Lunch at Guu SakaBar

Guu (@GuuIzakaya) fans rejoice! 

You can now get your Guu fix at lunch, Monday to Friday, from 11:30am to 2:00pm! 

I made my way to Guu Sakabar (Facebook: Guu SakaBar) with a friend last week to check out their lunch menu. The first thing I noticed when I got there was that unlike dinner time, there were no crazy lineups *yay!* and secondly, the entire restaurant was beautifully decorated with hanging lanterns, and red, pink and white paper blossoms. So pretty.

Even the maneki-neko was sporting a pink hat! I soon realized that all this was in celebration of Guu Sakabar's two year anniversary.

My friend and I sat near the back of the restaurant, right in front of these giant sake barrels.

Guu Sakabar's lunch menus.

Sake at lunch. Why not? ;)

GEKKEIKAN (300ml, $8.5)

We had the following lunch items:

SHOYO RAMEN ($9.8)

Soup noodle w/ mixed broth of chicken, kombu w/ BBQ pork, scallion, bamboo shoot & nori seaweed

GYU NABE TEISHOKU ($12.8)

Sukiyaki hotpot w/ beef & veggies served w/ rice, pickles, miso soup, cabbage salad, 2x mini bowl dishes

MAZE MAZE UDON ($7.8)

Natto soybeans, okra & sour plum on udon noodle w/ komba seaweed, dashi soy sauce

SABA MISO TEISHOKU ($12.8)

Miso mackerel w/ simmered daikon radish served w/ rice, pickles, miso soup, cabbage salad, 2x mini bowl dishes

CHIRASHI DON ($14.8)

Sashimi (salmon, tuna, scallop, salmon roe) on sushi rice w/ nori, egg, shiso herb, ginger served w/ miso soup & mini bowl dish

TORI TEN TEISHOKU ($11.8)

Marinated chicken tempura w/ tentsuyu sauce, pink tartare sauce on the side served w/ rice, pickles, miso soup, cabbage salad, 2x mini bowl dishes

I knew I was in for a treat that day at Guu Sakabar, but still, I didn't expect everything to be so good! With a menu that is divided into "set meals", "noodles" and "rice bowls", it's pretty much guaranteed that you will find something you want at Guu Sakabar. Standouts were the charashi don and the maze maze udon; gorgeous, colourful, and tasty, these two dishes are perfect for the upcoming spring / summer weather. However, during the chilly days that we are *unfortunately* still having, nothing beats the warm and comforting sukiyaki hotpot packed with tender beef, soft tofu, veggies and hot broth. Yum. I also need to mention the generous portions as well - from the very filling shoyo ramen for under $10, to the large pieces of crispy chicken tempura which comes with rice, pickles, miso soup, cabbage salad, and two mini bowl dishes - Guu Sakabar does an excellent job at making sure you won't leave hungry :D