Shushokuya Masa

Authentic Japanese cuisine with friendly service, izakaya style. iPad ordering system per table, with quite an extensive menu. The beef tataki was good with grated raw garlic as a garnish which packed a good punch, the pipi sakamuahi (steamed with sake) was also flavoursome with ponsu sauce, and sashimi ship all very fresh. The squid sashimi was also well prepared with the slices cut to the right width to match the thickness of each portion, which gives a pleasant mouthfeel and texture per bite. They also had the body/mouth of the squid served as sashimi with the tough parts removed, which I think I've never had before outside Japan. Very nice. Shishamo tempura was fried well, as was the cream croquettes and beef kushi katsu (katsu on a skewer). Even the dressing on the small accompanying salads was good and memorable. Grilled mackerel portion was generous and suitably fatty to be washed down with a beer. Kids had a curry which they also enjoyed. Standout for the evening was the deep fried flounder. It may not sound like much of a dish, but when correctly done the whole fish minus the head can be eaten. Here the fish was filleted and each piece cut into bite size pieces which was good, but the bones, fins and tail were deep fried in a single piece. The whole lot can be eaten with a unique taste and texture, again I've never seen this served up like this before around here. Desserts selection was also pretty good, and they didn't skimp on the ice-cream in the parfaits. They also had sakura dango, a glutenous rice cake thinly wrapping a sweet red bean paste, but with an outer layer of a salted leaf from a cherry blossom tree. Somewhat rare outside of Japan, it was a great mix of sweet and savoury flavours with the unmistakable sakura aroma. Highly recommended for an authentic dining experience. Definitely worth a repeat visit to try out the rest of their menu.

Really enjoyed our lunch. I had a gluten free terriyaki chicken bento which was great.