Dining at Soju Girl

It was that time of year again where I turned a year older and this year I requested to have dinner at Soju Girl, a 2 year old establishment in Canberra that has gained quite a reputation and following for its food in the capital. I was keen to try it out and it was either this place or Public @ Manuka. The two establishments are totally different in cuisine but Public is another place I wanted to try out so I left it to the husband to decide which of the two to make reservations at. He chose Soju Girl probably because Public was too close to his work place and there isn't anyone I know that wants to go back to the work place after working hours.

We had reservations for 7pm and upon arrival, the place was already bustling with patrons. The bar area was quite full as was the dining rooms. We were seated and quickly briefed about the Soju Girl concept of plates for sharing plus their specials for the night. 

First order of the night for me was the cocktail menu. After a quick perusal, I decided on El Diablo. I do not recall the ingredients in it except that it had tequila. I loved the drink. I like my cocktails strong. If I wanted something watered down I would just go with mocktails and this one had just enough kick in it. I was also pleasantly surprised by the generous size of the cocktail. One happy me!

Cocktail: El Diablo

We ordered a mix of dishes from the regular and specials menu. We were told that some of the starters are smaller portions and some can be quite filling. I really wanted to sample as much of the menu as we could and upon enquiry were told that 3 starters plus a main should leave us room to spare for dessert. However after finishing our starters we decided to add another starter before our main. The kitchen was kind enough to prepare our last minute request (it came 10 minutes after we made our request even though the restaurant was maxed out- I was very happy). In total we ordered 4 starters (plates to share) and a main.

Special of the night: Starter - Confit salmon,  Black sesame seed rice cracker

I don't remember the actual name of the dish but it was a nice balance of textures when eaten together. Mild flavours, nothing too heavy on the palate. My only complaint, for a starter it didn't really get my appetite started.

2nd Starter - Tiradito of King fish, Yuzu, White Soy, Radish

This was really good, an opposite to the salmon - it really gets your appetite going. You get a burst of flavour at first bite. A little tangy and a little salty with some crispness from the radish and cucumber. Its light, refreshing and altogether yummy. I could have done with another plate of this.

3rd Starter - Wagyu Carpaccio, togarashi, New Zealand wasabi, pickled salad.

This was pretty good. Melt in your mouth wagyu carpaccio balanced by the pickled salad. The carpaccio was a little thick but I guess if you get more beef in a bite there isn't much to complain about. The New Zealand wasabi (a little yellow dot at the edge of the plate - not pictured) was quite hot. I love my spice but I think that the wasabi might be a little too hot for most Australians.

4th Starter (the addition) - Tuna Futomaki, seaweed salad, emulsions

Love the tuna. To be honest this can be described as regular sushi with better ingredients, prepared with more finesse and creativity. Oh and about heat, be warned - this is spicy. The tuna is firstly seared and then liberally coated with sprinkles of chilli powder. I love that the rice beneath the tuna is rolled in seaweed which is then coated in tempura batter and fried crisp. (Creative!) Plus the seaweed salad that sits beneath the rice is crunchy and tangy. The yellow dots I believe are mayo and the dark sauce is a mix of some sort with thick sweet soy. As a whole the entire dish works. My only complaint is that the rice is too densely packed. It crossed my mind that it could be glutinous rice and it reminded me a lot of Malaysian 'lemang' which is essentially rice, packed tightly into a bamboo and cooked over slow hot coals.

Special of the night: Mains - Beef short ribs, Asian slaw

The person serving us made mention of the fact that the beef short ribs were served off the bone more than once. I think she said it three times. I suppose the bone is a deterrent to order for most of the patrons? If I were ordering ribs I would not care if it was still on the bone. Half the fun is watching the meat fall off the bone! We loved the beef but didn't like the slaw. The husband stayed away from it after having one bite because of the wasabi content in it. I think it was alright but nothing to shout about.

This is a sexier shot of the beef short ribs. A little dark perhaps but it does look better than the shots with flash. Unfortunately the restaurant is kinda dark and I only had the iPhone camera to work with so the flash was the only way to go. 

We had a look at the dessert menu but didn't feel inspired to order anything from it and headed off to have dessert at Gelatissimo in Manuka instead. 

I will probably return and try a couple more items on the menu. The dishes here are for the slightly more adventurous and knowledgeable diner. Definitely not for the average Aussie who prefers a good steak or roast. So if you are keen to try dishes with an Asian twist to it, Soju Girl is for you. If not, just go for their cocktails and I hear they make a pretty good martini.