Izakaya Goku - Brisbane

The food was delicious. we came in last minute yet they were extremely nice and let us take our time. we came when it was extremely quiet so the ambience was lacking, but that couldn’t be helped

Love this place. Food is always on point and reasonably priced. Great range and haven’t had a dish I was disappointed in. Can be a bit noisy when it’s crowded but it’s fine as long as you’re not hard of hearing. Staff are lovely and professional. Would recommend it to anyone.

TL;DR: Value for money, fine restaurant quality, and plain old enjoyment meet together very well at Izakaya Goku. This kind of dining experience is one that is great for people who like to share, and like to try a whole range of items and that you will with the extensive menu of food, and it is made even better with the chance to try all kinds of sake for a real experience. From stepping in the front door to leaving, the waitstaff are wholly pleasant and will make your time here very enjoyable. <br/ <br/ So many good Japanese places are around town, but from what I know I don 't believe any have been like this before. Where the dining experience is quite informal, yet the entire set up considering the service and the surroundings are the result of a lot of experience and effort. The two meet in the middle, for that balance where you don 't want anything too fancy yet would care for a bit of noticeable quality. West End is the kind of place for Izakaya Goku albeit upgraded with the setting and so far the lasting appeal is a testament to all that. <br/ <br/ After it had been some time, a friend of mine messaged me one day proposing to go out for dinner during the week. With the ball in my court in giving out some suggestions, it was the general suggestion of some different cuisines (as it normally would be) and as it turned out the first cab off the rank was all she looked at. That was some Japanese fare. Having a few days in advance to short list some options, I did have several cards up my sleeve in any case of the word. The idea was to keep it to the south side of the river, and with Japanese there is no dearth of choices either way. <br/ <br/ A shot in the dark was made for West End, and it landed on a target this time around. West End was a viable option, particularly with Izakaya Goku getting my attention many times over the years. From its aesthetics, to how long it has managed to last and thrive, plus what the word on the street about it is, this was one that had evaded my presence and that had included several years of working within its vicinity. It was not too late, I showed her the menu, and all sounded a go. So off it was to here. <br/ <br/ Walking in here, the decor and look goes from kind of rough and rustic (this is around the kitchen and service area) to a room that, while admittedly smaller on the inside than the outside, definitely has been fitted out well with the tables being laid out simply a water glass here, and a plate with a serviette and pair of chopsticks. Around the wall is artwork of Japan, and advertisements done in their manner. Up above the tables are the hanging lamps which adds mood lighting to the eating area. Not many times have I been to a place where the decor is just as noticeable as the food, and this is one of them. <br/ <br/ Given the nature of the dining experience, they have tailor suited the service to a more leisurely structure that is at the convenience of the diners. The food is so quick and easy to cook then bring out, that all of it is done on the fly. All of it is done with some of the nicest smiles you will see anywhere, a good and hard work ethic, plus genuine loveliness of the waitstaff 's behalf. This is the kind of service that works out for the best, since it can suit someone who is on the run or it helps for a group who will be in for a long night. Plus, there is not the pain of having to wait too long for everyone to order. So to put it shortly, the service here is quite good. <br/ <br/ Another way to see it is that it is similar to the button press that many Korean and Japanese places have embraced in recent years, more so just with signalling to the waitstaff that you are ready to order. This kind of structure is suited to the kind of eating that is present here, and it adds more to the whole vibe. The extras are brought to the table accompanying the right orders glasses for all the drinks, new plates for latter orders, and even clearing the table between rounds is a touch of customer service that will always get points in their favour. <br/ <br/ Plus, what makes it even better is the range of drinks and fare to pair together on their menu. Their moniker is a good indication for the type of food they serve izakaya. That is essentially the Japanese version of tapas to put it in a brief sense of the word. These are categorised according to their meats beef, chicken, seafood, pork, and vegetarian plus each one in general seems to trend towards a different style of cooking along with getting their own version of okonomiyaki. On top of the bits and pieces to eat, they have not abandoned the sushi in which there is a small selection to choose from. Bento boxes are also available for a more substantial feed, plus on the topic of more substantial feeds they also have not