Ukizo, Lidcombe

There are many Korean restaurants in Lidcombe, but amongst them are restaurants of other cuisines like this little Japanese restaurant located on Bridge St. The restaurant is owned by Koreans but as long as the food is good it doesn't matter.

This is my third time coming here. I forgot to bring my phone the first two times so I can't show you how nicely everything is plated here. They have quite an extensive menu including katsu sets, noodles (udon, ramen and soba), bentos, sushi rolls and various entrees.

First Visit
On my first visit to Ukizo, we ordered a teriyaki salmon bento ($19.80) and a mixed tempura (3 prawns, 7 vegetables) ($16.50). I love bentos with little servings of many different sides. The sides in this bento included salmon sashimi, 2 pieces of fruit, a seaweed salad, a selection fried entrees (vegetable spring roll, crab claw, takoyaki, and a fried corn and fish paste nugget), miso soup and a garden salad. It was beautifully presented in a round bento box similar to those used at Miso, however, it terms of taste it wasn't quite as similar. The salmon and rice itself was good with 4 pieces of decent sized salmon (cooked) glazed in teriyaki sauce. The let down were the fried entrees - they were more soggy than crunchy. They reminded of those frozen seafood cocktails that you buy and fry at home.

The mixed tempura was better. The batter was light and crunchy and the prawns were springy. However when they say 7 vegetables they mean 6 pieces of sweet potato and one piece of melon.

Even though this place wasn't outstanding I wanted to come back to try their other dishes.

Second Visit 
Second time here, they may have had a change in management. The waitresses were different and there was more decor. This time I think we were served by the owner herself, a middle-aged Korean lady. She was very attentive and helpful in explaining what some of the dishes were. This time we ordered two of their donburis - oyako and tonkatsu ($15.60 each). As with my first visit, the donburis was plated very nicely. My oyako don had soft scrambled eggs with pan fried chicken pieces and caramelised onions accompanied by some lettuce and shreds of purple radish and picked ginger. The chicken was soft and moist and the entire dish itself felt very homely. The miso on the side further enhanced the warm, cosy feeling.

The tonkatsu don was similar to the oyako don but had a piece of fried pork loin instead. It may have been the egg but the tonkatsu was left rather soft and lacked the usual crunch.

Third Visit

Now, to my most recent visit. After ticking the bento and donburi off my to-try list, I had my eyes set on the sushi rolls.

I loved grilled salmon so its only natural I order the grilled salmon roll ($15). It was huge! Stuffed with copious amounts of crab stick meat, avocado and cucumber and topped with the star of the dish, a piece of grilled salmon. Just one small thing with this dish - the seaweed was slightly chewy and difficult to bite apart making it a little messy to eat.

Grilled salmon roll

As long as I had my grilled salmon, I was happy. My mum and sister also ordered agedashi tofu ($7), edamame ($6), and a teriyaki chicken donburi ($15.60). The agedashi tofu was not the best that I have had. The tofu could have been smoother but the taste was still good.

Agedashi tofu and edamame

I was pretty full by the time I got to the donburi but I still tried a little bit. It had good flavour and I liked how the rice was also mixed with teriyaki sauce. There were slices of carrot, onions and zucchini with the chicken as well (vegetables in a dish are always a bonus for me).

Teriyaki chicken donburi

Ukizo is a small but welcoming restaurant. The food comes out quickly and is good overall. The prices edge towards the pricey side but considering the portions it is decent.