Perth Voice Interactive

IT went from majesty to travesty in the space of a few metres.

On one hand you had the imperious Macedonian Orthodox Church of St Nikola, its gold-leafed cupola glinting in the midday sun, and a few doors down the abandoned and rather forlorn Wesco petrol station, a tired postcard from yesteryear.

Angove Street is a funny beast, and much like Perth, is in a constant state of contradiction and flux.

I was headed to Ekiben, situated diagonally opposite the church on the other side of the road.

The Japanese eatery had a lovely facade with a historic federation awning, bay windows and sleek signage.

It was an eye-catching mix of old and new.

The interior continued the theme with heritage features rubbing shoulders with Japanese minimalism.

It felt semi-upmarket without being intimidating or pretentious.

The menu had a compact range of smalls, sides, ekiben (a type of bento box sold on trains and at train stations in Japan), donburi and desserts.

In essence it took the humble bento and gave it a sophisticated twist with produce like miso butter steak, akami zuke (marinated tuna), shiromi (white fish used in sashimi), unagi (fresh water eel) and ebi fry (fried shrimp).

But it you wanted to play it safe and liked the classics, they had all the old favourites like karaage and teriyaki chicken.

There was also a kids menu, a small range of desserts including Matcha and Hojicha cheesecake, and some mocktails.

I love sashimi, so I ordered the akami zuke donburi ($27).

They didn’t skimp on the marinated tuna – there was several large thick slices – and it tasted divine when combined with some light soy sauce and a dab of wasabi.

I really enjoyed the medley of pickled veg and fruit, especially the lemon, which added a refreshing citrus burst.

Another pleasant side was the seaweed salad – so often a drab afterthought – which had a pleasant texture and vibrant colour. 

The salad had a light mustard marinade which held your interest, and the little scattering of sesame seeds was a nice denouement.

Completing the dish was a hefty serve of fragrant rice. Very enjoyable.

Across the table my young kids Bamm-Bamm and Pebbles were wolfing down the crowd-pleasing karaage chicken donburi ($26).

It was a big serve and there was enough coated chook, rice and salad to satisfy two ravenous kids after a busy day at school.

I had a sneaky taste and the coating was light, and the chook super tender. 

They demolished it with no complaints.

My wife “Special K” brought up the rear with the Teriyaki Steak Ekiben ($32).

It came in a bento-style box with the meat, rice, salad and potato salad in their own separate fiefdoms.

I think the only difference between a bento and an ekiben is the disposable chopsticks and recyclable container.

The star of the show was the steak – big slices of tender meat with a chargrilled tang.

“It’s a posh bento with delicious slices of thick steak and a gorgeous marinade that’s not too sweet,” my wife said.

“The sides are all top notch, especially the potato salad which has some bonito flakes on top, adding crunch and a flavour twist.

“A filling and high quality dish.”

Ordering at Ekiben is pretty flexible and you can get the meat/veg on its own or as a donburi or ekiben, but it’s still up there price-wise.

The food is high quality and slightly refined, but some folk may balk at paying $26 for a karaage donburi or $32 for a steak bento box.

I think it’s worth it, but as a once-a-week place, rather than a regular lunchtime haunt.

Ekiben
56-58 Angove St, North Perth
facebook.com/Ekibenbyerror404

by STEPHEN POLLOCK