Tounoya Japanese Restaurant and Karaoke, Eastwood

As part of the recent revamp along Rowe Street, Eastwood, a new Japanese restaurant has emerged (replacing the old Direct Shoe Warehouse store). The exterior (and interior) is covered with distinctive wooden planks so it's hard to miss the store when walking along the street.

As you enter the restaurant, you'll notice the large eating booths that span along majority of the right-hand side of the restaurant. At each of these booths, there are touch screens for ordering:

Touch screens for ordering

A friend previously visited Tounoya and raved about it so my dinner companions were eager to test it out. We booked an eating booth a day or so in advance and were lucky to get one.

Beef Sukiyaki (S: $15; L: 32) with Udon ($3)

Chicken Karaage ($7.50) with Two Dipping Sauces  (Wasabi and Sweet Chilli Mayos)

The sukiyaki was served in a clay pot - filled with beef, tofu, mushrooms, spring onions and onions drowning in soy-based broth - placed over the smallest (and cutest) gas stove I have ever seen! A raw egg was also provided on the side so you can cook (or not cook) the egg to your preference. We ended up ordering two extra servings of udon to go with the sukiyaki and make use of the broth.

The chicken karaage was hot when it arrived at our table, and cooked well - the meat was juicy and tender, encased in a thin crispy layer of batter. Two dipping sauces were provided as well - the wasabi flavoured mayo sauce was definitely interesting and exactly a combination that you would put with chicken but it worked.

Soft Shell Crab Inside-Out Roll ($14.00)

Spicy Salmon Cucumber Inside-Out Roll ($9.50)

Realistically, the sushi was rather mediocre - there wasn't much filling in either and the salmon wasn't very fresh. Considering the price tags for both, you would expect something bigger and spectacular...

Takana Chahan ($10.50)

Kimuchi Chahan (Pork) (12.50)

The Takana Chahan fried rice (with picked vegetables, topped with seaweed) tasted better than the Kimuchi Chahan fried rice (with pork and kimchi, topped with seaweed) - mainly because it tasted like it had more.. "wok air" (i.e. flavour from being cooked in a wok).

Yaki Soba (Chicken) ($12.50)

Nothing out of the ordinary for this noodle dish - soba noodles stir fried with chicken and vegies.

Green Tea Iced Drink ($3.50)

The drink was full of green tea flavour (as you would expect), topped with a large scoop of green tea ice cream, but half the cup was filled with ice, which is sort of an overkill but I guess refreshing on a warm night.

Tounoya utilises technology for simplifying the ordering system and creating a novelty aspect for the diners, but personally fails to deliver on the food. I would much prefer to make the effort to go out to the city and visit Wagaya or Mizuya, which have a similar concept of touch screens, Japanese food and karaoke rooms (for Mizuya) but provides better quality food for similar prices.

If you decide to visit Tounoya, it's best to make a reservation for the eating booths, especially if you're part of a large group and/or are planning to drop by during peak times.

There are limited karaoke rooms (one of which is decorated in pink and filled with Hello Kitty!) at the back of the restaurant so I would book ahead for those as well. The karaoke rooms are sound-proofed well - the sound is LOUD when people open the doors to enter/exit the rooms but reduces to a low/unnoticeable hum once the doors are closed.