Iiza, Newtown

Now. Newtown isnt the usual place i hover for food until recently. Came across a very trendy jap restuarant -Iiza. Iiza is a bustling trendy little restaurant that has newly emerged onto the Newtown scene, branded as an "izakaya" - a drinking establishment which serves food to accompany the drinks.

Personally, i reckon Iiza's food deserves more of the spotlight than that!! and maybe the waitresses running around in their kimono deserves a part of that spotlight - super cute.

Word of warning, this place is quite small and cosy and hence is usually fully booked out. Must book in advance.

Nothing beats fresh genmaicha green tea, and u can really taste the difference! There are so many Jap eateries nowadays that substitute real stuff with tea bag varieties, its just not authentic enough. Iiza's green tea hits the bullseye.



We ordered a myriad of dishes to share. The pictures in the menu and the variety of dishes on offer makes you want to order everything! Not only do they have the usuals, they also have some unique dishes that must be tried.


Wagyu Beef Tataki $9.80

Yummo! The beef were sliced generously and in copious amounts. It was tender, juicy and complemented wonderfully with the citrus ponzu sauce and fragrant sesame seed garnish.


Agedashi Tofu $7.50

The tofu was freshly deep fried with the batter light and crispy served in dashi sauce. The tofu is full of soy bean flavour with super smooth texture that melts into your mouth.

Bread crumbed asparagus $7.80

We absolutely loved it - crumbed asparagus wrapped in savoury pork belly deep fried. Even our companion who is not an asparagus fan found this a nice dish. The textures were wonderful, crunchy skin with a slight salty layer pork belly hugging asparagus spears. the tartare sauce fits well, however the sea salt gave it too much punch than needed, so dip sparingly.

Chef Selection Sushi Platter 12 pcs $29

This was a massive plate of fresh sushi with a wide selection to chose from. When it arrived, we were in awe as it was so beautifully presented. A must for sushi lovers.

Renkon Hasami Age $14

Lotus root chips sandwiched chicken mince served with green tea soba noodles. Interesting combination! All the elements complimented each other and very flavoursome. The crunchy lotus roots coupled with seasoned chicken mince works well with smooth slippery soba.

Assorted Yakitori skewers

Size does matter!

Iiza

184 King Street

Newtown

(02) 8095 9260

http://www.iiza.com.au/