Casual Japanese at Goshu Ramen Tei

The amount of Japanese eateries in the Sydney CBD is actually quite surprising. Wherever you are there's likely to be a Japanese restaurant nearby: whether posh and expensive, funky and cutting-edge, or traditional and authentic.

The abundance of casual Japanese eateries is a godsend when one has no plans at peak dinner hour on a Friday night. And after a few beverages, a bento set sounds all the more enticing.

Salmon sashimi in bento set at Goshu Ramen Tei, York Street, Sydney

Goshu Ramen Tei is one of two casual Japanese restaurants at the northern end of York Street; the busier, more popular one on this particular Friday night. Cold bottles of Asahi beer add to the night's drinks toll, helped down with some perky, thick cut salmon sashimi as part of a bento set.

Agedashi tofu

Deep fried agedashi tofu is not always one of my favourites as I find that the oily flavour can be sometimes quite overpowering. It's fine here, sitting in a rather light pool of dipping sauce in its bento box segment.

Karaage chicken

More deep fry comes along with the karaage chicken, the batter of which looks a little overcooked in parts but given it's made of thigh fillet, it retains a delicious juiciness. What it lacks in crunch it makes up in greasiness.

Miso soup

I've recently discovered the soothing and restorative properties of miso soup. The warm savouriness is just perfectly satisfying for winter, and indeed, post drinking.

Chilli beef set

The set meals are not quite as big nor diverse as the bento boxes, but here, provide a salad, rice and orange wedge to finish. While both capsicums and chilli are quite visible in the dish, and are visually appealing, the chilli beef lacks any spice oomph and is more sweet and teriyaki-like than a fiery chilli eater would desire.

Nonetheless, it's quite a large dish along with the bowl of steamed rice, and fits the bill for a post drinks meal without any pretence, expense or difficulty. And that's exactly what you want on a Friday night.