forsaken the allure that the classical donburis and noodle soups have. A good ramen here, some nice curries there, yakisoba right on the bank are all examples of where it can 't go wrong. And if that is not enough, the first page that most diners will be seeing is a recommendations page always a good indication for the indecisive. <br/ <br/ Much like the tapas more or less have to get paired with a good sangria or margharita, the izakaya are due for being matched with a long line of sake. A big range of sake is right here, from all around the place, and can be served at different temperatures some hot, some cold, some room temperature. In addition to that, most of the usual suspects with others kinds of beverages can be found here. They have different types of beer here, plus whiskeys and all sorts of cocktails. Coming here, clients essentially become brats with how spoiled for choice they are. For those who don 't drink, they need fear not. All sorts of soda are there, including the characteristic ramune (definitely worth giving a go if you haven 't already), the bottled iced teas, some sweet coffees, plus heaps of teas both cold and hot. <br/ <br/ All of what was gotten tonight were some bits and pieces to share. With the first round, I reckoned that it was impossible to go Japanese and not somehow get some takoyaki so that was more or less the first cab off of the rank, then my friend went for the pork okonomiyaki (also a good choice as always) and when the waitress was at our table I snuck on more in the squid karage. Suffice to say that there was not one bad thing so far. The takoyaki proved to be just as good as always, maybe even a bit better than they normally are. The creamy texture inside, the delicious and unique sauce that is poured over, and the bits of octopus in the middle just the entire lot of it is a unique combination that I don 't believe I have seen remotely replicated anywhere else; and that might well be the biggest strength that they have. With the squid karage, there was so much of it on the plate and it was just as delicious the squid was a bit tougher than the salt and pepper squid that is usually served many places, though definitely better than the calamari textures of old. The seasoning that went with the batter did wonders, and these suckers (no pun intended) were all served pipping hot. Last and not least was the okonomiyaki: a delicious pancake mixture, and it was apparent they did not skimp on the mix ins either. I swear there were big bits of pork belly in there, and assuming they were they were delicious and very tender. <br/ <br/ When it came to what to drink with the nibbles, what caught my eye was something a bit different to the norm I usually go for (no chirping 'got coffee? ' here); that was an Asahi Dry Zero. Keeping in mind I am not much of a beer drinker, so I probably am not the best person to truly critique it this tasted a little funny too me, and was fairly strong not only in its taste but also the texture (strangely) along with a decent bit of fizz. Again, not my cup of tea not been a beer drinker so I will just leave it at that. <br/ <br/ Though my friend was getting a little full from the beginning lot, I still had gas left in the tank. That went to two more pieces of izakaya. Another morsel that is hard to pass up with Japanese has to be gyozas; ergo, that was ordered alongside getting chicken nanban. The gyozas were good, with a nice soy sauce on the side and a good pork filling, though if a weakling had to be chosen from the night it would be them. As for the chicken nanban, I can 't remember many pieces of chicken as delicious and as tasty as these. The pieces were giant, and very tender in a delicious batter mixture, and the sauce was a strange mixture with sweet and sour notes, along with a distinct hint of being spicy. Whatever the case, the chicken nanban gets an absolute recommendation for something that is a bit different and characteristic. <br/ <br/ Going to Izakaya Goku was well worth the wait. Not only was the food some of the nicest Japanese that I have found around town, but what made it even more appealing was a combination of the aesthetics and the calm atmosphere. This is the kind of place which easily has a high attention to detail when it comes to each aspect, and it showed throughout all the bits of food that were ordered. They would definitely want it to be this way, since this is the perfect place to go and meet a group of friends, or just to take someone to impress. Such a place is a rarity where the occasion can easily be matched without much differential effort either way. <br/ <br/ Final score: 4.5 with a solid effort

I would never forget how nice and friendly the service was. The staff nicely greeted me when I came. I had lunch special menu: aburi salmon don. They were very generous in terms of portion, especially for the salmon. The salmon was seasoned lightly which was good since they put seasoning into the rice. They just made a good combination. Tasty!! The miso soup was not bad too. I had japanese soda, ramune which tasted very strong but not too sweet. I liked it. What a great experience!

Great tasting dishes and very good serving sizes. Staff are happy to amend the dishes on request and are very helpful and friendly. Great value.