Bent-Oh South Yarra

A new Japanese casual dining spot right across South Yarra Station, Bent-Oh South Yarra is definitely a convenient place for a quick lunch break or dinner takeaway for those too lazy to whip up a meal themselves. A step up from the simple takeaway sushi place, Bent-Oh does offer a small array of seasonal sushi boxes and sashimi in their fridge, along with an affordable selection of bento bowls, and Japanese entrees.

Sashimi Don – $18.5

The good fat: A much lower price point than many other Japanese places especially in this Melbourne area, I felt that Bent-Oh serves up everything a quick Japanese eatery could ask for. With entrees well under $10, we ordered the agedashi tofu, and the tempura. The tofu came in 2 generous pieces, with a lovely soft texture inside. The tempura was also quite delicious – having had a similar tempura at least double the price the same week at another Melbourne Japanese restaurant, I felt that Bent-Oh definitely had more worth for money. The prawn and eggplant were as usual, my favourites!

Mixed Tempura – $7.5

Wow – Bent-Oh certainly lives up to its name. The sashimi bento bowl I ordered was absolutely STACKED with sashimi. Salmon and tuna pieces that even I (a huge sashimi lover) could barely finish, a nice helping of the classic Japanese seaweed salad, and a LOT of rice – it’s clear that Bent-Oh has considerate portion sizes that can cater to a large appetite, leaving everyone satisfied!

Mixed Seafood and Teriyaki Beef Don – $18.5

The bad fat: I felt that the agedashi tofu had a very light sauce that barely contributed any flavour, and likewise with the tempura. Maybe my expectations were too high, but the sashimi itself was not as fresh – especially the tuna, but it is quite difficult to obtain high quality tuna sashimi in Melbourne. The lettuce on the side of the bento felt a bit out of place and random – I love my veggies but leaving it out altogether, or topping up with more seaweed salad instead would have been nicer.

FAT-O-METER: 4/5

CHECK OUT THE WEBSITE OF BENT-OH SOUTH YARRA HERE!

2wofatgirls would like to thank Bent-Oh, South Yarra for the invitation to dine – these opinions are strictly unbiased and were influenced in no way by the collaboration.