Banzai Dominion Road

When someone says Dominion Road, the first thing you'd probably think of is the variety of yummy Asian restaurants that Auckland has to offer. And rightly so, in fact this is where you'll be able to find this little gem... BANZAI!

My girlfriend and I were craving for some Japanese food when we were around the area. Feeling slightly adventurous, we opted to try something new and were lucky to stumble upon this place. We don't normally hang around this part of Dominion Road because looking for parking space is a hassle and we just tend to eat at our usual spots. Banzai is really cozy but unfortunately it has limited seats, so I recommend booking in advance especially if it's during their peak hours (Lunch & Dinner time). We were just fortunate enough to get seats because we had walked in right before the peak hours began. So shall we begin with the foodtography?

For appetizers we got some Chicken Croquette and Gyoza!

I've never had croquettes before so I didn't know what to expect. After trying them, I definitely don't mind getting more of these nomnoms! The breading has this satisfying crunch when you bite it and the flavor of the filling isn't too overwhelming which I enjoyed. I personally prefer that over an overpowering salty chicken flavor. As for the Gyoza, I liked how it was fresh and crunchy on the outside. It was the perfect warm up before my main dish!

The main dishes have arrived :)

My girlfriend got the Chicken Karage (i think :P). It comes with a side dish of salad and a dipping sauce. I was looking for rice but I suppose I was just being Filipino and expecting rice in every meal that I have Anywhoooo....the chicken karage came straight from the kitchen so once again it was really hot and fresh! This is always a big plus for me! FRESH+HOT+YUMMY=HAPPY TUMMY. The chicken is already tasty but the sauce really compliments it well and enhances the taste.

I ordered Yakisoba! I normally go for the meals that come with rice but since I was still buzzing from the adventurous spirit I had entered Banzai with, I tried something new. I've had the Yakisoba cup noodles before so I thought I should be okay with the real thing. Presentation wise, I would say that it's not that appetizing as it was just smacked on the plate. In terms of taste, it was average. It just tastes like any other noodle dish, or perhaps I'm just not used to it? Either way it was nothing special. Overall, Banzai had a good range in their menu with affordable prices! I would definitely go back to Banzai and try the rest of their menu