Nikuya - Fortitude Valley

My major life passion, without a doubt, is Japanese food. When I heard of a new Japanese establishment in the trendy new area in Fortitude Valley, near Emporium several weeks ago, I knew this was my calling ヾ( ･`⌓´･)ﾉﾞ.

Nikuya is situated on McLachlan Street, next to Flaming Olive, another place I really need to try ヾ(＠^▽^＠)ﾉ.

The environment was a very beautiful mix of modern and Japanese aspects.

We started off with drinks, which was refreshingly cool after the effort it took us to find the place.

On every table is three sets of sauce, a sesame dressing and salad dressing, both of which are for salads, depending on personal preference, as well as a tonkotsu sauce, because Nikuya's signature dish is Tonkotsu (fried pork chop)

Knowing what the signature dish was, I could not request ordering it, despite the fact that it cost over $30 for what was essentially a pork chop. After ordering, a waitress came around with a bowl of sesame, and explained that the Tonkotsu sauce was DIY with ground sesame. Very enjoyable indeed.

Unlike other Japanese places, all three dishes that we ordered came at once. I was very impressed by this.

The first thing I tried was the Tonkotsu Loin. This is Nikuya's signature dish, so I had high expectations. I was not disappointed. The panko was super crispy, the skin wasnt oily, the meat was juicy and lightly marinated ヾ(@°▽°@)ノ. It went really well with my DIY sauce. The salad on the side was also very refreshing and light. It complemented the Tonkotsu very well.

The next thing I tried was the Kinoko Udon. Being a meat lover, I was very skeptical about this dish, but my friend ordered it, so I went along with it. It came with 3 types of mushrooms:

• White button mushrooms,
• Enoki mushrooms
• Oyster Mushrooms

The broth was infused wonderfully with the mushroomy tastes. In terms of Udon, I have also been able to make out two commercial types, a round lower grade one which is round and of worse quality, and a square high grade one, which is actually square in shape. Nikuya used the higher quality one. Despite my predispositions, I really enjoyed the Kinoko Udonヽ(^。^)丿.

Lastly, I had some of the Unagi Don. I loved it. The eel was nicely grilled, and soft. It was fresh and didnt have any fishy smell usually associated to unfresh seafood Ｏ(≧∇≦)Ｏ. The sauce was just the right amount, not too much as to make the rice soggy and not too little as to leave a lot of unflavoured rice. 

I had a wonderful time at Nikuya. Although it was a bit expensive, I believe it may have taken up the spot of best Japanese food in Brisbane. A friend asked me how I'd compare it to Sono. To be honest, I really like SONO too, but with the quality at Nikuya, I'd potentially say they are on equal standing. Definitely another favourite to add to my list!

Price Range: $25 - $50 per person

Taste: 9/10

Value: 7/10

Service: 9/10

Environment: 9/10