The Ginga Restaurant family has grown from one main restaurant on Little Stanley Street to three; including a second on Grey Street and the latest addition at the Emporium. The latter two feature an extensive sushi train and menu.

We headed to the Little Stanley Street restaurant after a movie on Saturday night (the popcorn didn’t quite do it for me!). There are two parts to this particular Ginga – the somewhat more formal restaurant and the more casual take away side. The former seemed to have table service and a more extensive menu so we opted for that however, the casual part looked perfect for a quick bite (and cheaper).

The service was great from the start, very responsive, quick and polite. So before we knew it we had a couple of beers in front of us and had narrowed down our meal options. As typical Japanese restaurants there was a good mix of sushi, sashimi, entrees/sharers, mains, sets and bento boxes. Many of which looked appetizing.

I eventually settled for the Torikatsu set which basically consisted of deep fried crumbed chicken with tonkatsu sauce. As it was part of a set meal it was served with a side salad, rice and miso soup. To be honest I had never had tonkatsu sauce before so was curious about that. It was of a similar colour to teriyaki sauce however of a thicker consistency. It also had a stronger kick or after taste.

My dining partner went for the chicken yaki soba due to a noodle craving! Ginga’s take on the traditional fried noodle dish left us with a generous serving of chicken and vegetables with a good dose of yakisoba sauce, avoiding the bland or gloopy features that often come with this plate.

An hour later we were well fed and only $45 poorer – which in my book puts Ginga under the value for money category. I wouldn’t hesitate to go back and try some other dishes especially the mixed tempura which seemed to be quite popular with the nearby diners.

As a side note – Movenpick is only a couple of doors down and made for a great dessert after this meal!