Kuki Tanuki Erskineville, Sydney

User Reviews of Kuki Tanuki, Erskineville

Displaying: 1 - 5 of 5 reviews

3.3 Below Average

Drinks 5 Ambience 4 Service 2 Value 2

It is a shame that this place did not work out for us, as I had heard so many fabulous reviews about it. I am vegetarian so possible just didn't order the right things. Had the agedashi tofu for a starter and that was beautiful but it went down hill from there.

Sushi didn't even come with wasabi which is not good for an overpriced Japanese restaurant, my fancy sounding tofu dish that I ordered as a main literally came out as just tofu and lettuce leaves. Our mains were forgotten about and after waiting for over an hour I kindly asked the nervous waiter where our food was to which he went off to the kitchen and didn't return!

I flagged him down again 10 minutes later to get a follow up as we were clearly being ignored and he told me that the printer had broken that day and then left again! Seriously, I don't care if mistakes are made, we are all human but you need to communicate with customers properly and, perhaps, compensate... the free edamame beans didn't cut it! Sorry to say, but we won't be returning.

May 25, 2012

barrito
1

5.5 Average

Drinks 3 Ambience 7 Service 8 Value 4

Me and my partner chose to dine here to have some quality timeout.

Upon arrival, the restaurant section was not yet opened (asked to wait for 5 - 10 minutes) which is fine, but the waitress failed to point out that there were 2 different menus between the restaurant and the bar areas. We almost settled for the bar menu when we decided to check out the restaurant menu, which is quite a lot more substantial than the bar menu. Even though the wait staff said that they would alert us to when the restaurant area was opened, they didn't. We only noticed when a family walked past us and took a seat at the waitress' invitation.

My partner, who is vegetarian, was overall impressed. His only critique was that the sweet potato (in the tempura dish) was too thick and not cooked enough and the tempura batter could have been a tad bit more crispy.

But he is definitely coming back despite the overall somewhat expensive price of a casual meal for 2, including licensed beverages and no BYO. The agedashi tofu was nice but the tofu could have been crispier.

I had the pork gyoza which seemed to have come from a packet. Though they looked crispy on one side, they were not and the overall texture was soft, as if microwaved, and not overly palatable. The dipping sauce was bland, almost waterish. The chicken Nanban salad was excellent. The proportion was excellent and the chicken was crispy and juicy.

Essentially, it was $100 for a small meal and a bottle of wine which I'd be happy to pay but this meal, while reasonable in flavour, was still underwhelming.

Service attention within the restaurant area was quite good and very responsive to any potential dietary requirements.

Apr 20, 2012

Adam K.
9

9 Highly Recommended

Drinks 10 Ambience 10 Service 8 Value 8

What a great find. The Erskineville and Newtown area was in sore need of a good Japanese Sake Bar. I highly recommend this funky spot for anyone and everyone.

The staff were friendly and helpful, the food was delicious and the drinks selection was extensive. Our group had a few cocktails, sakes and we tried this yummy ale that had a cool looking can, I forget the name but Yum. We also had some tempura olives, the beef tattaki and Sashimi which really washed down well with the drink. Some of the group had some plum wines which were outstanding.

Definitely try the Yuzusu plum wine, that was suggested by the knowledgeable owner. That was hands down the highlight of my night.

One point of suggestion though, it would be awesome if Kuki Tanuki could have the lights on at night in the backyard area. It would be a great place to drink.

Feb 11, 2012

Karl C.
3

1 of 1 reader found the following review helpful

2.3 Not Recommended

Drinks 3 Ambience 4 Service 1 Value 1

After being ignored when we went in a week earlier and told rudely they were "a bar not a restaurant so we don't take bookings" we decided to give it another chance. We went as a group of 10, but even being the largest table in the place, they still lost our order. We waited more than two hours in total to get our mains and were told that the two bowls of edamame beans we received to fend off the hunger pangs were enough of a discount.

The red wines on offer were also restrictive, either a $7 or $17 a glass red. They just seemed to have no idea. Was so looking forward to having a japanese place around the corner but be warned. Enter at your own risk - None of us will Ever be going back.

Feb 07, 2012

Emily3
1

3.5 Below Average

Drinks 2 Ambience 6 Service 5 Value 1

Rip off, even for the Erskineville/Newtown area, I am shocked. My boyfriend and I were doing a bit of a pub crawl and popped in to have a drink. We decided to share a 'carafe' of the house sake for $13 and when it arrived, it was only half full. Took it back to the bar thinking this must be a mistake and the bartender poured into a plastic measuring cup, and confirmed that X ml is indeed a 'carafe'. So we paid $13 for ~100 ml of sake. We also ordered a calamari dish, which was tasty but only had 6 rings.

I'm from the area and am used to overpriced 'trendy' food (aka small portions for steep prices), but Kuki Tanuki takes this to a new level. We didn't eat in the service area, but I would never want to because I don't want to receive half of a portion of food that I could get elsewhere in the area. Plus, I find that redefining a 'carafe' to be half-a-carafe is deceptive and wouldn't to give such a sneaky establishment my business.

Feb 03, 2012