flavour from the grill, was absolutely good!  Freshly squeezed lemon added that extra zing which complemented all the flavours! Add that extra kick from the sinful mayonnaise and damn it was good!

 

No stranger to the Japanese culture is the sashimi moriawase for which you can get a small serve of kingfish, tuna and salmon for $16.50.

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Fish is not my sort of thing, but for the girls, they loved every bit of it!  Oh, and do not forget fishman YiHeng who loves fish too!

 

But my highlight for night is a much welcomed addition in the Kanta establishment, the Teriyaki Pork Belly @ $18.50.

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Garnished with Saffron and Brussel sprouts, the pork belly seated gracefully on a mixture of teriyaki sauce and a cream sauce which is a concoction of mayonnaise and spices.  The meat was good with the perfect amount of fat.  The girls found it a bit unhealthy but to me, it was just spot on!  While the pork belly as a whole was tender and juicy, there tended to be a few bits which were not that well cooked.  But that did not matter much.  If you are not a fan of teriyaki sauce, this might not be your cue, but otherwise, the setup of a good sauce with a well-cooked pork belly will blow you away.  Another noticeable feature of the dish was the four little dots which were another type of sauce which reminded me of the Korean Bibimbab sauce ahah.  Slightly peppery with a hint of sesame flavour which brought added flavour to the whole dish!  For me, the downfall of the entire plate was the Brussel sprouts which were a little bitter :(!

 

As a whole, Kanta is still a leader in its class of restaurants.  The authentic Japanese canteen which still dishes out classic Japanese favourites like the teriyaki, sushi and sashimi are hard to beat.  While simple decor paired with lethargic waiters might seem unwelcoming at times do not be fooled.  But if you are keen on decor and have a suitable budget to match, other good Japanese restaurants with like  Satsuki, Halu, Toraya and Nine Fine Food are hard to beat but would have you poorer by $40-70 dollars.  My dinner at Kanta only cost me $25 today.  What can I say?  Love it!

 

You can check out my previous post here  where I had listed a few other goodies Kanta has to offer! ;)!

 

WenY

Kanta Japanese Kitchen and Sushi on Urbanspoon

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Bites: Bua Siam @ Langford

The word ‘Thailand’ has always had an important meaning to me.  Whether it is  was about having Thailand as my neighbouring country, or having good Jimmy as a trustworthy buddy in Perth. So to add, I have always loved visiting Thailand and even have Thailand running through my veins! More importantly, I have a strong liking for Thai food and never would I turn down the opportunity to try any recommendations.  My friend recently celebrated his birthday at Bua Siam in Langford and he told me that he though it was pretty good.  1 month has lapsed and here I was.  Bua Siam for dinner with the peeps and Yobi!

 

To start our meal, we called for a serve of Thai fishcakes @ $8.90

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To our dismay this dish did not turn out well leaving much to be desired; and to a certain extent, we were debating whether the fishcakes were bought frozen off the shelves.  Perhaps that explains 8 pieces for 9 dollars which is a very hard find nowadays.  Or at least when you are in Australia.

 

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Next was the  Roast Duck red curry @ $21.  The sauce was thick, creamy and a little too sweet.  It had generous portions of fruits and vegetables, but was caught a little short on the duck meat.  Nevertheless, it still has a good taste but did not satisfy!

 

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Then came the Beef Green Curry @ $19.  The green curry was good but I felt a little hint of bitterness in the sauce.  Not quite sure what went wrong but overall it was OK.  Beef slices were tender and not overly done.

 

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And what is a Thai meal without the trademark Tom Yam Soup! We ordered a large bowl @ $15 and manage to dish out 8 small bowls for each of us.  While the soup did not taste exactly like Tom Yam, it was not all doom and gloom but failed to meet the standard set by S & T!  Sister commented that it tasted a little more like a HK style Borsch soup!

 

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Another dish we ordered is a popular stir-fry dish,  the Pad Bai Ga Pow which to me is stir-fry meat with basil!  Unfortunately, this dish was not enchanted by that lovely smell when you finish of this sort of dish by stirring in the basil leaves with the fire off giving the blend meat a refreshing basil fragrance!  Rather unfortunate that it appealed to me more of a Chinese stir-fry than a Thai one :(!  Believe it or not, few people were still asking where was our Pad Bai Ga Pow even after this dish was served =.=!

 

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We also ordered a steam fish with coriander, lime and chilli @ $26.  While the sauce was quite good, the fish meat was absolutely terrible.  It felt as if the fish was really old or perhaps they used  a fish which texture is unknown to me!  Perhaps I would go for the deep fried fish with three taste.  I reckon that would be something that suits me better!

 

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Last but not the least, we ordered a minced meat salad (Larb) which I thought was one of the best dishes that day.  It had a good mixture of spices and sauces which went perfectly well with the rice.  But this was not what I expected because I would normally have the Larb with cabbage or lettuce.  Nevertheless, it was a good attempt even though it seems like the capsicums have gone astray into this dish.  However, some commented that it was a little too salty which was true, but with rice it was alright.

 

At the end of the meal, I felt full but hmm that sense of satisfaction just was not there.  It was as if I could still do another round.  Yobi on the other hand thought it was ok but it could have been better! I asked him for a score out of 10 and he reckon about a 6 although to me that was the maximum score I would have given. The little darling and her girls were now a little worried, perhaps more reluctant to go for Thai food if it is not S & T or perhaps Dusit Thai.  What can I say? Can’t blame them can I? haha even my sister’s facial expression was = @@!  But I reckon the main problem at the end of the day was that the intensity of the flavours have been tuned down to suit the Australian crowd rather than a Thai one.

 

WenY

Bua Siam Restaurant on Urbanspoon