Fishbowl - Darlinghurst

When one of your favourite meals is... a salad!

Yes, a salad! But not just any type of salad - a salad with a Japanese twist 🤗

Fish Bowl came in 2016 to prove that ‘fast food’ could have whichever meaning we wanted it to have and that it is possible to create a cultural change and modify old ideas that salads are just lettuce and are boring or that fast food is just high calorie and less nutrient dense food.

They opened because they believed in shokunin - a Japanese term that has no exact English translation but that it means extreme dedication, devotion and respect towards something.

They believed they could create something epic and special, that people would crave and dream to have at all times.

Well, I wouldn’t mind having this in all of my meals, oh no 😍 plus, they have their own fish now radio and even host surfing events! How cool is that for ‘just’ a fish shop hey?!

The have several locations and I visited the store at Darling Hurst that is in a very beautiful location. The areas surrounding it seems very futuristic and modern and they have a board at the front of a building complex that leads to a dining area where different venues are featured!

The store isn’t too big but just enough for the customers to make their order and then they can either enjoy the meals in some tables indoors, or take it outside to eat at some little benches, or even take away to their own comfort homes!

The staff was very polite and she took the time to introduce me to their concept and menu and she told me what their favourites were. The bowls can come in either regular or a large size (for an extra four dollars) And I would say that the regular size is quite reasonable and filling for one person 👌

So here’s what we had:

- The O.G - it is their most popular bowl and features salmon sashimi, covered with some shallots, kale, beets, red onion and edamame. The combination is obviously an epic and traditional Japanese flavour and to top it off it comes with roasted sesame dressing, seaweed, tobiko and crispy shallots! I personally wasn’t a huge fan of the red onion as it wasn’t grilled or cooked, but instead it came raw and with a strong flavour but I have to say that it does match the other ingredients. I chose a base of white sushi rice for this ball as obviously one of the most popular Asian combos is salmon with rice and that is watch I think they try to mimic here in the bowl. I have to highlight the seaweed which was absolutely fantastic as well as the tobiko and crispy shallots on top - the best! The rice was outstanding too. This was my second favourite bowl 👏

- Big Papi II - again very Asian inspired bowl, this one features tuna sashimi and cabbage, shallots, beets, radish and nori. The combo is AMAZING and this was my favourite of the 3 bowls I had. I asked to also add some seaweed and I tightly recommend it too as it gives such an enjoyable taste to the bowl and great combo of ingredients 👌 this bowl comes topped with red sesame dressing, that I found quite interesting and an unique combo of tamari almonds and wasabi peas! That are surprisingly not spicy! 👏 I also think the presentation of this bowl is very beautiful and I just think that even though the tuna portion was there it should be slightly more than what it was as there were so many toppings and sides, comparing to the protein source.  I had brown rice with this bowl that was absolutely cooked to perfection and on point.

- Meru Miso Eggplant - The third bowl that I decided to try was their vegan plant -based ball with Meru Miso Glazed Eggplant! I wasn’t actually expecting the looks of the bowl to be so interesting but they actually place a whole eggplant glazed on top of the bowl! How cool is that! It looks similar to how they place some protein or other items on top of some sushi pieces! The taste was REALLY inviting and so were the sides. It came with tofu, shallots, kale, radish, red onion and edamame! Again, the only Think I would take out of this bowl would have been the red onion because I am personally not a fan of that. Furthermore this bowl is supposed to have some heat to it not only by the ingredients that I’ve mentioned but also because it comes with spicy lemon shoyu dressing, ginger and crispy shallots on top. I have to say that honestly I didn’t think it was spicy at all, like the staff member mentioned to me and reassured me that I could tolerate it very well. Definitely not spicy, and the powder and sauces used just reinforce the taste of the Asian cuisine 👌

- Miso Soup - definitely a must try if you pop by these guys because not only it pairs very nicely with the meals but obviously it has health benefits and it is absolutely wholesome to your soul even! It comes served in a little cup similar to a coffee cup and you actually drink it like a coffee 😂 can definitely recommend!

Just a final note to their beverages menu - they have several beverages available and they even have their own kombucha! They come in two flavours - original and blood orange! And if that’s not enough they have their own FISHBOWL Reusable Water Bottle which is spring water in a reusable Fishbowl aluminium water bottle! They absolutely try their best to make the planet a better place and everything in the stores and their concept features sustainability 👏

Definitely a great quick go to meal that anyone with Asian craving tastebuds should try! Great job guys!

Try the OG bowl and it was superb!!! The portion is HUGE. I chose cabbage & brown rice for the base, and i didn’t regret it! It was legit, the mixture of everything is just perfect. The sauce also perfect. Would love to comeback!

I've been to Fishbowl several times now, and also ordered via UberEats. Their menu allows you to pick from a ‘Fishbowl Favourite’, or fully customise and build your own delicious sashimi salad. Today, I started with a bed of sushi rice, topped with cubes of fresh salmon, radish, edamame, golden beetroot, seaweed salad (+$1.00) and coriander. Whether eaten at the restaurant or on my couch, the quality

Poké is the one of my most favourite trends to hit the foodie scene. Just thinking about it just reminds me of the summer time. The freshness of sashimi combined with a wholesome base of brown rice, topped off with the textual crunch which comes from the flying fish roe and toasted goodies.

Fishbowl does poké justice and is one of my more favourite joints. Prices are reasonable, service is quick and portions are generous. Can’t go wrong with the O.G. poké bowl, or mix things up with a make it yourself bowl.

Same great concept as the Bondi store but with a slightly different menu. Love the fresh wholesome meals that this place turns out and the service is always friendly and upbeat despite always being busy

I built my own poke bowl and I really enjoyed the meal. I chose the small one and I think the portion is just right. My combination was brown rice, salmon, edamame, carrot, cucumber, nori and avocado. For the sauce, I chose sesame and ponzu

Fantastic place with plenty of variety to choose from at a very reasonable price. I just got a regular sized chicken salad and it was more than enough. Lots of different options and lots of fresh ingredients. Not too long of a wait which was good, as people were pouring in during lunch time for this place. Will be back to try the other options too!

Waited a little long for my online order. Food was great though. Save yourself some $ and buy a drink at the Ezy Mart a block away.

This place is amazing. Good food, very tasty and healthy. The regular bowl is decent size. I'll definitely come back