another friday, another lunch meeting, another restaurant.
this time one of my most regular haunts, toko, where i walk in & default cocktail is instantly whisked up behind the bar, a welcoming wave where i'm greeted by first name & usual table lies dormant waiting for my dear friend john & i to grace it with our candid conversations & feast on food japanese 'izakaya' style. bliss.
there's a hot bed of inflationary discussion topics which range from proprietry limited company shares, to the ongoing rio tinto debacle to middle aged opposite sex marketability, pioneering telecommunications in australia, failing local restaurant trade [another favourite around the corner sadly just shut down but i managed to track down the wonderful maitre'd over lunch -- see you next thursday marie!], plastic surgery politics & me waxing rhetoric about the wonderful invaluable punk monks... quite suddenly we're onto green tea.
sunny of name & disposition runs the surry hills arm of this divine treasure along with dynamic energy-driven otoosan figure kian, always ensure everything is at least 100%. this destination keeps recurring on our high rotation list because they make the best deviation from a bloody mary in town "kim chi mary", have the most incredible sake menu, but in the end my true love is signature dish the miso cod [eating it is like dying & going to soy heaven].
ultimately though what keeps bringing us back is the irreplaceable energy. kian explains his philosphy: that there is no division between customers & hand-picked crew: there's a comfortable familiarity without it getting weird. kinda like cheers but um, more asian. in surry hills.
apparently there's a recession going on but today the place is busy without feeling rushed. by the time i take these photos it's the end of the second run & a few kim chi marys later...
