The ribs were both a surprise and delight. Photo / Vincent Chik
IN
If you're within a few suburbs of Penrose, they'll deliver for free. If you're picking up, their location by the Ellerslie Panmure motorway interchange makes for widespread easy access. The location, for a place this good, is superbly unlikely, down the back of a dark carpark among office parks and
car yards near the motorway interchange in Penrose.
OUT
The menu is Japanese-dominated with extensive sushi and sashimi choices but also extends across Asia with Mongolian, Chinese, Malaysian, Korean and Thai influences. Packaging was high quality. Sturdy circular containers of corrugated cardboard for each dish allowed the food inside to maintain its structural integrity, while clear plastic lids meant no need for biro-scribbled dish names to identify dishes. Holes had thoughtfully been cut in the lids of both the crab and chicken, allowing them to remain crispy for the drive home.
THE TAKEAWAY
The highlight was the akuma ribs ($15), which came with a punch of cumin and chilli and an accompanying chill from a light apple and cucumber slaw. The ribs were both a surprise and delight, tender beyond expectations, slathered and riddled with flavour. But they were a highlight among highlights, supplemented by our selection of two other flashy, big-flavour dishes: karaage chicken ($12) and soft-shell crab ($15). Key to both the latter platters was the condiments. The crunchy karaage chicken (free-range) came with a sweet, tangy kimchi honey sauce, which escalated it to a new plane of flavour, while the soft crab loved the fresh fire of its accompanying green jalapeno sauce. We offset all this fried goodness with the freshness of the big fish salad ($10): baby cos, red onion, avocado, cherry tomato and roasted sesame dressing. It was flavourful and fun and, like everything else at Big Fish, pretty darn good.
Big Fish Eatery
3/710 Great South Rd,
Penrose
Ph: (09) 525 7811
bigfisheatery.com
$52 for two.
