Went here another time before COVID hit and even then the bento boxes were limited to just takeout…read more I also got a bunch of frozen items to stock up (which was a good call since restaurants all shut down a couple of days later). Again, the items are quite pricey, but you can tell that the meals are made with care and they taste like authentic japanese home cooking. They also make me feel really healthy, which is always a plus.
Bento Box (5/5)
This bento box was literally amazing, and I could not have been happier with my meal. The bento of the day was tofu isobe, which was basically tofu, carrot and daikon wrapped in deep fried seaweed. In essence, it was a sushi roll without rice. The taste was unique, and was very light and refreshing despite the seaweed, which was not oily at all. There was one slice of sweet potato, which was good, and there was also some sort of vegan fish cake which was absolutely delicious. There were some other accompaniments, like shredded carrot and burdock, which were good, but nothing mind-blowing. The bento also came with brown rice and some sort of japanese plum thing which I didn't like.
Yam and Black Bean Zucchini Loaf (5/5)
This is probably my favourite frozen item from them to date. This was similar, but the better, upgraded version of the Yam and Black Bean Loaf I got last time. This loaf tasted wonderful. The flavours are mild, but unique. It has quinoa, yam puree and black beans, and I think the zucchini was a thin pureed layer on top? I'm not too sure where the zucchini was (I'm slightly confused but it was tasty so it's all good). It was a tad mushy, but that's probably because it was frozen and the ice inside melted. I really enjoyed this.
Kabocha Gratin (5/5)
This had the same filling as the kabocha croquettes that I last time except it doesn't have the breadcrumbs and it has quinoa in it. Other than that, it still has the chickpeas and pumpkin puree with a thin crust on top. Again, the flavours were mild but it tasted really comforting.
Kabocha Croquettes (3.5/5)
These croquettes were different from last time, in that they tasted nothing like pumpkin. Instead, it tasted like tomato sauce, and the inside was reddish-orange. It has like one chickpea and one red kidney bean inside, and some dried tomatoes. It probably has pumpkin puree to hold the whole thing together, but you just can't taste it. It's not bad, but it's not the kabocha croquette that I loved last time. Misleading advertising!
Vegan Gyoza (3.5/5)
These would have been perfect, except there was something in the filling that tasted like cilantro and I hate cilantro (or whatever that herb was). These gyozas are huge, and have a generous amount of filling, which consisted of lentils and spring onions. The dumpling wrapper was great as well. It's just a shame about the cilantro.
Chickpea and Millet Nuggets (3.5/5)
This was an interesting take on a chicken nugget. Obviously the filling was soft and mushy on the inside, but the flavour was decent, though pretty mild like most of their other items. The breadcrumbs were not as crispy as I would have liked them to be, and the outer layer was hard and crunchy (not in a good way). Overall, it was okay, but I probably won't be getting them again.
Tempeh Chili (3/5)
This was a little disappointing. The tomato sauce was a little acidic, perhaps due to it being a frozen item. The taste was too strong and overpowering, and left a strange taste in my mouth afterwards. There was no tempeh in it and I feel cheated. The eggplants and mushrooms in the chili tasted weird and not fresh (I know it was made a while ago but still), and I would not get this item again.
Garbanzo Stroganoff (3/5)
This was also rather disappointing. The sauce tasted weird (not sure if it's because it was frozen), and the mushrooms tasted weird. Note to self: don't buy frozen items with mushrooms, eggplants, or tomatoes in them. It came with chickpeas, carrots, celery and mushrooms. Again, it was just okay, and I would not get this item again.
