Readers might remember that Black Door was one of my favourite Omakase restaurants in the Gold Coast. It abruptly closed last September, which means I was unable to go for our anniversary or my birthday last year. When I heard about their re-opening earlier on in April, I immediately secured a booking for a return visit.
Although the seating and crockery was familiar, they are now under new management (not sure about Wagyu-ya which is now still temporarily closed, but they share the same kitchen). They no longer do omakase, opting for more of a casual izakaya vibe.
The menu looked very similar to what we had previously seen with a few of our favourite dishes remaining on the menu, and a few more izakaya style dishes like ray wing and seaweed fries. We ordered a selection of the most memorable dishes we used to enjoy at the Omakase.
With a focus on being a Sake Bar, I started with a sparkling sake, it was refreshing and crisp.
Seeing the Hassun on the menu, we ordered one each. There were a selection of cold starters including tofu, kingfish, tomato salad, vermicelli noodles and other dishes. Dr L immediately noted that compared to the omakase offering, the components of the Hassun were less premium than what we used to enjoy. Back in the day, we had more high value items like oyster, wagyu or toro. Having said that, the dishes were executed well and the flavour profile was similar to what we've expected of black door.
Next up was the medium sized sashimi. There were quite a few premium cuts including chutoro and a very delectable kingfish. I did find the sashimi pieces to be very small and looking a bit sad on such a big plate. For the price, I would have expected a bit more generous slices, but they were fresh and we savoured every bite.
Next up was the A5 wagyu takaki. This came topped with a light ponzu and onion salad. Given the fat content, the beef was buttery smooth and melted immediately on consumption.
I was surprised that the rest of the seafood hadn't arrived yet but the beef dishes started arriving. The grilled wagyu tongue was chewy but tender with a nice char on it. I would have liked it a bit more if it was thicker cut though. We also had a serve of the A5 sukiyaki. The portion size was a tad small for the price, and barely enough to share between the two of us, but the beef was indeed top tier and the soup was sweet but mellow.
Given the weather, at this point I made enquiries about their warm sake, as they had been advertising it for cold evenings. I had asked the owner for a recommendation on which sake ought to be drunken warm, to which he replied all of them could. Now I am not a sake aficionado but I knew from my limited experience that not all sake should be drunken warm. Ultimately, I had to resort to chatgpt for a suggestion.
Anyway the last of our beef courses was the A5 Wagyu Grill. This had a bit more char than the tongue and the texture was perfect. It came served with a small piece of wasabi which definitely cut through the grease of the meat. Like the sukiyaki, I found it a bit small for the price, but given how decadent the dish is, it was good for sharing.
For some reason our nigiri course was last to arrive. It was really at this point I noticed how much I missed the old Black Door chef. I used to chat to him whilst he cooked, particularly while he was making sushi. Although the sushi quality was generally good, the cuts of fish were fresh and I couldn't fault it, the vibe was definitely missing.
Rounding off our meal with the crown melon mini parfait, it was indeed small. I was quite excited by the prospect of finally trying crown melon. Compared to the usual, it was sweeter but the taste had a lot more clarity to it. It was interesting to try once, but not something I would go out of my way to have a second time.
It has been a fairly sad year on my part, with both Amimoto and Black Door under new management. It is definitely not the same without the chef. Although the Irish waiter was fantastic and made good conversation throughout the night, the refined and elegant vibe of yesteryear is gone and it more resembles an upmarket izakaya. Service was shaky with the owner not being able to recognise which sake to serve warm, and insufficient care was taken with serving up courses, resulting in the nigiri course which should have come before the beef be served at the end. I don't hate the new iteration of Black Door, but I am also not a fan and will probably give it a while before I return.
Price Range: $150 - $200pp
Taste: 8.5/10
Value: 7/10
Service: 6.5/10
Environment: 7/10
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