Izakaya Goku

Raffish, slightly down at heel and home to possibly the greatest number of eccentrics and free spirits in the city, West End is without peer when it comes to colour. Its multi-ethnic make-up means there is a veritable smorgasbord of cuisines too, from souvlaki to sausage rolls, Philly steaks to pho. It's the kind of place we come for cafe breakfasts, cheap, filling eats and leisurely beer garden meet-ups with friends, rather than haute dining.

Japan didn't have much of a toe-hold in this cultural melange until recently, when Mizu moved into the neighbourhood and Bird's Nest Yakitori fired up the binchotan grill. And now, there's newbie Izakaya Goku, its entry marked by a table with a small paper lantern. Inside, it's contemporary and cosy in dark wood with pops of colour from bright orange lightshades, a grouped collection of retro Japanese posters and sake barrels.

Just a fortnight after opening, Izakaya Goku seems to have struck a chord with locals and mostly its popularity is deserved; service is solicitous, if not super-polished, and some of the dishes are very good indeed.  

If you've been to Japan, you'll be familiar with the izakaya. In essence, it's a pub or bar with food, and as such you'll need to abandon the western, entree/main mentality and adopt the izakaya way, which is to order a drink and start with small snacks and graze away, ordering as you go according to whim and hunger. If not, you'll risk looking terribly greedy, and fighting for elbow room on the table as everything arrives in no particular order.

Begin, as the Japanese might, with a beer such as the honey-toned Suntory Yebisu​ Premium and a bowl of crunchy lotus root chips or steamed edamame beans to stimulate the appetite.

The menu pretty much covers everything we westerners expect from a Japanese restaurant, including sashimi (over-chilled in this instance), sushi, grilled skewers, tempura (including excellent oysters served with a little tentsuyu​ broth and green tea salt) as well as a hot and cold a la carte section.

Pork gyoza​ come deep-fried, steamed or pan-fried, the latter crisp-bottomed, the wrappers enveloping juicy meat. A litmus test dish of agedashi​ tofu in dashi broth receives universal approval, the tofu soft and pliable beneath a light batter, topped with finely chopped daikon​ radish and spring onion. Takoyaki, Japanese octopus balls, are the perfect drinking food, easily winning us over with their careful balance in flavour and texture. The octopus is discernable but not overpowering, and balls are light beneath their stripes of barbecue sauce and Kewpie mayo, feathery petals of bonito adding a delicious smokiness.

Deep-fried soft-shell crab is not as successful, the potato flour coating too thick for the delicate meat but deftly fried panko-crumbed chicken katsu​ makes up for it, although it'd be nice to see it served more traditionally with finely sliced cabbage and sesame seed sauce.

Given it bills itself as a bar, Izakaya Goku's drinks list could do with closer attention. There's a short, very retro cocktail list (Screwdriver, anyone?) and an equally clipped and very mainstream wine list, so stick to sake, Japanese whisky or beer. There are a handful of sakes available in 300ml pours, from a house junmai at $18 to a lower alcohol Hana Kizakura ginjo with a pretty floral bouquet at $23.

Izakaya Goku is not fancy or envelope-pushing, but for the food component anyway, delivers exactly what the name promises; well priced, drink-friendly food, fitting seamlessly into the neighbourhood.

Vibe Welcoming Japanese bar

Pro tip The $15 lunch specials are good value