If you're after a quick and cheap Japanese meal, this is the place to go around the CBD. The selection of Japanese rice don and also an option of creating your own rice don is quite standard and decent serving for the price. Service is efficient but the ordering system is a bit all over the place though. Aside from savoury meals, I often just stop by to get a matcha soft serve or a matcha latte to satisfy any match cravings.
I have mixed feelings about this place. Walking into the place, it seem liked a McDonalds fast food version of Japanese food. It all seems so computerised. The rice in these large bowls, the girls who took the order seme confused or whether she was in training as she had to verify with someone else multiple times. When the dishes came out they were served in a large paper bowl with a small serving. They had 2 sizes for the rice dishes. Miso soups were not included, which I had ordered extra. Unfortunately my miso had a piece of hair in it, I immediately bought it over for them to bring out a new one. Instead of apologising for what had happened they observed the soup and verified it with 2 others. I felt it was very strange their approach rather than feeling embarrassed that this had just happened. The place takes cash only also which is a huge downfall for central CBD. Not certain if I will return here, just didnt seem to have a good first impression!
This place is just fantastic, if you enjoy Japanese food and for those who havent tried Japanese cuisine, I think this place would be a great start. Its trendy well presented. The place provides you with the options to build your very own rice bowl, choosing from a wide array of toppings, ingredients and sauce. I found the service was fast and efficient, it was very well organised. You simply place the order, you get the rice bowl on a tray, which then slides along the bench, past the self-serve cabinets, to the cashier. After paying theres a small area where you could collect cutlery, chopsticks, serviettes, water, take-away lids and a wide variety of condiments. I really enjoyed the Ontama Salmon Bowl, it was just delicious. Im a huge fan of condiments, and the fact that its self service makes a huge factor! The service was great and efficient, the staff are friendly and nice.
