Kura Maroubra

If you’re a fan of Japanese food in Sydney, it’s more than likely you’re familiar with the popular Kura restaurant chain (Kura 1 is opposite Haymarket, Kura 3 is on Dixon St – and only relatively recently did I realise that the elusive Kura 2 was sitting in Pyrmont all this time.)

Well now we have Kura Maroubra – which eschews the numerals and replaces it with a suburb.

You know what this means?? TAKOYAKI IN WALKING DISTANCE TO MY HOUSE.

Maroubra Junction may be many things, but it is not a hotspot for Asian cuisine (Cheung Sing is awesome, but there is not much else) – we have the nearby Kensington/Kingsford Junction for that. But even then, the Japanese dining options are thin on the ground.

I was so excited when Kokoroya opened a restaurant a few years ago – and though it is continuously packed with customers, my meal there was both disappointing and expensive (half frozen sashimi that had bones in it!)

We decided to give Kura a try at lunchtime on Saturday,

Jason and I got an oyako-udon, a katsu-don and an agedashi tofu and mini takoyaki to share. I’m happy to report that lunch is ultra good value, like the other Kura restaurants in the city. Lunch sets are under $10, and come with huge portions. And another thing I like is the option to add a little extra something-something for $3 ($4 if you want sashimi). We chose the small portion of takoyaki. Which is just as well, because I barely finished my katsu-don, it was so large.

anddddd then we liked it so much we came back for Sunday at dinner!

I take it as a good sign that the restaurant is filled with Japanese customers. In fact Kura is completely full, so I’m glad we thought to make a reservation this time.

The dinner menu is different to the lunch menu, and has many more options. The things we ordered at lunch are still there, but cost a few dollars extra at dinner time. This time we order:

Aburi Salmon Salad – lightly grilled salmon, which is fatty and melt-in-the-mouth, with a hint of smokiness from the char-lines. Dressed in a light tangy vinaigrette, and sitting on top of some mesclun and shredded cabbage.

Grilled whole squid – served with a citrusy ponzu sauce, which is tasty, and great value for $14.

Unfortunately our serve of takoyaki comes out cold in the middle! Disappointing as our takoyaki yesterday were so good. We alert the waitress, and she’s very apologetic – quickly getting us a new serve that is piping hot. The new dish is delicious, and I’m willing to put this down to it being their first weekend of opening. (In fact, our waitress takes the time to apologise again about the takoyaki as we walk out the door at the end of the night)

Teriyaki beef set is deliciously salty-sweet, and disappears from our table very quickly.

Okonomiyaki is a little bit disappointing and seems premade. I’m missing the freshness from the okonomiyaki I ate in Osaka. (I UNDERSTAND THIS IS AN UNREASONABLE EXPECTATION).

Udon with mussels comes with a choice of dashi or chilli-miso stock. We go with miso, but my brother is chilli-phobic, so he chooses to omit the chilli. What fail! Nevertheless, the miso broth is tasty and sweet, and comes with lovely fat mussels and cubes of tofu.

Sushi and Sashimi plate – pretty standard, but the sashimi is fresh (and no bones!) – comes with the usual kingfish, salmon, tuna – but also sashimi squid, and a few pearls of ikura.

Overall we’re all really happy with our meal! The menu has a good mix of Japanese restaurant staples, for a good price (all of this came to under $20 each, for 5 people!). So happy to have a new reliable and cheap option for dinner in my area!

Kura Maroubra
693 Anzac Parade
Maroubra Junction
(next to Cheung Sing)

ph: 02 9349 1935

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