Restaurant review: Okami is redefining the all-you-can-eat experience with its Japanese menu

There was something for everyone, and we all had our different strategies for tackling the buffet on offer to make sure we all had room for our favourite dishes.

And eventually, life moved on, buffets stopped being the go-to celebratory dinner in the Martin household and somewhere along the line, all-you-can-eat stopped being a special occasion and started becoming a novelty that didn't actually occur - until Okami opened in Mawson.

When the all-you-can-eat Japanese came to Canberra in 2021 - and then opened a second location in Braddon - suddenly it was an option again.

We walk into the original Canberra restaurant in Mawson on this cold Saturday night and it is packed with large groups catching up after a long week.

Like every other all-you-can-eat restaurant, you pay a flat rate ($41.80) plus whatever drinks you want. But unlike other takes, you're handed menus and encouraged to order as much as you want, with servers regularly coming around to see if you have enough food.

We start by ordering our savouries for the night - and in fact, our server encourages us to order more than we originally planned.

The first out is the nigiri platter which comes with salmon, ebi (prawn), tamago (omelette) and Inari (fried tofu) options come out with a side serving of ginger and wasabi. The rice wasn't as sticky as I would have liked it, making it hard to eat without it falling apart, but the toppings were fresh, with the tamago easily being my favourite. The egg topping had a lovely sweetness to it that created a more impactful flavour profile than the others. That being said, of all the dishes that we would go on to have, this is not the one that will have me coming back for more.

The chicken kaarage, served with Japanese mayonnaise is always a hard one to miss on a menu, and for me was a must for the evening. And it did not disappoint. It was beautifully crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.

As soon as we sat down my friend was adamant that we get the potato croquettes and I'm so glad she was. With a crispy exterior and a creamy potato filling, alongside the tonkatsu sauce it was super simple but something that you want to immediately order more of. And since we are at an all-you-can-eat restaurant, we can.

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Dumplings are a must when on any menu but some are better than others. These prawn gyoza didn't quite have that beautifully golden, crispy side from being pan-fried but the filling was generous and flavourful. And although the description said it included vegetables, the chef certainly didn't skimp on the prawn, rather using it for flavour rather than filler.

The beef carpaccio was the dish of the night for me, however. Served with ponzu sauce and wasabi mayonnaise, the meat had a slight bite to it and the citrus-based sauce gave a brightness to the dish that had you coming back for more.

While most of the dishes on the menu for this evening were share-type meals, we also opted for stir-fried beef udon noodles with vegetables. More substantial than some of the other dishes, it had the perfect mix of crispy cabbage bringing a bite to the dish, and melt-in-your-mouth beef and perfectly cooked noodles, it's the type of dish that ties all the shared plates together.

And then there's the fried rice. It's quite possibly the saddest-looking fried rice that's more rice than carrot, peas and corn. But from a flavour point of view, they have their sauces on point and it does feel like nostalgia in a bowl.

Of course, no all-you-can-eat dinner would be complete without dessert and here we have mini matcha taiyaki and a range of Japanese ice cream - which we opt to get both the green tea and black sesame.

The ice cream comes out in these mini tubs, reminding me of the tubs you used to get at the school canteen. I can see how from a practical point of view how it works - the servers just come around with a big tray full of ice cream dishing them out to customers. The black sesame has its signature nuttiness, while the green tea is on the sweeter side, without the bitterness that many green tea desserts can't seem to shake.

But both still feel like a sideshow to the matcha taiyaki. The fish-shaped, deep-fried dessert is filled with red bean paste and matcha and it is delightfully sweet but not overbearing.

There is a casual vibe to this evening - I think any all-you-can-eat restaurant does - but Okami reframes the all-you-can-eat experience into something that feels more modern. And for that matter, it reframes what it means for a cheap and cheerful dinner. It's clear to see why the restaurant is packed out.

Address: 8 Mawson Place, Mawson

Phone: 6286 2397

Website: okamirestaurant.com.au

Hours: Lunch, Sunday. Dinner Tuesday to Sunday.

Chef: Manohar Gharti

Noise: Quite loud

Dietary: Plenty of options

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