Gojima opened in mid – December 2016 as Sydney’s first dedicated rice burger joint. We’d seen rice burgers before in Sydney (and overseas), but never before in such a casual dining environment. Here, all the regular innards for a burger have been thoughtfully replaced with complementing special sauce, pickles and patties.
But burgers aren’t the only thing on the menu! Like any good burger joint, there are thickshakes, fried chicken and fries on the menu. There’s even Japanese alcohol for those inclined.
N starts with their Strawberries & Cream Frozen Custard Thickshake ($7.90).
This uses 100% fresh strawberries and milk frozen custard, which is spun fresh instore daily and available as a scoop. The use of fresh strawberries is apparent in the lightness and refreshing flavour, which packs a punch. It’s thick, requiring some suction to come up the straw, but not so thick that it requires excessive effort.
And I go for the Green Tea Frozen Custard Thickshake ($7.90).
This one uses brewed genmaicha and matcha frozen custard with the genmaicha coming through as a nutty undertone, with pleasantly bitter matcha notes that are well balanced by the sweetness. We prefer this one over the matcha frappe at Chanoma Cafe for its nutty flavour and its thicker consistency.
Drinkable desserts aside, we start with Shoestring Fries with Gojima Umami Salt (regular, $3.90).
These have crispy outsides and fluffy innards, with the umami salt adding pops of moreish savoury flavour. I’d read that these were a miss for early diners, but they seem to have worked it out in time for 2017.
Onto the burgers! I’m always ready for some sushi, so I go for the Salmon Miso ($14.90) with Tasmanian salmon, cheese, lettuce, cucumber, radish, pickles, scallions and Gojima miso sauce.
This is a hit, with the fatty salmon and cheese giving a creamy mouthfeel, while the variety of vegetables bring pops of contrasting freshness and crunch as in a salmon and cucumber sushi roll. The rice ‘bun’ is crispy and bites through cleanly as in a normal burger. The miso sauce was strong, although it didn’t mask the flavours. Although the miso sauce could have been less salty, this was an enjoyable burger.
This is the Kingfish Sweet Mustard ($14.90) with ‘hiramasa kingfish, cheese, lettuce, cucumber, pickled radish, scallions & Gojima sweet mustard sauce’. The kingfish gave a firmer bite than the salmon, without being ‘meaty’ like tuna. More accustomed to raw fish with wasabi and soy sauce, the sweet mustard may take some getting used to.
T tries the Gojima Cheeseburger ($12.90) with Angus beef, cheese, tomato, pickles, onions, lettuce and special sauce. He enjoyed the crispy rice ‘bun’ and the balance of flavours within.
N goes for the Gojima Hamburger ($11.90) with Angus beef, tomato, pickles, onions, lettuce and special sauce. She enjoyed her flavours of her burger, but would’ve preferred a beef patty that was less crumbly and more structured like those at the Burger Project.
And we finish with some Japanese-style Southern Fried Chicken (regular, 4 pieces, $14.90) with spicy aioli ($1.90). This is like super juicy karaage that’s kept it’s bones and jazzed up with a moreish seasoning of herbs and spices. There’s a very subtle heat, with no pronounced hotness or spiciness.
The food at Gojima is a hit and the lunch time crowds prove it. Rice burgers may not be new to Sydney, but Gojima is certainly making them more accessible.
Gojima is at Café Court, The Star, 80 Pyrmont Road, Pyrmont NSW 2009.