Mori Sushi Cafe Glebe

When you walk into a Japanese sushi restaurant, you don't expect to be hit with the distinct aroma of coffee and tea; but that's what happened when I walked into Mori Sushi at Glebe, the first ever sushi cafe.





The menu looked exciting, offering both Japanese cuisine dishes as well as typical breakfast options such as egg benedict - as well as the iconic bacon and egg roll. However, as it was lunchtime, my boyfriend and I opted to eat from the Japanese lunch menu. I was pretty eager to eat here. The menu was not only vegetarian friendly, but had dishes I had not eaten in a long time and was looking forward to trying again.





We just had a simple hot green tea for our drinks, and for our entrée we had the seaweed salad and vegetable gyoza. The seaweed salad came out first. It wasn’t a huge portion (actually pretty small) and it was average in taste. Nothing special about it.



The vegetable gyoza (dumplings) is something I hadn't had in a while, and it came in a set of five. Crispy on the outside, filled with vegetables on the inside; it was a treat for me to eat. Dipped in soy sauce, it was a simple dish - yet a lovely one at that.

The Vegetarian bento box is something that not many places have. It was a dish made of the following components: salad, agendashi tofu, veggie tempura, sushi, miso soup and a bowl of rice. The mouthwatering sight filled me with excitement. Aesthetically, it was very attractive. It's true what they say, you eat with your eyes.



The salad was simple with tofu and lettuce, avocado, lemon and cucumber. The sauce they used was tangy while the lemon added some zest. I like the salad a lot better than the veggie tempura which isn't one of my favourite things to eat. In saying that, Mori Sushi did it quite well.

The agendashi tofu was soaked in an abundant amount of sauce. A bit too much as it was quite overwhelming. I had to take the tofu out and mix it with the rice to try and die down the flavour, which made it slightly easier to eat - yet I couldn't finish it.



Miso soup is one of my favourite dishes, and a must have when I walk into any Japanese restaurant. Therefore I was really looking forward to trying it out. I have to say, I was pretty disappointed as it was not even hot, but luke warm. My boyfriend and I felt like asking them to heat it up in the microwave a bit more. It was also bland: they put a bit too much water in it, so it tasted more like water with a subtle hint of miso flavour rather than miso soup. Quite flavourless. My boyfriend's miso soup however was too salty, having the opposite problem to mine in there being not enough water. Therefore the consistency between dishes isn't there, which I think is an important part in any restaurant.

Moving onto my partner's sashimi set, it was made up of sashimi (salmon and tuna), tofu, rice, miso soup, salad and gyoza. He said that the gyoza was nice and crispy. Tofu was a little on the soft side as he preferred for the outside to be a bit crispy, yet that may have been because of the sauce. The sashimi was fresh and tender to eat. He thoroughly enjoyed it.



The staff were friendly and efficient. We didn't have to wait long for our food which added up to $41.50. However, while the food was nice and well presented - there wasn't anything special about it.

The winning point for me however, was the atmosphere. It reminded me of a lazy Sunday sort of day, where you do nothing but relax and enjoy the moment. The music greatly contributed to this peaceful ambience, playing old school RnB that my boyfriend especially enjoyed, bringing back memories and a sense of nostalgia. He told me he would go back there if only for the music.

However, I did enjoy this place because it was so laid back and simple. It doesn't try hard to impress customers with anything fancy or over the top. Not to mention the interesting blend of coffee and a cafe with a Japanese orientated restaurant that intrigued me from the start. It's different and I like that.

Rating - 7/10

Where: 175 Glebe Point Road Glebe NSW
Glebe, NSW 2037
Why: Because it's the first ever sushi cafe.
Cost: Prices range from $10-$25
When: 7 days a week

Good for kids: If they like Japanese food - yes.
Take away: For some options such as breakfast - yes

Categories:

#_glebe
#_sushi_restaurants
#_japanese_restaurants
#_asian_restaurants
#_cafes

%sydneyfoodlovers