sono japanese restaurant

i'm not entirely sure if it's fair to be writing a review based on a function dinner. i've been to sono previously for a la carte before (also for a birthday dinner) and perhaps because it was too long ago or other factors that may have affected my experience it never left a great impression so i've never been tempted to go back on my own accord.

last saturday however, a friend had organised a birthday dinner there and i might say this has been one of my best dining experiences this year. 

the atmosphere at sono cannot be faulted. i always love sitting in their faux tatami rooms. maybe it's a bit kitsch but who cares, get into the spirit. service was impeccable, again i can't be certain that wasn't due to the event but our designated waitress was attentive, informative and very tolerant. 

food. was amazing. we had their tasting course and that was truly such a good showcase of their menu. i never think you can go too wrong with sashimi as long as it's fresh. so i never judge a japanese restaurant based solely on that. but the sashimi at sono blew me away. some stand out items from their tastingmenuin my opinion was: oyster with lime sauce, snapper carpaccio, crab croquette, salmon belly. the duck main was also very well done.

the worst japanese restaurant in brisbane. lack of organize. i ordered my entree and main at the same time, but the entree arrived when i already started my main. doesn’t matter if other food, but having sukiyaki as a main and grilled king prawn with avocado (entree) come half way... taste weird!!
worst thing was the grilled king prawn come out cold, so guess have been ready for a while in the kitchen but didn’t serve!! (have enough staff for sure)
last was, 4 of us ordered green tea, they give us a small tea pot to share, so it wouldn’t even fill 4 cup, so i requested a bigger pot. the waiter come back and give me 2 pot, when i check the bill, they charge double... 2 x tea pot $16! so double tea charged for each person. first i only requested larger pot, second this was not explained to me, they say is noted in the drive menu, but when i request tea, they already took the drinkmenuaway!!!! last, last time i come they got large pot for 6 of us.... is this a new way to earn more money?!?!
would not recommend to anyone!

sono is one of the highest rated restaurants in brisbane and the best japanese restaurant i’ve been to. this fantastic restaurant has been a place i’ve wanted to visit for a long time and with their beautiful atmosphere, friendly and efficient service and the quality of food it’s no surprise how that they’re so highly rated over with over 1000 reviewers.

i booked through zomato with an instant reservation two days before i came and was seated immediately upon arrival. our waitress was lovely and perfect with her service as well as the other staff that brought our food. we ordered the lai chi cocktail and a glass of prosecco. the cocktail was fantastic coming in a jug to pour into an adorable small glass and i loved the flavour of the prosecco.

our entrees were so flavourful and the tofu was perfect in crispness with the sauce as well. for the main i had the braised beef which was cooked deliciously so it fell apart and had a side of rice as well and we also ordered the special which was an australian wagyu that came with three dipping sauces. then for dessert we ordered the special chocolate and caramel mousse and the dessert platter. they also presented it with a sparkler and writing on the place with our waitress being so sweet to sing happy birthday to me as well.

after all our food it still only totalled to around $200 so not only was it a great experience with delicious food it was also very fair in pricing at around $100 a perfect for three courses and a drink. i cannot wait to attend sono again for another special event or just because there is so many other items on themenui’m interested in trying.

first time to this restaurant, i decided to go with their sono coursemenu$95 and a glass of mocktail - autumn in kyoto $12

the mocktail was very refreshing but the portion was way too small. however, i did like the way they put the ice block and they actually made their own ice.

the foods were very fresh, nicely presented and well cooked. the only critic i have is the kobe beef, it was slightly over cooked ( i ordered medium rare but it was more towards medium) and it was not fatty enough.

very attentive service.

nice environment but the tables are a bit too close together and the lighting is a bit too bright.

will come back :)

have been here a few times and have had really good experiences. service is exceptional, location and ambiance is beautiful (suggest getting booth over looking the river). a little on the expensive side but worth it in my opinion.menuis very extensive. the miso eggplant and tempura vegetables as well as sashimi are definitely my favourites. absolutely recommend

great food and excellent service. themenuis well structured and has some mind blowing dishes - black cod was overwhelmingly well cocked. expected a better location, but what you eat counts for 90% of the experience.

i feel like sono is one of those place that is a standard "must-have-gone-at-least-once" places if 1. you have lived in brisbane for a long time and 2. you have somewhat of an affinity for japanese food. 

i've been here three times. the first time i was itching to eat something and everything on themenulooked so appealing. i ended up getting one of the bento box set lunches which you can never go wrong with. it is absolutely filling and you get quite a bit with it. my mistake was ordering an unnecessary side of sweet potato chips (which were great) but probably was a bit too much to eat.

the second time i went during the evening for the degustation/tasting plate. let me tell you know that you will need an appetite for this because it is about 5-6 courses. i could barely get past the 5th course which was the main course which i felt was a waste. i also barely touched dessert because i was so full. the food was amazing nevertheless, and the soft shell crab entree is to absolutely die for. i think it is the best soft shell crab i have ever had. the crab claw just melts in your mouth. i think i would come back here just for the crab claw itself to be honest. to me, i felt the entrees really outshone the main course. 

