Hicksons Izakaya, Walsh Bay

It's date night and Matt and have been invited to dine at Hicksons Izakaya. We stroll along the beautiful suburb and look at all the theatre patrons. It's a warm night but slightly overcast. Regardless I enjoy the view.

I wonder how much it costs to live in Walsh Bay as it's such a nice area and right by the bridge. Matt and I talk real estate as Matt sips on a sapporo beer and I cheers with a moscato sparkling wine. We order a series of Japanese tapas dishes. 

We agree that we should order a bunch of tapas dishes rather than mains. First off is the Soba Salad ($12) which consists of soba noodles, mixed greens and a sesame dressing. This looks like such a simple dish but it was really enjoyable to eat. Matt slurps up those noodles and I really enjoy the balance of the sesame dressing with the noodles and the greens. I recommend ordering this dish. This is probably our favourite dish.

There's also the Slow cooked braised pork belly with yuzu kosho ($12). You can taste how tender the meat is as it falls apart in your mouth so I can imagine it's been cooked for a long time. It's well seasoned and delicious. The fat melts in your mouth. I'd also recommend ordering the pork belly. 

I order the Seared Scallops with honey ponzu and fish roe ($14.50).  I was expecting a sweetness and a tang from the honey ponzu but instead was met with a dominant soy flavour. The scallops are fresh. I wonder if they are better served up with some fresh lemon and yuzu.

Matt and I love sashimi so we had to order the Sashimi Platter ($32 for 9pcs) which has assorted sashimi of salmon, kingfish and tuna. Matt comments on the price of the dish v.s the number of pieces of sashimi as we always order the sashimi platter but get more pieces in other venues. I find a bone in the salmon piece and Matt finds one in his salmon piece as well. The sashimi is fresh and enjoyable to eat however I agree with Matt's comments and more attention to detail with the bones would also improve the experience.

Then there's the Seared Bonito ($15). I've typically had bonito on sushi trains and typically enjoy it's quite distinct taste. I'm not sure if the cream sauce worked with the seared bonito and the smokiness from the searing took away from the natural fish taste. 

Finally we have the Teriyaki chicken with sesame seeds ($10). This dish is enjoyable to eat but very subtle in teriyaki flavour and tasted a bit dry. I don't mind the subtle teriyaki flavours although Matt prefers the thick and sticky sauce that you get at other Japanese restaurants. 

Summary: Enjoy the view with a drink and some Japanese bar snacks at Hicksons Izakaya! My favourites were the soba noodle salad and slow cooked braised pork. With some minor adjustments on the other dishes, this place could really go places.

Price: $50-60 pp

Location: Shop 5/17A Hickson Rd, Walsh Bay

Opening Hours: 
Monday to Friday: 11:30am to 3:30pm, 5:30pm to 10:30pm
Saturday 11:30am to 10:30pm
Sunday closed

Weekend Food Escapes dined as guests of Hicksons Izakaya. All photos, opinions and words are my own.