Goen Japanese Restaurant

Goen Japanese Restaurant

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Posted 2012-03-03 by Rynaghfollow


So I've just finished dinner at Goen. I'm about half way around the block towards home and feel relaxed, full-tummied, and pretty chuffed that I just had a totally yummy dinner without breaking a twenty. Then I feel a frantic tap on my shoulder. Ready to defend myself against whoever this is (this is 10pm on Broadway, after all), I'm surprised to see that it is in fact, my waitress.

"Your three dollars," she says, slightly out of breath.
I blink at her blankly.
"We made a mistake," she explains, "Charge you too much. Here you go."
Aww, how lovely is that? I make sure she keeps it and walk away feeling all warm and fuzzy. Guess service doesn't come at an extra price after all.

Goen has been a bit of a neighbourhood fave for a while now. Before this evening, I've visited a couple of times with friends and gobbled up their budget-friendly noodles and dinner boxes. It's not the type of meal you'd gush about over the water cooler the next day, but just tasty Japanese comfort food served with a smile. Plus, when the weather is nice, sitting outside in the courtyard or on the top deck is extra lovely. As post-dance class dinner, it ticks all the boxes. I'm craving their teriyaki tofu box, which comes served in a cute three-segment tray with sushi rice and salad.

I take a seat out the back and am quickly brought a bottle of table water. The first sign of great service. When I'm handed the menu however, I'm stumped - no more dinner boxes! I didn't realise it, but Goen has changed management in the last few weeks and the menu has had a revamp too. There's still sushi, noodles and donburi, but other menu items have been replaced with new mains and entrees. The new stuff is a bit of different style to before - kind of more creative and modern. There are still plenty of trusty stand-bys (pork katsu, vegetable gyoza) but there are also interesting-sounding dishes like teriyaki salmon with lotus chips, watercress and lime vinaigrette, and 'French style' white clam soup.

There's a bunch of stuff that I want to try, but ultimately, I'm still craving that tofu. I try to recreate the box by mixing and matching new things on the menu. teriyaki tofu is now an entrée dish, so I order that along with some rice, a garden salad and a miso soup. It all comes comes out looking pretty and ultra fresh. I realise I probably didn't need the salad as the tofu comes with a good handful of veggies itself. Broccoli, edaname beans and red capsicum make a great match for the sweet sauce. The tofu is flash fried - crisp on the outside, silken in the middle - and soaked in sweet sauce. So morish! Mid-way through my meal the waitress comes and asks if I'm enjoying everything. She's knows I am.

When it's time to pay up, I don't think twice about the $18 charge. Yummy food, generous servings and the staff are just so sweet! I love Japanese food, and while Goen has always done it well, I can now say pretty confidently that they go beyond your average cheapie rice and noodle kitchen. And with service so attentive that will literally chase you down the street. Well, that is something worth chatting over the water cooler about!

#glebe
#japanese_restaurants
#cafes
%wnsydney
110939 - 2023-06-12 15:23:56

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