A little bit about Industry Zen

Two pretty girls had dinner with me at a Japanese restaurant near the viaduct, Industry Zen

It's next to the Tepid Baths (which, when Lauren asked if we had been there, I thought she was describing the temperature of the pool, but it is actually called Tepid Baths :P )

Plum wine $9 glass

Lauren recommended the plum wine.
I can't do wine reviews haha, but I can say that this one was deliciously sweet

We were unsure on how to order, as the menu featured many tapas-sized platters. So we ordered a few to share between us...

Salmon avocado wrap $9

These sushi were well presented, each piece were differently styled. The far one had something edible on a stick (I forgot to ask Lauren what it was) and the one I ate had dill on the top.

Eating sushi challenged all of our 'basic' chopstick skills. I need more chopstick lessons.

Thank goodness these came on spoons!

Tofu croquettes $9

Wally hadn't tried tofu before so we ordered crumbed tofu.
Impressive presentation once again! And each croquette ball had a different dressing, I had a green one and it tasted like basil...

They were SO delicious.
Crispy on the outside, soft in the middle. And just enough sauce to flavor it, not overpowering.

Chicken katsu $9

I love chicken katsu.
This one was extra special, as it not only came over a small fire, but had peanut butter between the chicken and the crumb coating.

Tapas mix $22

Yes it came with a house.
Made me wonder how many houses they had.

Vegetable tempura $13

I love vegetable tempura, and I have to say these were the best I've had. So much flavor and so crispy.
I asked Wally to try the small pink ball that looked like it had caviar on it, and she said it tasted like nothing...?
Lauren and I tried it as well... it was just a mushroom in pink batter.

Chicken teriyaki $13

Presentation again- wow. And they were delicious

Then the waitress came to our table and asked if we were celebrating a special occassion. How did she know it was my birthday that week? They announced it to the whole restaurant and Wally laughed :)

Industry Zen; a really unique euro/Jap restaurant. Food presentation was amazing, made me go 'Wow' every time they set down a plate.
Ambience was nice; not noisy or cramped and Wally enjoyed the mood lighting (ie. it was dim)
I thought it was interesting how they replaced our plates every time a new dish came.

Okay, laugh all you like, but I love nice restaurant bathrooms!
Like the bathroom in Ironique (Read my review here) and one time at Shangri La hotel in Jakarta, when we were there for a buffet lunch, I checked out the bathroom and it was sooooo nice! They had huge gilded mirrors (perfect for photos) and marble floors, I would lie down on it.
Maybe.

Anyway, I went into Zen's bathroom the second time especially to take a photo of the beautiful sinks.
They also had a bottle of shampoo, body wash, hand lotion, mouthwash, and a hairdrier. I forgot to check whether they actually had a shower, I was too fascinated by the decor, like the barbie doll still in its package next to the door...

Will I come here again? Yup. It was just pricey, so I'll take my parents with me :P

Next time... I want to order the tofu teriyaki, try the lotus root renkon chips (I just googled them. Wow. Such fascinating shapes!), see what the 'colorful' kara age looks like, and the dishes with the Himalayan rock salt.

Order the... Plum wine.

And to conclude,

CSL dessert night at Ironique: chocolate cake, lemon tart (watching Mr Supermodel Elia's face when he ate the whole scoop of lemon sorbet) and bread and butter pudding! Delicious- but my BATTERY RAN OUT BEFORE I COULD TAKE ANY MORE PHOTOS!! aaaaargh Always. check. batteries.

Signed,
Elisa