Yesterday, Jac and I went into town to do a little shopping. I needed a new outfit to wear at an upcoming work function. By the time we emerged from the last shop, laden with shopping bags, feeling tired and considerably poorer, we’d also worked up a good appetite. We decided to have a late lunch at Poppo, the Korean and Japanese restaurant at 137 Barrack Street. We’ve eaten takeaway meals from there but never dined in.
After much indecision (both of us!) Jac ordered dumplings and a rainbow roll; I ordered teriyaki chicken with an extra side salad. Poppo’s lunch special prices are extremely good value. The dumplings were AU$3.90 (5 pcs) and my teriyaki chicken, which came with rice, miso and kimchi was $5.90. I requested a small salad on the side, which cost me an extra $1.
Not long at all after we ordered, our food was brought to us on a couple of trays, and it looked fantastic!
Note: there was only one small side salad – it arrived on the tray with the rainbow roll and dumplings, but I then moved it over to the teriyaki chicken tray! Where to start? It all looked wonderful!
The dumplings were delicious. I love that chewy texture gyoza have.
The dipping sauce for the dumplings is the best dipping sauce ever! It’s got chilli and sesame oil and garlic and is so good I’d just about drink it down.
Jac reckons the miso soup was one of the tastiest she’s ever had.
The salad was very simple and could’ve used a little more dressing, but it did the trick. I especially liked the corn kernels on top.
The teriyaki chicken was garnished with two carrot sticks and two dainty pieces of broccoli. The chicken, skinless thigh meat, was served in larger pieces than I’ve come to expect in teriyaki chicken, but I really liked it being chunky like this. It was succulent and the sauce was really smooth. The carrot and broccoli had been blanched and tasted fresh and tender.
The teriyaki chicken also came with a side dish of kimchi. I’m not a big fan of kimchi, but Jac enjoyed it. Between us, nothing was wasted!
The rainbow roll (AU$13.00) was simply beautiful. It looked just like the photo in the menu (I was very impressed!) . From left to right: salmon, eel, avocado, prawn, egg, squid and tuna. Above, you can just see the pickled ginger. There was a blob of wasabi next to the ginger.
The innards of the rainbow roll (here shown with the tuna) consisted of crabstick, avocado, cucumber and nori. Jac was battling to finish it towards the end. It would be a great starter to share between three or four people, I reckon!
With the complimentary barley tea and water, our meal came to $24.80, which was very reasonable. Jac described the barley tea as smelling like smelly socks but was happy to drink it. I couldn’t handle the smell and stuck to water. The food came out very quickly and was simply yet elegantly presented – and of course most importantly, was delicious. We’ll definitely eat there again. Maybe next time I’ll be in a beef or pork mood and try some of the Korean fare.
I'm TFP, a food blogger from Perth, Western Australia.
{ 17 comments… read them below or add one }
oh, that rainbow roll looks pretty spectacular alright! :)i wouldn’t have eaten half of the stuff on top though, specifically, avocado, tuna sashimi, squid sashimi, and prawn. not that I don’t eat prawn, it’s just not something i like.
but your teriyaki chicken is right up my comfort food alley!
Oooh that chicken looks tender and juicy… the way chicken is supposed to be…..
I love the rainbow roll, I never saw one.
I’m going to make sushi at home today but this would need lots of ingredients…
dea,
Yeah, I’m not a fan of all those bits either – I admired it from a visual perspective, but wouldn’t actually want to eat the sashimi or avocado or the crab stick in the centre, so the rainbow roll would be pretty much wasted on me.
C,
It was lovely. They know how to cook chicken, that’s for sure.
plume,
Definitely a lot of effort and ingredients for home. I’d stick to simpler sushi. But then, I’m a lazy cook, energetic eater. :)
What a gorgeous meal!! I’m drooling over those crispy gyoza and that rainbow roll looks so beautiful with all those colors. Even the teriyaki looks moist and yummy!
I’m loving your new camera. All the images seem so much crisper and cleaner, brighter even. I might have to seriously consider upgrading my camera.
The Home Cook,
It was a lovely meal, visually as well as taste-wise. When I saw the food, especially that rainbow roll, I got all excited about the photos. If you can upgrade, I’d seriously recommend it. I thought my previous pics were pretty good, but yeah, this new camera wins hands down easily.
This blog is TORTURE!!
DANGGGG
I want that roll!!! I’ve had a monster craving for Japanese food lately, this is pushing me to the point where I want to WALK down and get some. I get an Onigiri party in Japanese class on wednesday though. Onigiri are those odd triangle shaped rice balls that are in animes and mangas. Good stuff =D
Hey TFP, I’m a long time reader of your blog but have never left a comment… until now.
I really enjoy reading your blog and love it when you blog about eating out, I’m a Perthie too and I’m always interested in trying new places. I must try Poppo’s now!
Great blog TFP :)
I really love the pictures you take of food. I would imagine that the wait staff always tells the chefs that there is a restaurant reviewer at the table when they see you snapping photos of the food.
You always have some impressive tuna in your sushi and sashimi: fresh and brightly colored. I can see from here that you must have the better tunas in the world!
Barley tea is good stuff, especially iced. I have a big pitcher of it in the refrigerator right now.
this is such a beautiful lunch, thanks for sharing
They look so good – will have to make an attempt to lunch there after the red bull air race tomorrow.
Kagenosuke,
I know about onigiri from manga but have never had the opportunity to try them.
fatmermaid,
Thanks for your comment, glad you like the blog. Hope you enjoy Poppo, let me know what you think.
Roman Craigle,
Perhaps they think I’m a reviewer… perhaps they think I’m a tourist. Being of asian appearance be an advantage there. :)
Alessandra,
Jac appreciates the tuna anyway – I’m not a fan of sashimi at all and never touch the stuff!
Chubbypanda,
I don’t think I’ll become a fan of barley tea… at least the sort they had in Poppo. When I was a kid my grandma made us barley water to drink, which was sweet, but the stuff in Poppo really had a quite unpleasant smell.
Emily,
My pleasure!
polly jean says,
So did you make it to Poppo after the race?
i didnt know abt this place! thanks for sharing… will head there when the craving hits.
Daphne,
definitely do give it a go! I’d love to read about how you find it! :)