Tatsuya @ West Ryde

Tastuya is still a fairly new restaurant, located next to the budget petrol station at West Ryde. Ever since it opened last year, there hasn't been a time when this little place was empty. Cheap prices but delicious. Plus, their servings are more than enough and their rolls are stuffed with fresh fillings - none of those rolls that are three quarters rice.

After our respective tutoring sessions, we always stagger out of the freezing sub-zero temperatures of the library, craving something hot and hearty to warm ourselves. Usually, we're too hungry and weak to cook our own steaks at the West Ryde Hotel bistro, so we often frequent Tatsuya for their warm, warm noodle soups.

The Man recently realized he always makes faces in photos.


So this is him posing 'nicely' for the camera :)

Our usuals. Hot soba, udon, and the soft shell crab roll. Yummy!

Tempura udon. The soup is really the best I've had in Sydney and the fried tofu flakes and spring onion are abundantly sprinkled on top. Mix it together and scoop up some noodles and soup into your spoon...you wouldn't be able to put it down.

Hot soba. I personally like the soup in this one better than the udon soup. It's less saltier yet still has a deep flavour that warms you up from the inside. The vegetable tempura on top is a mash of vegetable strips such as carrot and onions. It's actually better than the normal tempura we're used to so if they sold a dish full of these, I would definitely order it.

The soba noodles are thinner than udon noodles but there is a LOT. On a normal day, I wouldn't be able to finish this but this day, I was starving since I didn't have a proper lunch so I devoured it, soup and all.

Soft shell crab roll. Only 15 bucks! Their presentation isn't fancy but the rolls in their skewed line peek out, showing their delicious fillings.

The rice isn't rolled tightly but is rolled with the right amount of pressure so you can taste the rice as well as feel them rolling around in your mouth. The pink mayonnaise reminds me of cherry blossoms.

That's my half eaten sweet potato tempura back there. As you can see, the roll is nearly half filled with the soft shell crab. It looks small but it's big enough to make my mouth stick out like a monkey as I chew it whole. The end bits are the best, where the crispy crab legs wave out.

Whenever I feel like Jap food, this place is always the first on my mind. The atmosphere has a nice vibe to it and the staff are friendly and always smiling. You can watch the sushi men roll their sushi, torch the salmon and yell out 'thank you!' behind their bars. The other hot foods, I've tried and wouldn't try again but the rolls and the noodles are a must here. I really should try the other rolls but we're still not sick of the soft shell crab yet :p