If you’re looking for a good feed of Japanese food in the sunny city of Brisbane, Australia, check out Bird’s Nest; a yakitori bar opened for lunch and dinner. Located in West End, this vibrant restaurant serves simple and delicious Japanese dishes. They have an option for a $45 and $65 set menu.
We dined here in mid December 2023, and had a la carte.
We dined here in mid December 2023, and had a la carte.
Food
Let’s start of with a plate of tori karaage, 6 pieces for $12. This was served with mild wasabi mayonnaise.
The chicken was very juicy and had not dried out at all. There was a thin layer of batter coating the protein. The skin was crispy; with no residue oil dripping from it. Absolutely delicious.
The chicken was very juicy and had not dried out at all. There was a thin layer of batter coating the protein. The skin was crispy; with no residue oil dripping from it. Absolutely delicious.
This grilled scallop was $11 for 2 pieces. They have “oysters” written on their menu at the moment (March 2023), but at the time of dining, it was scallops served with creamy garlic sauce. This was a simple dish, with fresh and succulent scallops elevated by the aromatics of charred garlic and cheesy mayo sauce. The only downside was the price because we all wanted another serving but could not justify $6.50 a piece.
Moving on to the yakitori skewers, we got a few varieties to taste. This was tsukune, a chicken meatball with tare and egg yolk sauce, $11 for 2 skewers. The egg yolk was an extra $2.
The exterior had a soft crispiness to it. The interior was meaty and a little juicy, complemented well by the creaminess of the yolk. The choice of tare sauce (think sweet like honey with a dash of soy sauce) was good because it brought out the chicken flavour well, otherwise it would have been a dry bite.
The exterior had a soft crispiness to it. The interior was meaty and a little juicy, complemented well by the creaminess of the yolk. The choice of tare sauce (think sweet like honey with a dash of soy sauce) was good because it brought out the chicken flavour well, otherwise it would have been a dry bite.
We love a good serving of seeded mustard. This was butabara, 2 skewers of Willi Willi Creek pork belly for $12. The pork belly was charred well, with minimal fat layers in this cut of meat. The heated spice from the mustard really helped cut through any dryness but also elevated the hearty pork flavour.
This was negima, 2 skewers of chicken thigh pieces with shallots, glazed with tare sauce for $11. This was a sweeter and juicer skewer than the tsukune, especially with the cut of chicken. The shallots brought an earthy freshness to the bite.
This succulent dish was kakuni, a grilled specialty of slow braised Willi Willi Creek pork belly with Japanese mustard for $16.50. This cut was moist and tender, thanks to the moderate layer of fat on the cut. It was 35% fat. There was a delicious charring on the skin. The sliced green onions and mustard was a nice combination of sharpness, spice and pepper that complemented the pork.
This was sunagimo, 2 skewers of chicken gizzards with yuzu, pepper and salt for $10. It’s very rare to see Australian Japanese restaurants serve this as it’s not a common cut Aussies enjoy (read: Westerners). This was a moist bite, with a nice soft-crunchy texture 👌. Definitely not a dish for everyone as the texture can get to people.
This was a simple okura with dashi soy butter; 2 skewers for $11. Okra can be slimey, which did show through in this dish, but the yakitori cooking method added an elevated charring to the vegetable. If you don’t like okra, this is a good way to try it!
Next was a delicious serving of torikawa ponzu, a plate of crispy chicken skin with shallots, yuzu, pepper and ponzu for $10. This was very crispy with a strong crunchy texture, and sweet and earthy flavours.
This was onigiri, grilled rice with tare sauce for $4 each. Simply put, a filling ball of sweet rice.
Finally, we shared a jack’s creek wagyu steak 200g for $56. This was grade 7. The beef was very tender with a small chew to the bite. The sauce was a sweet glaze, contrasted by the heated wasabi. The pea sprouts were light and refreshing.
Service
The service started off questionable, but became very accommodating to our situation. Our friends wrote on the reservation that we had a pram and needed an outdoor spot, so we’re not sure why this was not taken into account by the staff when they planned for dinner.
When we arrived, they had allocated us a spot on their high bar (so we would be sitting next to each other). We reminded them that we had a pram and it was written on the booking, however they were insistent with the allocation and suggested we keep the pram in the walkway while holding the 2 month old baby while we ate 🤨🤨🤨.
We thought it was a terrible idea and suggested for any other solution. Finally after a few minutes, one of the staff mustered up the courage to ask the patrons seated on an empty table if they could move to our allocated table. This table had only been seated shortly before our arrival. The patrons did not mind at all.
Overall service was a bit slow and silly to start off, with some miscommunication between their booking system and their staff. However once we ordered, the service was friendly and fast.
When we arrived, they had allocated us a spot on their high bar (so we would be sitting next to each other). We reminded them that we had a pram and it was written on the booking, however they were insistent with the allocation and suggested we keep the pram in the walkway while holding the 2 month old baby while we ate 🤨🤨🤨.
We thought it was a terrible idea and suggested for any other solution. Finally after a few minutes, one of the staff mustered up the courage to ask the patrons seated on an empty table if they could move to our allocated table. This table had only been seated shortly before our arrival. The patrons did not mind at all.
Overall service was a bit slow and silly to start off, with some miscommunication between their booking system and their staff. However once we ordered, the service was friendly and fast.
Review
This is a really nice restaurant for a casual dinner with friends. The vibe was fun, the food was delicious and the service was good. Our friends still dine here every few weeks as this is one of their favourite Japanese spots in Brisbane.
Thank you for reading. Happy eating!
Thank you for reading. Happy eating!
