Matsuri Japanese - Perth CBD

Craving a good Japanese feed, I assumed Matsuri Japanese in Perth CBD was a decent choice, being that I had heard of this restaurant before and I thought – “why not try somewhere different.”

As I used all of my self-control to not go back to Hanami in Mt Lawley (after two consecutive amazing experiences!) and then we found the Bonsai Restaurant Café & Lounge (Japanese restaurant) in Northbridge was fully booked! So we resorted to giving Matsuri a go.

FIRST MISTAKE.

Urbanspoon rated Matsuri 75%... this should be minus 75%.

Luckily I had the company of wonderful friends to make up for the terrible food and awful service at Matsuri because this experience was not a very good one!

SERVICE:
After booking a table for 6.30pm, when we arrive at 6.45pm (late 15 minutes – bad bad people we are!), the waitress that served us told me to “wait until everyone has arrived” before we were allowed to go in and sit down at our table. So for a table of 10, you can understand if everyone arrives at slightly different tables. I felt like I had misbehaved at school when she angrily and very rudely pointed us to our table and left us. I felt like I had to put out my hand to get whipped on the hand by her cane!

We searched the room for ages to catch the eye contact of any waiter to bring us some tap water to the table, let alone take our drinks order. After the wrong amount of glasses was taken to the table, we were again abandoned for half an hour until we had to wave someone over to take our food order.

I felt like they just didn’t want to speak to us all night and that we were bothering them to ask to get our glasses refilled.

FOOD:

I ordered an 8 piece spicy salmon sushi roll for entree and a mixed sashimi platter and teriyaki fish set meal with rice, salad and miso soup for mains (I was hungry).

The food came out extremely staggered and most had finished their entrée’s as others were still waiting for their entrée’s to come! They forgot an entrée as some of us were given mains and they asked if, “the entree could come with mains”…well duh! It’s going to have to considering we have all finished our entrees!

My sushi was average, nothing sensational. The “spicy” component was simply a drizzle of chilli sauce over the sushi. Little did I know it was all downhill from here…

My sashimi was rubbery and also very average. I think I only kept eating because I was so hungry, but far out! I didn’t realise raw fish could be so bad. I now realise I have only ever had pretty good experiences with sashimi.

My Teriyaki Fish set meal was the worst! The fish was battered in a gluggy unrecognisable batter and drowned in this thick, gluggy, tasteless sauce that resembled nothing of Japanese teriyaki sauce! It was like the sauce had too much cornflour added as it was thick and very unappetising! This was roughly chucked over some terrible white rice. Awful meal!

After I picked through the fish pieces I stopped eating. I couldn’t bare to eat anymore no matter how hungry I was. I skulled the miso soup (average), ate the salads and reflected on what was the worst Japanese I’ve ever had.

Jack had the Teriyaki Eel set meal. The eel was actually not bad…slimy and slippery like eel normally is but a better flavour than my fish.

Considering I spent a fair amount here (approx $40) as I had three main meals…I was very disappointed.

Unfortunately, I don’t think I will ever return