I've noticed a rise in buffet restaurants since the economic downturn, likely driven by the psychological appeal of knowing the cost upfront before a meal. More eateries are introducing buffet options, and new buffet spots are popping up. One chain that caught my eye is Mistaboo. I’d been curious to try it for a while and finally got the chance when I scored an invite to the grand opening of their Bowen Hills store.
We arrived at 6pm for the social media launch and the place was packed full of influencers, most of which were already enjoying the food. Staff were very friendly and helpful throughout the evening.
Ordering was done via QR code. There was a huge variety of food including various types of sushi rolls, nigiri, miniature main dishes, fried foods and other sides. Their liquor license wasn't yet ready, so BYO is free until March and lemonade is also on discount.
I had a strawberry lemonade and Dr L had a lychee lemonade. Both were generously sized with not too much ice and subtle flavours that didn't taste too artificial.
Although it was a soft launch, the staff and chefs ran the restaurant like a well oiled machine, no doubt from their previous experience at other branches. Our food arrived extremely quickly after ordering, which is always a good sign when you're on a time limited buffet. Given how many dishes we tried, I will just give a brief commentary of each.
Starting off with the tempura prawn udon, this was the perfect size with only one generous mouthful of udon with a freshly fried tempura prawn, allowing a sample of the flavour without filling you up too much.
Going onto the sushi rolls this was the cheese lion king roll and the yellow tiger roll. Compared to the prawn udon, they were surprisingly large in portion. I would have been content to sample a half roll if this was an option. The rice to topping ratio could be a bit better and I was quite overwhelmed with the sauces on top. The fillings were fresh though.
We had two more sushi rolls the cheese dragon roll and the red dragon roll. I would repeat my comments from above about these.
A definite highlight for our meal was the sushi and sashimi combo, offering the only nigiri on the menu. These were served with two slices of salmon and tuna respectively. Overall this was a solid effort and the rice to topping ratio wasn't too bad. I could probably have eaten five of these dishes alone.
Deep fried haloumi was great, crispy without being oily with a nice dipping sauce to cut through the richness.
Deep fried shiitake was also lightly battered and juicy on the inside.
Likewise, the takoyaki came straight out of the fryer and was crisp. Sauce was again very generous.
Wanting an encore of the udon, we ordered the kaarage udon. It came with three pieces of chicken in the clean broth along with just the right amount of udon. Very wholesome and I could also want more.
Our second round of food came just as quickly as the first one. Of note was the chicken skewer which was probably the let-down of the night. Everything else was doused with sauce but this came out dry and was in much need of moisture.
Not strictly Japanese, but we really enjoyed the deep fried mozzarella sticks with their stretchy centre.
Balancing out all the fried items, we had a salad. Again the portions were on point. The salad was fresh, crispy and had just the right amount of sauce. I particularly liked how it also had fried shallots on top for extra flavour.
Having had chip cravings for some time now, I ordered it when spying it on the menu. This also came out fresh and crisp. I particularly like the novelty of adding furikake.
Rounding off our meal with the ice cream mochi, they were chewy and creamy, making for a sweet ending to our meal.
Even though our meal was complimentary from Mistaboo, I can wholeheartedly say that in today's current climate, it would be hard to find a better deal for $39.90pp than what Mistaboo offers. I am particularly impressed by the speed and quality of their food and will definitely be back to try some more.
Espresso and Matcha dined as invited guests of Mistaboo, however as always, our opinions are solely our own.
Price Range: $39.90pp
Taste: 7.5/10
Value: 8.5/10
Service: 9/10
Environment: 8/10
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