Food Drink

NOW OPEN! New Japanese Restaurant & Bar Specialising In Donburi

With traditional Japanese cuisine specialising in donburi and a rare spirits list, The Donburi House is setting out to be unlike any other restaurant in Adelaide.

Photo Credit: Matthew Kroker

Adelaide’s newest dining option has arrived, as the doors opened this week at The Donburi House, restaurant and bar.

For those not in the know (which included us until recently), Donburi (which literally translates to bowl) is a classic Japanese rice bowl dish consisting of meat and vegetables and other ingredients simmered and served over rice. Strangely enough, despite our comprehensive range of Asian cuisine options, no one else specialises in Donburi in Adelaide.

Operations manager Ping Liew, tells me that unlike cities with bigger populations, Adelaide restaurants simply can’t sustain themselves without high quality food.

That was The Donburi House Owner and head chef, Lulu He’s incentive with the new restaurant. To fill an opening in the market.

The Donburi House promises to set itself apart by putting quality above all else, with ingredients that are a much higher quality than similar restaurants.

The Japanese cuisine will still be traditional but filtered through the skillset of a modern chef. Lulu’s experience comes from working in South Australian restaurants for the past eight years, and she has produced a menu that is not only authentically Japanese, but also focusing on catering for vegan and gluten free visitors.

The restaurant will be serving lunch and dinner, but once dinner service is over, it will turn into a full service bar with an emphasis on quality and hard to find spirits. You’ll be able to enjoy Japanese sake, Japanese gin, local SA gin, a range of whiskeys, scotch and more.

Some of the spirits on offer are extremely rare and will only be accessible at The Donburi House. There will be a selection sourced from small provinces in Japan and unknown even to locals.

You can be forgiven for not knowing about certain labels like Matsui and Kurayoshi Whisky, but both will be on offer at The Donburi House as well as a prized bottle of Kavalan Whisky which was named the World’s Best Whisky by the prestigious World Whiskies Awards in 2015.

Donburi House will also have a range of wines on offer (all vegan) and Asahi black and Super Dry on tap. While these are a smaller range, the quality is high end. Lulu’s repertoire of Japanese or Asian based cocktails will also be on offer.

The Donburi House will have a seated capacity of 40-55 people but there are tentative plans to spill out onto the street during summer with outdoor seating. Ping also tells me that a tobacco licence may be on the cards so that patrons can enjoy a cigar with their whisky.

The new restaurant and bar has opened on Sturt Street, and adds to the growing trend of dining options expanding in the city’s West end, giving the city’s East a run for its money.

For more info on The Donburi House head to their Facebook page here.

Open now at 52 Sturt Street, Adelaide.

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