Dishing up Japanese soul food straight out of Osaka, Okazu quietly popped up in Nobby Beach late last year and has very quickly made its mark on locals who can’t get enough of the venue’s amazingly fresh sushi, poke bowls and sides. Okazu’s specialty however is the okonomiyaki, a cabbage-based savoury pancake that is filled with your choice of grilled prawn, teriyaki chicken, vegetables, teriyaki beef or topped with gooey melted cheese. The venue is owned by a few local mates who got together to create a sushi place that offered affordable, restaurant-quality food in a takeaway setting and judging from the steady stream of people coming in and out, they’ve hit the nail on the head. The true heart and soul of the place is Michie or ‘Mama Michie’ as she’s lovingly referred to. Smiling away from behind the grill, Michie possesses an incredible passion for food which translates to every plate or bowl that emerges from the kitchen. In Japan, it’s said that in order to maintain optimum health, you should consume no less than 30 different coloured foods per day (yes, really), so if your daily colour count is on the low side, stick your chopsticks into the poke bowl filled with brown rice, sashimi-grade tuna and salmon, edamame, red cabbage, ginger, crispy shallots, wakame, chilli, soy sauce, cucumber, mayo and two kinds of sesame seeds – it will get you right back on track. The food is prepared using no oil, salt, sugar or butter so it’s as healthy as it is delicious.