Four out of five paper cranes!
I love this place. I live within walking distance from it and I am there all the time. It's a small cafe near the Woolworths at Ashgrove. They have a few tables (inside and outside) and offer take-away.
I have been going to Tsuru's ever since it opened and I have never had a bad experience. They always use fresh ingredients, which is super important in good sushi. I often order the Sashimi Salad, made with fresh salmon. The salman is so fresh that I have occassionally gone in to order it and they have asked me if I mind waiting a little bit, as today's order is being delivered as we spoke. Super fresh! But it's the dressing that they put on this salad that makes it awesome. I can't explain it, you need to experience it for yourself.
They make sushi rolls in the morning but if you go in after about 1:30 they make the sushi fresh as you order it. Nice, eh?
As well as the daily sushi rolls made in the mornings they also have a menu of speciality sushi, hot dishes and entree's. These hot dishes include Miso Soup, Katsu Curry, Noodle Soup; pretty much all items you'd expect to see at a sushi cafe. I think the sushi is their speciality (Hence the name of the place) but I do still enjoy the other items. I often order the Edamame, but I always think they need more salt. But then, I end up pouring half the container of salt on them, so I think that's just me.
I am not a coffee drinker myself but I have friends who live/work in the area who say that the coffee there is good as well. We were all particularly surprised as we didn't expect this of a Sushi Cafe, but there you have it.
The price is really reasonable:
- $2.50 to $3.00 for the sushi roll
- $6 to $8.50 for the speciality sushi
- $10 for most of the hot dishes (One of them is $16 but it's the only item)
- $14 for the Sashmi Salad with Salmon.
A lot of the items are gluten free (or gluten free available on request) and they also offer party trays.
Overall, Tsuru is one of my favourite restaurants, and is my fallback choice of when I don't know what to have for dinner. It is tastefully decorated inside; I particularly like the branch with paper cranes. If you go there, you'll see it (Nudge, nudge). It's a little nod to their name: "tsuru" means crane in Japanese (...according to Google). read more