My boyfriend introduced me to this place and since then I've dropped by a few times. Each time is excellent, food is tasty and portion sizes are just right. Service is always quick and professional. Great prices too.
At 8.30pm in Newtown on a cold winters evening with 6 people and no reservations, we finally got a table at Hikaru where the food tasted as good as the menu sounded. Within minutes of being seated we were presented with steaming bowls of miso soup and small dishes of Edamame (delicious soy beans).
The staff were friendly, courteous and fast with the entrees arriving within 10 minutes of ordering. Our group ordered mixtures of both meat and vegetarian Gyoza along with tempura veggies and Agedashi Tofu all of which were tasty and well priced.
With a mixture of vegetarians and meat eaters in our group most of us went for either a Bento Box full of sashimi, sushi, salad and tempura or went for combinations. I had the Terriyaki Chicken and Tempura (a mix of Veggies and Fish), the tempura being lovely and light, the batter melting into your mouth as you took a bite, a gorgeous contrast to the crisp vegetables and fragrant seafood. The Terriyaki can have a tendency to be salty in some restaurants however I found it to be flavoursome without that salty after taste.
Although the restaurant is BYO we bought a couple of bottles of white (which was the usual restaurant vs bottle-o mark up) and for the 6 of us came out at around $24 a head. Although the restaurant was small and full to the brim, it was cosy and had a nice atmosphere and is definitely somewhere we will be heading to again.
I’ve lived around for 3 years and pass here almost every day. But after I tried here 2 years ago, I’ve never tried again. I don’t remember what I ate here but I think it was horrible experience....their food, service & etc etc.
Last Friday night, I tried this restaurant again cos my friend wanted to smoke as well as eating. We tried their outdoor sit in such a cold weather, it was really cold. We ordered fried tofu in soup, sashimi boat, crab tempura, teriyaki chicken, & 2 Japanese beers.
The tofu in soup was average. Sashimi boat was amazing..fresh, nice presentation, & impressive price. Crab tempura was average. Teriyaki chicken was excellent. We 2 people paid less than $60 & were really satisfied. What I really surprised was their service…quick, friendly, & smile. Excellent restaurant…we are going to book for this Friday again.
Been meaning to write about this place, I have to put my 2cents worth. I was so so disappointed that I came here. I had a craving for Japanese and it was late, I only came here cos all the other places were close, anyways I thought they can't go wrong with sushi.
I got takeout and bought mixed sashimi, chicken terryaki, 2 types of sushi, tempura and miso.. and guess what got home and it was the worst tasting Japanese food I've ever tasted. I had a little bit cos I was starving and the rest went into the bin, sashimi wasn't fresh, the tempura batter was tastless, teriyaki was awful and the sushi was plain even the miso was plain...what a waste of money.
After reading the previous reviews, we dined here on a Monday night and was pleasantly surprised. Fast service, polite staff and reasonable priced meals. The venue is rather small, so the take-away option on the busy nights may be the better choice.
One thing that very surprised me, they were slow to bring out my Yakitobi, I had thought they forgot about the dish. So while the dish was cooking, they gave me on the house, four inari rolls. Suffice to say, I was very full by the end. The sashimi pieces were above normal size, which were thoroughly devoured and the tempura was cooked in clean oil.
My wife and I are both avid Jap diners from Melb and we have finally found a place that we can go back to. Though I'm sure it would be a different dining experience on a Fri and Sat night. Vege Tempura $6, seafood yakitobi $12.8, octopus balls $5, seaweed salad $7.80, large sashimi $20 (19 pieces).
Scrumptious Japanese food, and amazingly cheap prices for the great food you get. Have tried many Japanese places before but this is my fave of all time. Every dish that came out was delicious, and the service is top notch, they always make you feel welcome. I can't wait to go back, mmm, I'm getting hungry just thinking about it. May even go again tonight.
I’ve noticed they’ve changed menu recently, new teriyaki sauce is fantastic, entrees are particularly good and the dinner boxes are great value. More sushi rolls are available, of course there’s my favourite spider roll! Service has been fast and friendly. If you want actual Japanese cuisine, I suggest this might be the one.
Shockingly bad. I'm sick of "japanese" restaurant run by non-japanese people, who have no clue of good japanese food. Everything is soaked in too much sauce and no real taste of whatever you are eating.
Vegie dinner box with agedashi tofu was brilliant! My boyfriend says the teriyaki chicken was delicious and we were enthralled by the tempura lettuce! And both the green tea icecream and sesame icecream were divine! The staff were wonderfully friendly and it's so nice to be out to dinner in Newtown AND hear the person across the table! I'll be back for sure.
This is one of my favourite Japanese restaurants, the food is very fresh and satisfying. It's always packed on the weekends and have to wait, but still worth going for such great value.