Okami

84 Hopkins Street
Footscray
VIC 3011

Okami appeared in the place of 1+1 Dumpling Noodles a while back, so when I spotted a groupon deal for their all you can eat option, we decided the time had come to pay a visit. We booked for the 7:45 sitting on a Friday evening, the alternative being 5:30pm. On arrival a couple of minutes early there were people waiting inside and out in the cool winter air.

It took about five minutes for us to get seated once the doors were thrown open, and most of the tables were soon full. Inside the decor had changed in the new incarnation, with new lampshades, carpet and furniture. We picked a few dishes from the menu and ordered fairly quickly. We didn't have to wait too long until our dishes appeared.

The Edamame was first to arrive, the boiled soy beans with tehir sprinkle of salt were fine, without being the best we'd ever tried.

The prawn gyoza had a tasty filling, but the skins were tough rather crunchy on the base.

The Seafood Tempura featured prawns and veggies in the eponymous batter. The coating was light and crunchy without any greasiness, and the content all nicely cooked.  

The sashimi was the most impressive looking of the dishes we chose and he fish and seafood was fresh.

After polishing off the first 4 plates we tried to order more dishes, but it took quite a while to get the attention of a waitress. We then faced another lengthly wait before any more dishes appeared. The Agedashi Tofu of crisply fried served with fish broth and bonito flakes, delivered a crisp exterior with around the soft tofu inside. We also had some more gyoza and sushi which I didn't manage to snap. We ended up leaving before the final tempura arrived as there seemed to be some confusion after further delay, and we'd been there for nearly an hour and a half.

The normal price for the all you can eat menu is $29.80, our groupon was $55.50 for two with a small flask of Saki. Given the deal, the meal was reasonably good value, but the slow service probably due to how busy it was frustrating. I'd think about going back on a week night if it was looking quieter, but wouldn't be keen to tackle it on a busy night, or if we did would make sure the first order was big enough to avoid the need to have to put through a second. I'd be interested to hear if anyone else has been on busy or quieter nights!

Sankranti

250 Barkly Street
Footscray
VIC 3011

We'd been meaning to visit Sankranti for a while and got around to it on a wintery Saturday evening. The long windowed frontage faces on Barkly Street. Inside the fit out is bright and modern with some Indian touches. We were sat fairly close to the entrance and waiting area for take away and delivery pick-ups which saw some traffic while we were there. Otherwise there were several other groups of diners, but in a big space, it didn't seem busy.

The menu is extensive covering western and Indo-Chinese dishes as well as plenty from north and south India. We stuck to the Indian options the first to arrive being the smooth and flavoursome Dal Makhani featuring its black beans in a creamy onion and tomato sauce. The Gutti Vankaya wwas a new dish to us and turned out to be a winner with tasty eggplants stuffed with onion, peanuts and spices.

The naan and rumali roti both hit the spot.

The Murgh Saagwala combined boneless chicken cooked with spinach and fresh herbs and spices lived up to our expectactions.

The meal came to $74 including a couple of drinks. The service was efficient and courteous. Although we enjoyed our meal, it seemed a little more expensive than some of the competition in the 'scray or in wefo, and the atmosphere was a little flat. Maybe a visit with a bigger group would be better to generate more of a vibe.