Manmaruya BBQ - Beverly Hills, NSW

The family and I used to go out quite frequently on Thursdays (because that used to be dad's day off) and we'd almost always make it a point to go out and eat well. Times have changed and as we get older, our schedules busier...I find that the times we get to go out are getting rarer and rarer. To my surprise, the sister had made a booking at a local yakiniku restaurant that we hadn't yet tried which made me heaps excited (and hungry). And so, we got ready and headed out to enjoy a nice night out at a local BBQ restaurant.

Located close to pancakes on the rocks, Manmaruya BBQ is the yakiniku/Japanese BBQ branch of the Manmaruya chain of ramen restaurants. Comparative to it's closest sibling, the feel and atmosphere is definitely more upscale and the prices definitely do reflect this. Still, this didn't hamper our excitement as we ordered some of our favourite meats and some sushi to share. We started our meal with a standard avocado and salmon salad. I'll be honest, there really wasn't anything particularly special about it but the tangy sesame sauce did help pique our appetites and prepare us for the glorious barbeque to come.

First to arrive was our combination platter, which consisted of ox tongue and pork neck slices. The moment you put these items on the grill, the sizzle of the meat and the smoke carries an irresistible aroma straight to your nose. As you wait (impatiently) for the meat to finish cooking, you watch as the colors slowly change and the sides get slightly charred. As a preference, we like my ox tongue a little under so just as they gained a little bit of colour, we grabbed it off the grill and I had mine with the sweet soy based tare and rice. The quality and freshness of the meat at Manmaruya BBQ is actually pretty good. The ox tongue is soft, fatty and tender all at the same time.

The pork neck took a bit longer to cook (common sense says we need to cook pork all the way through) but the end result was well worth it. Melt in your mouth from the first bite, You know to expect great things just looking at the fattiness and the smell generated when meat hits metal really ups the anticipation but it really doesn't prepare you for how good it really is. If I could realistically have just a whole plate of that, I would most definitely be happy and satisfied. 

Aside from ordering meats, we also ordered some seafood in the form of sushi and grilled mackerel. Within the  Hurstville area, the Manmaruya restaurants are probably one the restaurants who do the most decent sushi service. For the Hurstville ramen store, the sushi quality used to be a whole lot better prior to their installation of the conveyor belt. As with any establishment where speed and supply of the product is the selling point, attention to detail and quality normally drops as a direct result. Manmaruya BBQ brings back that quality by slowing things down and making the sushi ala-carte. Still, being the traditionalist that I am, I would have preferred to order simpler sushi however the salmon avocado nigiri we ordered really wasn't that bad at all.

From the moment I saw grilled mackerel on the menu, I knew I had to order it. I have a thing for Japanese grilled mackerel, being one of the only ways of preparing fish where I'd actually willingly eat it. It's the simplicity of the dish is it's defining trait as nothing more is necessary other than just this fish and some rice. I still would have preferred the skin to be crispier and I would have loved to have the standard condiments of grated daikon and ginger but the sauce it came with was still pretty refreshing and complimented the fish well. The belly portion of the mackerel is the most delightful piece to finish the dish with as the fattiness just explodes in your mouth as you eat it, leaving just the memory and taste lingering in your mouth as you sit there in satisfaction.

The final dish to come for the night was our second platter which consisted of galbi (short-rib) and harami (skirt). By this point, the three of us were starting to get slightly full but this didn't deter us from putting the meat on the barbie and watching it sizzle. I personally have a preference for the harami (the piece that's super marbled) because it's typically more tender and renders better on the grill but the short rib was also pretty nice in that it was beefier and held more flavour. I'd recommend this platter for any beef aficionado as it lets you devour the best of both worlds. Also, if at any point you're still feeling a bit peckish, Manmaruya BBQ lets you order a mini bowl of bibimbap for $5 when you've ordered any of their meat platters. That's exactly what we ordered which came at a great time because nothing goes better with grilled meat than carbs.

Overall, I'd say our time at Manmaruya BBQ was worth it. For the area, it might seem a bit upscale in terms of pricing but you definitely get good quality for what you pay for. If you're like me and seek comfort in abundance, I'd suggest visiting Koh-ya or Suminoya but for a local yakiniku establishment, Manmaruya BBQ does really well in bringing the allure and charm of Japanese barbeque to the suburbs.

Spago - Beverly Hills, NSW

We are honestly rather spoilt for choice in the south with our abundant Asian options and various areas where you can get a good feed, but when it comes to contemporary Western cuisine, there's only really one place that stands out to me. When I think about how long it's taken me to write a blog post about this place, it amazes me because anyone who talks to me knows I won't shut up about this place. I am convinced that Spago is the BEST that the south has to offer. Which is why when it came time to celebrate my birthday, the choice was obvious. It was definitely not the first time the Mrs and I have been here so it really didn't take long for us to decide what to order (we were so quick that the waitress was rather surprised).

Our entrees came shortly after we had ordered. I stuck with what I knew was good and ordered the Angus Beef Carpaccio. This dish amazes me in it's flavourful impact and sheer simplicity. The texture and taste of the raw beef meshes so well with the capers and cheese that you just can't help but love it. The hint of Truffle aioli on top really kicks it up a notch for all those who love truffles. The Mrs chose the Octopus salad which based on previous experience, is rather impressive. The octopus was unbelievably tender and rather well seasoned which worked really well in the crisp and fresh setting of the salad of rocket and red onions.

For our mains, I chose the more indulgent experience by ordering the rump steak with cafe de paris butter and hand cut chips. As the butter melts over the seared exterior of that beautiful piece of meat, the flavours of the herbs and spices melds together with the charred. beefy meat to give you a delightfully moorish steak. In particular, the tart and savoury flavour profile of the capers really highlights how well prepared the dish is. 

The Mrs stuck with what she knew was good (and had been craving for a while) and ordered the squid ink spaghetti. In all the times where I've had the pleasure of eating that pasta, I've never once had a bad experience with it. Like always, the pasta is cooked al-dente and coated ever so lightly in a light olive oil sauce. The cherry tomatoes are ever so slightly cooked to accentuate the natural sweetness and the bits of crab is perfectly flavoursome. For good carby measure, we also ordered the fries with truffle aioli...I mean, how could you not? 

For dessert, the Mrs let me choose her dessert (which came as a part of the Weekday deal we ordered) and I chose for her the Panna Cotta. The panna cotta is rather seasonal as each time we've ordered it, it came with a different fruit compote. I believe this time it was a berry compote as it had bits of strawberry on top which worked really well in cutting through the smoothly sweet cooked cream.

In continuing the theme of indulgent dining on my birthday, I opted to have the triple chocolate mousse cake as my dessert. Indulgent is a pretty apt description of the dish as it was layered with hazelnut, dark chocolate and white chocolate mousse. This was all set on top of a chocolate and almond cake and covered with a chocolate mirror glaze. This was a chocolate lover's dream (which was great for me cause I don't like anything sweet but chocolate) and despite the heavy sounding description, it really wasn't that filling as I had expected to be bloated after the meal but wasn't.

As I mentioned above, I don't ever really stop talking about this place and they never really give me a reason to stop. With each subsequent visit, I just find more and more to love about the work that they do there. The quality of the service and food really speaks volumes about how much dedication the team there puts into the menu and the food. Pair that with excellent service and an incredibly decent price (the weekday deal is the best value ever), Spago becomes that one gem that you can never pass up.