Kobe Jones

All you can eat. Four words. One very big promise.

Like a lot of GFC-affected restaurants, Kobe Jones is offering a recession special. Head there on any weekday for lunch and score yourself all the sushi your tummy can handle for the tidy sum of $25. Not bad, especially when you consider the regular tasting menu starts at $95 per person.

So, being the intrepid bargain-hunter, Not Quite Nigella-reader and sushi lover that I am, I gathered the girls together for a lazy Friday lunch. Marky and I arrived late (we severely underestimated the time it took to trek from Park St to Cockle Bay Wharf in teetering heels) to find that the waiter had seated Karlie, Bee and Kristen at the far corner table, in direct sunlight. Possibly not the best place to eat raw fish, we observed. It was particularly annoying as we were one of just a handful of tables at the restaurant.

But never mind. Our energies were focussed on food, and food we would have. So. Much. Food. We ordered one large and two medium-sized platters, with (sadly) no wine. Unlike the many banker-types who would soon infiltrate the ranks of KJ, we had to go back to work. (Plus, we were all a bit over-hung, if you catch my drift). The large platter arrived first, laden with nigiri (salmon, tuna, kingfish), sushi (California rolls, prawn, roe, tuna) and the signature dish, Volcano Rolls.

Volcano Rolls sound intimidating, and well, as though they're likely to explode all over your maxi dress, but trust me – they will not. They are sublime. I am not someone who enjoys sushi for its delicate flavours. I want punch. I want flavour to write home about. I want Volcano Rolls. OK, so – Volcano Rolls are oven baked scallops served in avocado rolls and crab salad. This is all topped with a creamy, ever-so-salty sauce that has the consistency of ranch dressing. We all agree that it is easily the best dish in front of us, and basically go nuts over it. Marky and I soon concede defeat, but Karlie steps in to grab the last bite. In hindsight, my response to this is: lucky bitch.

Then, the medium platters arrive. There is suddenly way too much food on the table, and far too few girls to eat it. But we attack it with as much midday, sun-soaked gusto as we can. There is more nigiri, more rolls and thankfully, more Volcano action. This time, there are tempura prawn and soft-shell crab rolls, too. Yum.

The tempura prawn is tricky to eat (the tail of the prawn is embedded in a roll of rice, its tail curled toward the roof) and a little dry. The soft shell crab, I am pleased to report, lived up to its reputation as being: a) one of the best tasting foods on the planet, although it is: b) one of the cruellest foods on the planet. As for the nigiri, I loved the kingfish. It did have the mild, delicate flavour it’s meant to have, and when you add the requisite soy, wasabi and ginger, it truly becomes delicious. The tuna was a little dry – it puckered at the edges of the rice pillow, showing perhaps that it was a little aged. The salmon was lovely, but a little too fatty. And the California rolls, although ubiquitous, were pretty good.

Would we go again? Maybe – but for better seats. And more Volcano Rolls.

Kobe Jones
29 Lime St, King St Wharf
9299 5290
http://www.kobejones.com.au/