It’s casual dining at Akira Sushi. Perfect for a mid week bite to eat when you are craving Japanese food. It’s not just sushi, there is udon, chicken katsu and the list goes on. The dishes are fresh, tasty, and reasonably priced. The staff are lovely and personable too just to top of the experience. #akirasushi

FOOD QUALITY 
Three of us dined on the Monday night of the October long weekend. We ordered a mish mash of different dishes, including a bowl of edamame beans ($7), tiger chicken and avo sushi ($9), teriyaki wagyu ($20), calamari rings ($9) and chicken katsu ($13), accompanied by two bowls of rice and washed down with a couple of bottles of refreshing Asahi at a reasonable $7 a bottle. Serving sizes were generous and we enjoyed every dish. The edamame beans were tasty and crunchy. The teriyaki wagyu beef was melt-in-your-mouth tender, and served with a variety of different vegetables, including onions, peppers, broccoli and chives. The chicken was succulent and tender, cooked in a crispy batter and came with a small helping of fresh, shredded cabbage. The calamari was firm and chewy, and the sushi with a creamy sauce on top, was a nice contrast.

ATMOSPHERE
Surprisingly for a Monday night on a long weekend during school hols, the place was quite full, which gave it an energetic and lively ambience. Seating and interiors, are a tad spartan, with wooden chairs and tables, in an open air-type arrangement at “The District” food court, just above the Chatswood train station. The District itself is a bit of a mixed bag. Despite its strategic location at the transport hub of Sydney’s north shore, it hasn’t been a total success. A lot of places have closed down, including what was the largest, “Marciano’s”, which has been replaced with another Italian called “Stretch”, a not entirely inappropriate description since it occupies only about half the space of its predecessor. Akira itself, until last year, was something called “Kan Sushi” which obviously also failed, but at least this new incarnation seems to have met with some success. A few others though, had decent turn-outs, but many have closed their doors.

SERVICE
Even though it was a full house, I was surprised at how quick and efficient the service was. Our pretty Japanese waitress was friendly and polite. Orders were promptly taken and the beers came out within a few minutes - always a positive sign, and a good way to start the evening and get the digestive juices flowing. Within 10 minutes of ordering, all the dishes were on the table. Perhaps a little bit too fast for my liking, as our plan had been to have the edamame, calamari and sushi as entrees, and the chicken and beef as mains, but in any event, better that way, than having to wait around for ages for the food to arrive.

COMFORT
As mentioned, the style here is quite utilitarian with tiled floors and wooden furniture in a kind of open plan food court style. Still, the chairs were firm and comfortable, and the table was large enough to just fit all the dishes, which was no mean feat given that at one point, all five dishes plus two bowls of rice and beer bottles and glasses all had to jostle for space. Even though it was the beginning of October, it was a chilly night, but it was very warm inside so I’m thinking that these guys may struggle to keep the place cool in summer, or maybe they just forgot to put on the air con. Even though it was busy, acoustics were fine and we had no trouble conversing.

MENU
The menu is a colourful and detailed document, complete with pictures, and encased in a plastic laminate to keep it clean and hygienic. It’s fairly extensive, over about five or six pages, but I found it easy to read in the strong lighting.

TOILETS
There are ample, reasonably clean toilets which serve “The District”, and conveniently, they’re just behind this restaurant.

COST
We paid $75 for five dishes, two bowls of rice and two bottles of Asahi, and that’s after a 5% discount for liking them on FB, but without any other deals. Fair value, given the high quality of the food, decent quantities and quick service.

BOOKING
We took the precaution of booking ahead through Dimmi, and I’m glad that we did. This is clearly a popular place, so booking ahead is the prudent thing to do for weekend dining.

PARKING
There’s easy parking at the nearby Westfield Shopping Centre, where you can score three hours for free or, if you arrive after 6.00pm, it’s totally free. There’s a similar deal down the road at the Chatswood Chase Shopping Centre.

SUMMARY
We had a pleasant evening and everything went off smoothly. The food is of a high quality and served in adequate portions, and service is fast and efficient. Ambience is relaxed and casual, there are ample, clean toilets in the centre, and parking is a breeze at any one of the two nearby shopping centres.

MEMO
I noticed on Akira’s FB page that they have a Happy Hour deal, where you can get a teriyaki wagyu (or wafu steak) and a bottle of Sapporo for $20, or for $31, hot sake and sashimi. But they fail to say what times or days of the week, this HH deal is available. There’s nothing about it on the menu, nor is it advertised at the restaurant itself. So we weren’t able to take advantage of it. It should be better promoted by the staff, and at least the hours and days when you can get the deal, should be made clearer on their FB page.