the third time i came here i had another bento box and we were seated in the area where you had to stand up and then sit down in the booths. it was novel but also inconvenient as well when it came to have to move to go to the bathroom or go get something.

if you are coming here, i would recommend the sashimi or the bento boxes. the tasting plate course was good but not standout amazing and you really have to be hungry for this one or it won't be worth your while.

if you are making a booking, i would recommend getting it near the window area for the view. sometimes you do get cruise ships docked there and it does block it but i like watching people go by as they depart or return from their cruises.

scraping through the door just 'in the nick of time' at 8.45 before a 9 'last orders', after a weekend in 'straddie' and a busy sunday night, this crowded house was under pressure to deliver. under dressed as some of us were - shorts, thongs etc - it wasn't a drama, which was helpful.

we were warned it was busy, but after removing our sandals (feet washing not included) and nearly breaking our backs to get into the chairs beside the low sunk table, the service was pleasant and thorough.

a clever attempt was made by the lady to up-sell sparkling or still water, but old clever clogs here went with 'no thank you, tap water's fine.' it's more fun with the bubbles (sparkling, champagne, jacuzzi's) but it all comes at a price, unfortunately...

read this; for this is the bit - (probably the only bit many readers will be interested in) the chefs special of braised beef in rice wine vinegar - rocked. not ruled, but seriously up there. beautifully soft, tender, six hour marinated beef with a rich sauce balanced by cream and accompanied with vegetables. so much beef, and for $18 decent value!

downside; a little more cream wouldn't have gone astray and i forgot to order rice; this is where an up sell would have worked wonders, but wally here knew they were busy and can only blame himself for that. you won't find it on themenuas it was a special, so apologies if the ingredients details were found wanting.

the service here is not "fine dining" professional, if that's what you're looking for, but they are quite attentive and always help where they can. themenuis large and covers traditional and modern options for japanese food. i have been here at least a dozen times and the food and service are always consistent and good. i would recommend this place and this is my preferred choice compared to their cbd restaurant.

i had always heard good things about sono and being somebody who enjoys all asian cuisines immensely was lucky enough to be taken to the ascot restaurant for my birthday. the decor was pleasant and we were able to get a table by the window which offered a brilliant view of the brisbane river. themenuwas extensive and i wished i could order about 6 dishes. due to my desire to try everything we decided to go with the set menu. all of the 6 courses were exceptionally well presented, fresh and delicious. our particular favourites were the crab croquettes and scampi spring rolls. the beverage selection was well matched to the meals. i had never thought much about japanese desserts and did not know what to expect. i had to take a photo of the dessert when it arrived as it looked brilliant and was not at all what i was expecting. an absolutely delightful experience with great food, great service and a completely justified total bill. will most certainly be going back to try more of the dishes as we saw about 5 other dishes delivered to other diners that i must try.

i love sono. it is one of my favourite restaurants in brisbane. the food is always good,consistent and delicious.

order off the menu, tastingmenuis okay but just explore and build your own to really experience what is good. sono does eel very well, a must order in some variety when you do visit.

it is family friendly, and quality. book ahead and request the type of seating you like. they are accomodating.

sono has been around for a long time because it continues to earn its reputation by delivering consistent mostly traditional japanese fare.

well above average, a must visit for brisbane locals.

well worth visiting.. have been to sono several times and the service has always been excellent and the food very good. tried the tastingmenuon a recent visit and it was fab, well worth the price. having the cinema just next door is an added bonus, if you need a few hours to soak up the alcohol (6 course tastingmenu= 6 glasses of wine) before driving!

best japanese in town. the best japanese food i've eaten.menuis huge! you'd never get tired of it. service is always so polite. a great place!

the simple things tricks them. for the price that they are charging, you would expect perfection.
unfortunately, the small things tricks them up.

e.g. the miso soup was way too salty. why? because i decide to have a late lunch and by 1.30 pm, the miso soup would have been reducing for a few hours. i've got a very concentrated version. they should have noticed.

another example, i've ordered the duck teriyaki orange as the main. i found out that it is "normal" that the duck is cook medium rare when i got my bill at the counter. themenudidn't say, the waitress who took my order didn't mention a single word. you must wonder why i didn't ask. by then i was too hungry to wait for them to re-do the order, so i remain silent. but in my opinion, if you can taste a slight blood taste, it's too pink. my disappointment is the lack of communication, not whether the duck should be medium or medium rare.
it might sound like we are picking bones out of eggs but we expect very high standard from sono and i hope they don't disappoint when i next visit.

the service was great, albeit a bit slow but we did go around dinner time. james and i looked at themenuand to be honest, we didn't even know where the hell to begin!

everything on themenulooks so delicious.. if only i could afford to order it all, i would! t_t

le mon petit ami and i debated, over a bottle of red, as to what to have. we took so long that the poor wait staff seemed to stop waiting on us after we kept saying "give us another five". he wanted the hotpot and i wanted variety. as per usual, i won that round - we settled on the tasting course.