Noodle & Donburi

Pretty good food. But shocking service. Slow. Forgetful. Lovely friendly staff, but incompetent in doing orders. Twice in two visits.

Noodle & Donburi used to be called something else and was a specialist ramen house. It was very handy for us to grab a quick bite before we headed over to see a show at QPAC. It changed hands and fit out and has been resurrected serving Donburi (meaning ‘rice bowl’ in Japanese).
Ordering is done from a pick and point illustrated menu at the front counter as you walk in. There are rice bowls as well as a couple of more expensive Bento options. The restaurant is enormous with plenty of small tables as well as two very large share tables. Each time I’ve visited, the place has only been half full so getting a seat or your meal shouldn’t be a problem.
Meals are delivered rapidly to the table and on the most recent occasion we enjoyed Karage Chicken and Shoyu Ramen. Karage Chicken (fried chicken pieces) wasn’t my first choice. Not because I don’t enjoy it but because it seems a bit pedestrian but Anthony was keen so I ordered it to keep the peace. Another large serve, with plenty of rice as well as a small salad garnished with a pert dressing. The entire dish was drizzled in Kewpie mayonnaise. I like Kewpie mayo but always think it’s odd to find on Japanese food as its not at all traditional, though of course nowadays it’s part of the staple diet. Nothing amazing to write home about with this dish but certainly reasonable for around $ 11.
There’s a lot of competition over good ramen in the CBD. Some are miso based, some made from pork or beef bones but the shoyu is soy based. It was rich and savoury with plenty of slippery noodles, slices of rare beef, half an egg, wakame and fresh spring onions. Very moreish and neither of us wanted to swap meals. I was more than satisfied with Donburi and would be happy to swing past on my way over to Southbank in future.
Pro: Plenty of seating and a fairly decent ramen at the top end of town.
Con: A souless interior. They charge a high service fee for debit/​credit card so bring cash.
Overall: There seems to be lots of complaints about the service in this place but on the four occasions I’ve been, I’ve had no problems. People have also complained about ‘non authentic’ Japanese food. Again, this is not a high class restaurant but a place to have a quick meal. I couldn’t have been happier and will return.

In the south side business district of Brissie and needing some lunch, You can do worse than this I am sure. It is Japanese Cuisine so you get the usual Sushi Rolls, a choice of noodle and rice (Donburi) and a selection of other Japanese treats.
For me, I partook of the Tepan-​Yaki chicken steak, tender chicken in a tasty sauce, served with rice (of course) as well as some wafu salad and vegetables. All in all a nice place to eat in the city

For those in the city near the backpackers end of town wanting a quick dinner fix that dosen’t include kfc or macca’s, this isn’t a bad option. The layout is very spacious and has a ‘industrial’ feel but that shouldn’t detract from some truly lovely food. The menu is pretty basic but that’s not a bad thing. They have the usual favourties including teriyaki chicken, curry and noodles. The meals are reasonably priced around $ 10 and the serving sizes are decent as well.

This place was pretty average. Tried the shoyu ramen and katsu curry on two different occasions and both flavors were fairly decent and not overpowering. The shoyu ramen was a bit watery for my taste but it wasn’t overly salty. The katsu curry was sweet and creamy though the chicken was a bit on the dry side. Service was good and there were short wait times even during the afternoon rush hour.
The seating arrangement is pretty simple to maneuver. There are a couple long communal tables and several 4-​seaters scattered throughout. You order at the counter and the girls give you a number that represents your order (s).
Overall nothing particularly special about this place but it’s all right for a quick and relatively cheap Japanese meal in the CBD.

Very simple and clean, industrial modern look and not like a traditional Japanese restaurant. It can give the place a cold look, especially because of its spaciousness, but it shouldn’t deter you from eating here. It’s essentially a low-​end take-​out/​eat in Japanese place with a simple menu, reasonable prices, and a friendly staff. The udon noodles had a nice texture (bouncy), and I was told the ramen texture wasn’t too shabby either. It’s not the most authentic place in the world, but the location is convenient for those who work in the city, and the food isn’t too bad.