Are we in a back alley in Tokyo or a basement eatery in North Sydney? Put away your passport because, lucky for you, we’re talking Sydney. A small set of stairs from the street will lead you to Taruhachi, a cool little find that will make you feel you’ve been teleported to Japan. It’s not just the smiley Japanese staff peering out from the tiny kitchen, but the handwritten blackboard menu, the self-serve dispenser of hot and cold water, plus the humble neatness of a dining room decorated quirkily with all things Dr Seuss.
Neighbourhood workers and students-in-the-know hit up this hideaway eatery for bento boxes, a build-your-own meal of your choice of main, rice and one or two sides. It’s all assembled on a segmented dinner tray – sadly the disposable plastic kind – that means you can pick and mix each mouthful as you please. Mains range from karaage fried chicken to teriyaki salmon and unagi grilled eel. Decide on your sides: a total of nine options that include vegetable croquettes, sake steamed clams and agedashi fried tofu in a sweet and savoury sauce. Photos of each dish make ordering a little easier but the indecision is real. It’s all super cheap, with bento boxes starting at $12 and topping out at $17.50. But there’s only one vegetarian bento available.
One of the highlights here is the tempura soba. Picture thin strands of slightly chewy buckwheat noodles in a fragrant dashi stock topped with fresh shallots and dancing bonito flakes. In between slurps of soup and noodle, you get to munch on deep fried tempura prawns and vegetable fritters, served on the side so they retain their crunch. Prefer the thicker ropes of udon wheat flour noodles? They have that too.
For ultimate comfort food, settle in with a plate of Japanese curry rice. The thick curry sauce is mild and slightly sweet, ladled over deep-fried pork or chicken, prawns, eggplant, or a rissole-like beef patty. You can add on extras like miso soup and sashimi, but for maximum thrills get the natto, the fermented soy bean dish that’s equal parts slimy, sticky, musty and pungent. Locals love it, maybe you will too.