by Sean Hillen

Not only was the food of a high quality at Kuro restaurant on Gorey’s main street in Wexford, so was the entertainment.

As my companion and I sat on the upstairs level of this Japanese restaurant in south-east Ireland on a damp autumn evening, we couldn’t resist enjoying the lively goings-on below at the teppanyaki counter, where dynamic chef, Anthony, swashbuckled his way through seafood and meat dishes with aplomb, and not a little flamboyance, flipping titbits for guests to catch in their mouths midair. All fun stuff for the celebratory birthday and anniversary guests seated around the counter.

Having already opened a similar restaurant in the neighboring county of Waterford, Kuro – which means ‘sophistication’ – is a welcome addition to the diverse cuisine scene in this charming Wexford market town.

Well managed by friendly Pee Jay, who has worked in the hospitality sector in many countries including Dubai and Quatar, the restaurant is neatly divided into two floors. The ground floor offers window seating, as well as the teppanyaki table for eleven people, opposite which is an open bar.

On the first floor, tables are positioned around the balcony overlooking the teppanyaki counter, as well as beside windows looking down on the street below. Here the space is decorated with a wall of framed recipes, rows of bright lanterns and a vivid red and black wall mural of what looked like a samurai warrior in full battle mode. In contrast, on another wall, was the innocent image of a geisha girl looking sedate and stoical complete with traditional kimono, and a kanzashi keeping her hair in a bun.

I arrived with a raggedy dry throat and was delighted to be provided with a small jug of comforting warm sake with thin slices of lemon on the side. I must admit, I love this kind of medicine.

The menu is impressive, and I mean impressive. In sheer breadth alone. Take the 15 different starters, or japas in Japanese, as an example. They ranged from ebi tempura, crispy deep-fried tiger prawns, to gyoza, dumplings filled with pork, chicken or vegetables, and duck spring rolls to octopus balls with dried tuna flakes and sweet and savory takoyaki sauce. 

I chose the tongarashi soft shell crab, a dish I don’t get the chance to eat often. The flesh was lightly cooked and tender, its flavor enhanced by an assortment of vegetables and herbs. 

Being fond of fluffy steamed bao buns, we were both delighted to see four variety of fillings on the menu, chicken, duck, spicy chicken and eggplant. I opted for the latter. Known as yasal, it was presented tempura-style mixed with cucumber and carrot and a sweet chilli sauce.

As the sushi selection featured 12 nigiri, small, hand-pressed mounds of vinegared rice topped with a slice of raw fish, the same number of sashimi, fifteen signature rolls and three temaki, hand-rolled cones from seaweed with fillings, we opted for the large nori platter for a broad taste.

We weren’t disappointed. A mini sloping wooden bridge decorated with multi-colored pansy petals arrived, filled with around 21 pieces, eight of salmon, avocado and cream cheese, six sashimi of tuna and prawn and six nigiri with the same, as well as a California temaki of crab, avocado and cucumber.

Though we hadn’t eaten since earlier that day, we felt our stomachs begin to stretch and wondered if we’d make it through a main dish still to come. As we’d already ordered, it was too late to cancel. And we were ever so glad we didn’t. It’s funny how you can find extra belly room when the food is so tempting.  

Hearing it sizzle before it arrived table-side, made the entrance of delectable strips of sirloin even more appetising. Served in a black cast iron pan amid a generous helping of assorted roasting vegetables including mushrooms, peppers, onions and carrots, the meat was served medium-well, allowing us to cook it a little more if we wished on the hot pan.

Thankfully, after this, we definitely had no room for dessert. Which was a blessing in disguise as we’ve made it a pledge not to eat sweets after 9pm. A hard-won victory so far). For those not possessed of such misplaced notions, there was no shortage of temptations. Think you could turn down mango spring roll with red bean and banana or duo mochi, traditional Japanese rice cakes with tropical and chocolate flavors served with crumble and mixed berry sorbet?

As for the drinks menu, aside from the Hakutsuru sake, of which we had two small jugs, there’s also sake plum wine and a selection of fourteen red, rose and white wines, including sparkling, the country origins including Spain Australia, Chile, France and Italy. I also counted six beers and ciders including, of course, the Tokyo-based Asahi variety.

With chefs from various countries including China, Thailand and the Philippines working at Kuro, in addition to traditional Japanese classics, there’s also dishes from these countries for those guests wishing to enjoy an even more diversified menu. 

If there’s one thing I might change, it could be the music. I use the terms ‘might’ and ‘could’ as I’m not altogether convinced. While in an ethnic restaurant, I usually like to hear traditional music from that particular country or region, believing it complements the food. But here that wasn’t the case. At the same time, however, the music was still enjoyable, transporting my companion and I nostalgically back to our heyday in the ‘70s and ‘80s.

Perhaps, but perhaps only perhaps, Bruce Springsteen belting out ‘Born In the USA’ and Fine Young Cannibals blasting ‘She Drives Me Crazy’ not to mention Freddie Mercury singing ‘I Want To Break Free,’ doesn’t quite match my image of a Japanese restaurant, catchy though the tunes may be.

In conclusion, the food at Kuro was of a very high quality and extremely well presented, and service was both friendly and efficient without being overly fussy. It gets two thumbs-up from me and my companion. Go visit and enjoy.