Visiting my old stomping ground Takapuna always brings back high school memories. Back then, nothing appealed more than a green tea frappacino and a Jesters pie. Surprisingly, that part of Taka hasn’t changed at all.
Fast forward to 2016, the addition of Main Beach Takapuna really pumps Takapuna as the lifestyle capital of the shore. With the iconic beach view of Rangitoto on the horizon..there isn’t anything quite like it in Auckland.
Tokyo Bay is one of the three restaurants on the block, serving Japanese cuisine with a bit of fusion. The owners come from Soto Japanese Restaurant in St Mary’s Bay and Tokyo Club in Ponsonby Central so it’s no doubt where they get their upbeat flair from.
When given the option on a sunny day on the shore, always pop dem sunnies on and bake outside. Sorry in advance for the sun glare on the photos..Vitamin D priorities..
For lunch, we ordered:
– sashimi, sushi nigiri platter for two
– duck dumplings shumai with Japanese hot mustard
– eggplant mis0-yaki – eggplant flame grilled with a sweet miso sesame coating
– wagyu croquettes korokke – fried panko potato croquettes with wagyu beef
For the curious and adventurous, the small plates menu are ideal with a mixture of traditional and fusion dishes. My favourite was the eggplant miso-yaki which was creamy and deeeelicious. You might even be able to get those who don’t like eggplant to give it a try! The duck dumpling shumai also deserves a mention, it was packed with flavour and would be satisfying for meatlovers. I don’t usually like the traditional shumai for the pork, but the hot Japanese mustard gave it a good zing.
For dessert, we tried:
– green tea matcha tiramisu and coffee tiramisu
-match mousse
As a die-hard fan of matcha, I looked forward so much to taste the matcha-misu but I found that both the tiramisu bites were dusted so much that it was dry to the core. The red bean and matcha mousse was better but you can’t go too wrong with the combination of those flavours.
There are also bento box options for those who like a bit of everything but struggle with deciphering lengthy menu options. At $25-$28 (lunch) it’s a great choice for those who want a little fanciness for lunch without going all out.
The dinner menu looks even more exciting, I’d also want to try their extensive sake list, it’s got everything from warm house sakes to chilled sakes, nigori (milky and sweet sake) to sake bombs. Bring it on!
Tokyo Bay
Ph: 09 390 7188
20 The Strand
Takapuna Beach, Auckland
