
Dining out in Brisbane's 'burbs can be a bit difficult sometimes. The last time a bunch of friends and I tried to go out for a Wednesday night dinner on the north-side we had a few challenges to overcome.
Finding a restaurant that was open was a challenge. Ordering off a limited menu was a challenge. Having to speed-eat before the restaurant shut early- also a challenge.
Thankfully, there's a new kid on the outer skirts of town that is not only open on weeknights, but serves up an impressive range of some of the most moreish food ever.
Finding a restaurant that was open was a challenge. Ordering off a limited menu was a challenge. Having to speed-eat before the restaurant shut early- also a challenge.
Thankfully, there's a new kid on the outer skirts of town that is not only open on weeknights, but serves up an impressive range of some of the most moreish food ever.
In the short time Motto Motto Japanese Kitchen has been open at Westfield Garden City, it has caused quite a stir. Motto Motto is Japanese for 'more more', which is exactly what I was saying after my first dining experience here.
Motto Motto was kicked-off by the guys behind Brisbane's fanciest Japanese restaurant: Sono. This means all of Motto Motto's ingredients and menu inspirations come straight from Sono's kitchen, but for a fraction of the cost.
We started the night with a range of Japanese drinks available, including non-alcoholic cider and umeshu plum wine complete with plum. These are worth a try as a nice alternative to your standard bevvies that are usually available at shopping centre eateries.
Motto Motto was kicked-off by the guys behind Brisbane's fanciest Japanese restaurant: Sono. This means all of Motto Motto's ingredients and menu inspirations come straight from Sono's kitchen, but for a fraction of the cost.
We started the night with a range of Japanese drinks available, including non-alcoholic cider and umeshu plum wine complete with plum. These are worth a try as a nice alternative to your standard bevvies that are usually available at shopping centre eateries.
Motto Motto has four sections to its menu, and we were lucky enough to try something from each, starting with a few things from the sides menu.
I could have happily spent the night just eating through the sides menu- everything was absolutely stellar.
The prawn and avocado salad had extremely fresh and tasty prawns, offset with veges that were at their peak. The gyozas were similarly flavourful and had a lovely crisp outside.
My pick from this selection though had to be the soft shell crab. Again, you could tell that the produce used here was top quality, with lovely sweet crab meat in a perfectly crispy tempura.
- Prawn and Avocado Salad: Cooked prawn, avocado, fresh green salad
- Chicken Karage
- Pork / Veg/ Prawn Gyoza
- Soft Shell Crab: Sweet and sour soft shell crab
I could have happily spent the night just eating through the sides menu- everything was absolutely stellar.
The prawn and avocado salad had extremely fresh and tasty prawns, offset with veges that were at their peak. The gyozas were similarly flavourful and had a lovely crisp outside.
My pick from this selection though had to be the soft shell crab. Again, you could tell that the produce used here was top quality, with lovely sweet crab meat in a perfectly crispy tempura.
We then moved on to examples from the Rolls menu and the Noodles menu.
Each of the rolls came on brioche buns which were light and fluffy and not overly buttery. This was actually quite a nice way to bake a bit of brioche, otherwise it can be super rich. Both the crispy prawn and wagyu beef were again cooked to perfection and went well with the fresh salad and pickled cucumber.
The showstopper though was the ramen. Motto Motto owner William Liu took immense pride in the fact that the superstock in this ramen contained no MSG and not even any salt. Yet somehow, they made this ramen soup the best that I've ever experienced. Twelve hours of cooking made this soup complex and just packed full of flavour. The noodles were soft and fresh as well, and if I hadn't filled up on brioche, I would have asked for more, more!
- Crispy Prawn Roll: Crispt prawn, salad, pickled cucumber, tartare
- Wagyu Beef Roll: Wagyu beef, fresh green salad, pickled cucumber, mayonnaise, sweet soy
- Fries with Seaweed Salt
- Ton-kotsu Ramen Soup: 12 hour pork superstock, pork belly, egg
Each of the rolls came on brioche buns which were light and fluffy and not overly buttery. This was actually quite a nice way to bake a bit of brioche, otherwise it can be super rich. Both the crispy prawn and wagyu beef were again cooked to perfection and went well with the fresh salad and pickled cucumber.
The showstopper though was the ramen. Motto Motto owner William Liu took immense pride in the fact that the superstock in this ramen contained no MSG and not even any salt. Yet somehow, they made this ramen soup the best that I've ever experienced. Twelve hours of cooking made this soup complex and just packed full of flavour. The noodles were soft and fresh as well, and if I hadn't filled up on brioche, I would have asked for more, more!
We then moved on to the Rice Bowls section of the menu:
I only ate one of these bowls (I'm good at packing away food, but I'm not that good), and went for the Raw Seafood Chirashi. In three words, this was fresh, fresh, fresh. Each seafood morsel tasted exactly like it should at a top restaurant. The scallops were slightly sweet and the salmon was delicate. Everything had a decadent soft texture and just oozed Summer in a bowl.
This is Sono sashimi at food court prices which honestly astounds me.
The Saikyo Yaki Fish was the Winter version of the Raw Seafood Chirashi- it was creamy and rich and from all accounts very moreish.
I also only heard good things about the pork belly and seared salmon, which came with its own fresh pot of teriyaki sauce which was poured over the fish at the table to ensure maximum freshness.
- Raw Seafood Chirashi: Tassie salmon, Pacific Ocean tuna, scallop, yuzu, citrus sauce
- Saikyo Yaki Fish: Saikyo yaki style grilled fish and mixed seafood with creamy rice
- Pork Belly: Slow cooked pork belly with veg
- Seared Salmon and Avocado: Tassie salmon, avocado, teri-mayo
I only ate one of these bowls (I'm good at packing away food, but I'm not that good), and went for the Raw Seafood Chirashi. In three words, this was fresh, fresh, fresh. Each seafood morsel tasted exactly like it should at a top restaurant. The scallops were slightly sweet and the salmon was delicate. Everything had a decadent soft texture and just oozed Summer in a bowl.
This is Sono sashimi at food court prices which honestly astounds me.
The Saikyo Yaki Fish was the Winter version of the Raw Seafood Chirashi- it was creamy and rich and from all accounts very moreish.
I also only heard good things about the pork belly and seared salmon, which came with its own fresh pot of teriyaki sauce which was poured over the fish at the table to ensure maximum freshness.
I for one am keen for more, more of suburban dining if Motto Motto is the new standard everyone has to live up to!
No longer does dinner in the 'burbs have to be a challenge- now it can be a gastronomic experience that even gives you back some change.
The Particulars
Tanya dinned as a guest of Motto Motto and KDPR.
No longer does dinner in the 'burbs have to be a challenge- now it can be a gastronomic experience that even gives you back some change.
The Particulars
- Motto Motto can be found at Westfield Garden City
- Open 7 days for lunch and dinner.
- Mains $9.50 - $13.50.
Tanya dinned as a guest of Motto Motto and KDPR.