Daijobu Yakiniku, Ashfield
Sunday, August 23, 2020
I'm not sure if I'm just speaking for myself but "daijobu (大丈夫)" is one of the first Japanese phrases I picked up from watching so much anime over time. Depending on the context and pairing of how it's used, it can translate to "It's okay" or "Are you okay".
A pretty cool name for this little yakiniku place in Ashfield I must say. Daijobu Yakiniku is located just outside in between the main street and Ashfield Mall. From the outside, the soft glow of the lighting against the black Japanese-style windows is really eye catching and makes you curious as to whats inside.
After a long day at work, my sister and I usually TRY not to eat out but on this particular night we are both hungry and curious so in we venture.
We're greeted by the friendliest and sweetest service which is constant through our time here. 10/10 for how welcome they made us feel right away and not awkward for ordering as well.
Despite the flashy decor with the comical reds, yellows, blacks and whites the vibe of the place is very chill. There's only a few other diners in on this night but it never feels too quiet.
The table seating is comfortable and very sleek and clean. There's a choice to go for a la carte menu or the AYCE buffet and we choose the latter so we can try a little bit of everything. The prices for individual items seem pretty reasonable but at $34.90 per person for the buffet and our eyes that are usually bigger than our stomachs, this seems like the best option. The price might have changed now because I remember it was a promotional price.
Also to note, the buffet is by order to the table for 90 minutes only and you are limited to the choices they have listed but it's got a decent variety.
There are no condiments on the table besides the nanami togarashi (assorted spice blend). Instead they serve you the individual sauce dish with soy sauce and dipping sauce after you order.
Chinese Cabbage Kimchi and Edamame
Straight off the entrees menu, we both agree on these two dishes. The kimchi is quite standard, a bit on the sour side but still great with everything. And the edamame is nice and warm. The perfect green vegetable accompaniment.
Tofu and Seaweed Salad
And extra salad for me. Loved the addition of seaweed into this basic salad with soft tofu cubes, red onions and wafu dressing.
Miso Soup
Hot soup, perfect to warm you up and get your appetite going as the meat cooks!
LA Beef Ribs (Marinated) and Angus Beef Rib Fingers
The serving actually looks kind of small all fitted together on the same plate but it's actually quite packed on there. And this is an AYCE buffet so no worries at all.
The marinated beef ribs were okay, tougher than expected but the marinade was very nice. As for the angus beef rib fingers, we had much more disappointed feelings. Our first order of these were GREAT. Super tender and well-rounded beefy flavour. Our second and third round.. it's as if the meat changed or something because it became extremely chewy and tough. The flavour and texture was not up to par with the first round so yes, so strange and disappointing. We sadly struggled to eat our way through this.
Corn with Cheese and Garlic with Butter
Can't think of anyone who doesn't love a hot corn and cheese combo! This actually took quite a while to melt despite how much we turned the heat up and stirred it through. As it was topped with shredded tasty cheese instead of mozzarella, as soon as it was taken off the heat it would start to solidify very quickly and not taste as nice.
Garlic with butter was fine though, can't go too wrong here.
Beef Bulgogi, Beef Harami, Spicy Pork Bulgogi
Love bulgogi was excited to try these out. Especially with how nicely they were arranged on this plate! Sadly the beef bulgogi was pretty tough and dried out too quickly. The pork bulgogi was a lot better but the cuts were thick so it took longer to completely cook.
The beef harami, also known as skirt steak had such a good beefy flavour that was enhanced by the light marinade. However it just was way too chewy no matter how we tried to cook it.
Sushi of the Day
A little special of the day we were invited to try! I can't remember exactly what they were but I don't think they had any sashimi cuts. The yellow one on the left had a strong tonkatsu sauce, honey mustard and melted cheese. The orange one on the right resembled a volcano roll and was slightly spicy. Both very good but just a little too heavy handed on the salty tonkatsu/soy sauce for me.
Chicken Karaage
Ooooh looks super golden brown, crispy and saucy! First bite was good but overall this chicken karaage actually suffered from being TOO CRISPY. Is that a thing? Yesss believe it. We quickly found the batter too hard to bite through anymore to be enjoyable and the sauce too sweet. It also resembled a Korean fried chicken although with a thick, too-crispy batter a lot more than it did to Japanese Karaage where we were hoping for the light-batter crispy coating.
Hot Kimchi Udon
Looks a bit like a mess but not too bad! The kimchi they used here was a bit more sour than the one in the side dish which I didn't mind, but my sister was not a fan.
In the end, I really wanted to love and rave about Daijobu Yakiniku but it just wasn't too impressive to me. It was... daijobu... it was just okay. So what seems like a cool name, really feels ill-fated at this point. The food is okay but the meat was on the disappointing side and I can think of a few other bbq buffets where you can get better eats for more or less of the price here. I do really love the service though and the individual a-la-carte menu is well-priced so stopping in for a quick lunch or dinner might be more worthwhile instead of the bbq.
Would be curious to hear if anyone has had a similar of different experience. Drop your comments down below if so.
Until next time! xx
Daijobu Yakiniku
A/260 Liverpool Road,
Ashfield NSW 2131
Open 7 days a week
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