A girlfriend and I decided to eat at Kokoro Bistro on a sunny Saturday, after an hour long struggle of contemplating the best possible place; to house our catch-up lunch. She had driven passed Kokoro and thought it looked really good, to my shock it was the first I has ever heard of it, which is strange as a I live so close and love Japanese cuisine. We made our way over to the establishment which is located right next to 'Iceworks.'
We were shown to our seats by a friendly man who was the only person manning the floor, he quickly brought us menus and asked if we wanted sparkling or tap. The decor is clean and simple in true Japanese style. The booths have cushions that do not match the colour scheme of the rest of the Bistro and the little white vases atop the tables contain sad looking plastic flowers, which admittedly I found off putting. There were metal chop sticks on the table that looked chic but seemed evident were going to cause eating problems, we were offered forks though, we did of course refuse.
Seated before 2:00PM mean't we were able to order a Lunch Bento. I ordered the Kokoro Bento ($19) which came with Prawn Tempura Udon, assorted nigiri, fresh Edamame, Prawn Gyoza, Japanese salad, Wakame and white Mochi. My lovely friend ordered the BBQ Pork Bento ($18) which came with Stir fried pork & steamed rice, Miso Soup, Edamame, Japanese salad, Wakame and white Mochi. We were both delighted when the friendly gentleman presented our Bento Boxes to us! They were a larger serving than the usual Bento box and very well presented, I should also add that the meals were brought out approximately ten minutes after we ordered.
I was so excited looking at this meal, it honestly looked like perfection on a plate...well in a box. My prawn tempura was crispy, the noodles were packed with flavour from the clear, complex broth it bathed in. My Edamame was NOM-alicious! I don't think I have ever had prawn Gyoza I have ever enjoyed that much and the dipping sauce that came with it was so robust, once I finished my Gyoza I poured the remainder into my udon because I couldn't part with it! The nigiri was fresh and well constructed. The Wasabi was the moist, strong variety. The pickled ginger still had crunch and gingery pa-zang. Even the Japanese salad was incredibly flavourful! I am not a big fan of Mochi, but this white Mochi was wonderful! My friend compared it to butterscotch pudding, which I felt was extremely accurate. It wasn't sickly sweet like Mochi can be either, it was just right with a smooth texture, it seemed to be stored in freezer judging by the temperature of it.
I didn't taste my friends stir fry or her Gyoza but I can tell you she felt the same as I did, loved them both, as well as agreeing that all the other elements were delectable. After our meals, we both felt satisfied and even though we had eaten a lot we didn't feel over full or stuffed! Actually, we discussed making Kokoro Bistro our go to place for our get togethers in future. It is hard to find somewhere that has great atmosphere, immaculate food and friendly service. The waiter didn't check up on us at all and he forgot to bring us the cheque even though it was requested.
The reason I have not given five stars is because the service was lacking, decor issues, and the metal chop sticks made it difficult t eat even for a chop stick connoisseur. They may seem like relatively small grievances, but perfection does demand no grievances. All in all, I can safely say I am a fan of this place and am pleased I have discovered it. I'm eager to taste the yummy sounding dishes on their dinner menu, I'm looking at you Bulgogi! read more