Kokoro - GUNGAHLIN

Taste: ate here on a Monday night, busy. Despite the high demand of customers present, food came prompt and still very hot. (Mixed tempura) we had the Niagara sushi, that was served with a generous amount of cheese sauce! and had some crunchy bits on the topping along with the roe... may have been Panko crumbs ? But worked so well with the Niagara sushi in itself. The beef teriyaki was tender, juicy and was marinated well with the teriyaki sauce.. would probably suggest a bit of tangy dressing on the salad served on the side. The mixed tempura had a pretty good variety of vegetables and 2 pieces of prawn. The cuts was not too big, not too small which was perfect as an added dish to share as it was not too filling on its own, was served with a good sized bowl of tempura dipping sauce.<br/ <br/ Look: very elegant and pleasant<br/ <br/ Service: very friendly staff, and quick service.<br/ <br/ Ambience/crowd: busy but pleasant<br/ Location: a bit difficult to find parking<br/ Price/value for money: a bit steep, but worth the money.

My daughter insisted that on her birthday she should get to pick the restaurant for dinner. Her immediate choice…..the Smiley Face Restaurant. Ok, so that is not it’s real name but you can understand my daughters confusion. Kokoro is a Japanese restaurant that has been in Gungahlin for ages. We have been going to Kokoro for about 6 years now. In fact I remember going the first time when my daughter was a baby. I have tried most of the menu and have never been disappointed. The people are also super nice. The chefs yell out hello to you from the kitchen as you walk in and the service has always been great, even when my kids have trashed the place. They have an excellent lunch menu where you can get $12 udon noodle soups (hmmm miso-licious) and bento boxes. I am working on a replica udon soup but it hasn’t been perfected yet. The noodles are easy as you can buy them pre-made but the broth has to be delicate and delicious, with just the right amount of miso. Broths are hard.

Kokoro is a hidden gem in Gungahlin! Who'd have thought you could find such great sashimi, katsu and bento box this far north in Canberra! <br/ <br/ The seafood was fresh, sauces flavoursome and the quality was absolutely superb. Loved the flavours, decor, service and the overall experience! It's definitely worth the visit, Kokoro is Canberra's own tiny little slice of Japan! <br/ <br/ Domo arigato Kokoro!

The sushi rolls are very creative and the volcano and Niagara are my favourite. The soft shell crab salad is nice. However, the tempura and set meals taste alright.

After heading to our favourite Japanese restaurant in Dickson to find it was closed we headed out to Gungahlin to try Kokoro for the first time. I'd read some read good reviews so I had pretty high expectations! We arrived at about 7pm on a Saturday night and didn't have a booking. The restaurant was quite full but we were lucky to get a table for two. We love Japanese food and ordered a selection of dishes including agedashi tofu, okonomoyaki, seaweed salad, gyoza, a sushi set and tempura. Everything was delicious and the service was excellent too. I don't like it when you order heaps of dishes and it all comes out at once. So I was really happy when they asked us if we wanted to wait a few minutes before bringing out the sushi and tempura. They're not licensed so if you want a drink make sure you bring your own. I had a blooming peach tea and it was lovely. I'd say it's mid-range when it comes to price. Not as cheap as the one we go to in Dickson but there's others that are more expensive. I'm glad we ventured out to Gungahlin to try this restaurant and we will definitely be returning. If you have a big table I would recommend that you book a table!