MR Oro is the sushi equivalent of Led Zeppelin.
A hedonistic and over-the-top cacophony of flavours that batters your tastebuds into glorious submission.
Expect to taste bacon, cream cheese, black pepper sauce and wonton chips in their giant, decadent sushi wheels.
The names match the bold flavours with Crunchy Spider, EL’Mexican and Sweet-Chilli Philly all gracing the menu.
But is this sushi heresy or a fun twist on Japanese cuisine?
I fired up the Voice jalopy and headed to Mt Lawley to investigate.
On a lovely sunny day there was a steady stream of office workers coming in and out of Mr Oro, buying sushi for lunch and enjoying the first buds of Spring.
If you don’t like the wham-bam chef’s creations, you can build your own sushi and salad from scratch by choosing from a large range of fillings, sauces and toppings.
Or if you fancy something hot there’s a nice range of donburi including teriyaki chicken, yakiniku beef, katsu don and confit duck don.
There was also a decent range of starters (gyoza, edamame, Japanese croquettes), salads and specials including kitsune udon, katsu sando and kids bento.
Everything is made-to-order and there is no display cabinet with pre-made sushi, so while it takes a bit longer, you know it’s super fresh.
I couldn’t resist the Bulgogi Roll ($12.50 for four).
It may sound expensive, but the sushi wheels are huge and crammed with quality ingredients.
The star of the dish was the marinated beef, which was tender with no fatty or stingy bits.
It was wrapped in a soft blanket of caramelised onion and kimchi, a beautiful combo that gave the sushi an exotic sweet-and-sour tang.
Scattered over the top were some chunky onion flakes, a crunchy diversion from the soft rice and onion.
Rounding things off was an artful drizzle of spicy sauce, which had just the right level of heat and didn’t overpower the dish.
Across the table my young kids Bamm-Bamm and Pebbles were sharing the ultimate comfort food – Japanese Katsu Curry ($23.50).
The aroma of katsu curry always gets my mouth watering and makes me think “I wish I had ordered that instead of trying something new”.
I had a sneaky taste and the katsu had a delicious crunchy coating and succulent chook (sometimes it can be drier than the Gobi Desert).
The all important curry sauce was a thick, murky affair with just the right amount of spice.
My only gripe – there could have been a bit more potato and carrot in there – but that aside it was a really tasty curry.
My wife “Special K” was deathly quiet – that either meant I had done something wrong, something expensive needed fixed, or she was eating.
Thankfully it was the latter and she was tucking into EL’Mexican ($12.50 for four).
“Imagine a burrito crossed with sushi and you’re getting close,” she said. “There’s seared beef, lettuce, corn and avocado, and I’m even tasting some melted cheese and salsa. It’s a funky number with high quality ingredients, but I would have liked a bit more kick from the mayo.”
We finished off the meal with the Crunchy Chicken ($12.20 for four sushi wheels).
A crowd-pleasing mix of karaage and katsu chicken with fried shallots, chilli mayo and potato salad. Yes, potato salad. Very filling, rich and delicious.
Mr Oro has a cool manga-style mural on one of the walls, but the rest of the eatery was looking a bit tired and dim, and could do with some extra lighting and TLC to match the lovely food.
The service was efficient and to-the-point, which you expect during a busy lunch hour.
Like listening to too much Led Zeppelin, my tastebuds were exhausted after the flavour onslaught at Mr Oro, and I left feeling satisfied but slightly bemused.
Mr Oro Sushi
669 Beaufort Street, Mt Lawley
facebook.com/MrOro.
Mt.Lawley
by STEPHEN POLLOCK
Perth Voice Interactive 