Ken's Sushi Bar Dining, Bexley North

Japanese food is famously expensive, right? Not at this suburban hideaway. Bexley North locals have known about Ken’s for years. Dinner is almost impossible to get into unless you have a booking at this humble 36-seater. Lunchtimes are just as chaotic. There’s a good reason: they’re sending out quality Japanese at very reasonable prices.


Prawn katsu lunch special $9.80
Two sushi rolls, two dumplings, miso soup, prawn katsu and salad

Lunch sets offer the best value. $9.80 scores you a multi-course meal of dumplings, sushi rolls, salad, miso soup and your choice of protein served as teriyaki, crumbed katsu or tempura. Upgrade to sushi for $14.80. An extra buck gets you a can of drink.


Prawn katsu


Sushi Ken's special $27.80 (12 nigiri and four rolls)
California roll

Sushi is the biggest drawcard. Ken’s sushi special is the easiest place to start: 16 pieces of assorted sushi that includes seared scallop, wagyu beef tataki and tuna nigiri. Four fat slices of California sushi roll are filled with crab sticks, avocado and cucumber, then covered in slippery cellophane noodles strewn with pops of flying fish roe.


Prawn, tuna and salmon nigiri sushi

Wagyu beef, scallops and hamachi nigiri sushi

Chirashi sushi $19.80
Daily fresh sashimi and seafood served on a bowl of sushi rice

They’ll make up individual pieces of nigiri, starting at $2.20 each. If you’re more about volume over style, the chirashi sushi gets you a hefty bowl of sushi rice draped with salmon, tuna, hamachi, prawn, tamago omelette, seared beef and raw scallops.


Soft shell crab $15.80

If raw seafood doesn’t do it for you, don’t worry, they cook stuff as well. The deep-fried soft shell crab is a monster serve.


Vegetable tempura $13.80


Unaju grilled freshwater eel $17.80

The unaju freshwater eel is worth a look, the plump and fatty fillets basted with soy, sake and sugar over the grill.


Chicken katsu with cheese $17.80

And if chicken schnitzel gets you all fired up, wait until you try the chicken katsu with cheese.


Wagyu beef tataki $13.80

The view mightn’t be much – overlooking the traffic lights on Bexley Road – but no one seems to care. There’s a small list of beers and sakes on the menu, or you can bring your own wine.

Ken's: so much fun for so little dosh.


Agedashi tofu $6.80


Nasu dengaku lightly fried eggplants with miso sauce in Ken's style $9.80


Black sesame ice cream with gateau chocolate $9.80


Matcha affogato $6.80


This article appeared in the December 2014/January 2015 issue of Time Out Sydney in my monthly Food & Drink column Eat This! [Read online] 



Grab Your Fork on ABC Radio 
702 Weekends with Simon Marnie


Simon Marnie broadcasting live from Lunar New Year celebrations in Hurstville

If you follow me on Instagram you would have seen I was on ABC Radio on Saturday, broadcasting live from Lunar New Year celebrations in Hurstville.  Simon Marnie set a food blogger challenge for Michael and I: find some tasty eats in the area for under $10. Challenge accepted!


Menu at 7 Mile Chinese Taste on the concourse above Hurstville train station

Hurstville has no shortage of choice when it comes to cheap eats. I headed straight to the concourse above the train station which is bursting with stalls selling budget snacks and meals. 7 Mile Chinese Taste has a phenomenal list of dishes you can buy for $3 or less.


Come Buy Hurstville

I also stopped by Come Buy because Hong Kong egg waffles!


Waffle and eggette menu from Come Buy Hurstville

They make these fresh to order, pouring the batter into their special waffle maker. You can get original, chocolate or coconut flavour for only three bucks. Bargain.


Three course lunch $9.20
Original eggette $3, fresh soy milk $2, sliced potato pancake $3 and panfried pork bun $1.20

I came back with a three course lunch for only $9.20. All tasted on air by Simon. He really liked the fresh soy milk which, yes, is so unlike the processed version you find on the supermarket shelf.


East Food Express

Michael ended up at East Food Express, also located above Hurstville train station.


Jian bing $4
Chinese pancake with fried egg, crunchy wonton skins, shallots and soy sauce

His find was the jian bing pancake, a thin crepe with a fried egg cooked over the top and then wrapped up with an avalanche of crunchy wonton skins, shallots and a spicy soy sauce. It looked so delicious I headed back after the broadcast and loaded up on these for lunch!



Grab Your Fork on BuzzFeed


BuzzFeed list of 15 Australian Food Blogs Guaranteed to Change the Way You Eat

And Grab Your Fork made it to BuzzFeed last week in a list of 15 Australian Food Blogs Guaranteed to Change the Way You Eat.


Hey that's my blawg!

Check out the full list here and thanks Jenna for the endorsement!






Ken’s Sushi Bar Dining
3A Shaw Street, Bexley North, Sydney
Tel: +61 (02) 9150 6588

Opening hours:
Tuesday to Saturday 11am - 2pm and 5pm - 9pm
Sunday 5pm - 9pm

Read more of my Time Out Sydney reviews


7 Mile Chinese Taste
Shop 18 (above Hurstville train station)
225 Forest Road, Hurstville, Sydney
Tel: +61 (02) 9570 1331
Open Monday to Saturday 6.30am-10pm, Sunday 7.30am-10pm


Come Buy
Shop 23 (above Hurstville train station)
225 Forest Road, Hurstville, Sydney


East Food Express
Shop 22 (above Hurstville train station)
225 Forest Road, Hurstville, Sydney
Tel: +61 (0) 452 200 818