Toki Japanese Restaurant

88 Grattan St, Carlton
Phone: 9347 9748

So this place has the dubious distinction of being the first restaurant I have double-reviewed. The first time I went there, I had the ramen, which was something of a disappointment. So this time around, when I went on a date with Mr J, I was decidedly not going to go down the noodle route. Besides, eating noodles on dates is for whores. You know what I mean.

We started off with some gyoza. Now I realise it’s a style thing, and that gyoza are not jiaozi, but it always bothers me that gyoza filling is kinda loose – it makes me thing that they’re under-cooked. These gyoza were no different. Not to say they were bad – indeed the flavour of the filling was quite good – but I’m starting to think this Japanese staple isn’t really one of my favourites.

Mr J was feeling indecisive, so he ordered the bento, which had a little bit of everything. It looked like a lot of fun, though I’m not sure how anyone could eat that much food. Wait, anyone except me. Luckily I didn’t order it, because I’m sure I would have hoovered it all up. And hoovering on dates is for whores. You know what I mean. FYI Mr J did not hoover. He’s not a whore.
I ordered the buta something or other. It was like a pork sukyaki, in a cast iron bowl with, swimming in porky broth.
It was really good, though the vegetables were a tad over-cooked, and a bit of a floppy mess. Still, the flavour was simple, but somehow not bland. I quite enjoyed it, though I didn’t finish it. Partly because the serving was very generous, and partly because I didn’t want to look like a whore.