Okiru - Leoben

“Okiru” is hidden in the Leoben Cinema Center. Only as soon as you are in the building you can no longer overlook it. (At least you smell it.) During its openin... read more “Okiru” is hidden in the Leoben Cinema Center. Only as soon as you are in the building you can no longer overlook it. (At least you smell it.) During its opening hours it is not separated from the entrance hall of the cinema center at all, which of course dents the atmosphere of this restaurant considerably. The kitchen area is not set apart from the dining area either. But I consider the latter rather as a positive feature. This renders “Okiru” more lively and makes it possible to see how the hot dishes are prepared.Most customers strive to get seated at the running sushi line and order this “all you can eat option”, which is almost a bargain at lunchtime if you take full advantage of it (but markedly more expensive in the evening). The tables without access to running sushi are far less coveted. However, in my opinion “Okiru” has more to offer than only running sushi. My recommendation is the butterfish misoyaki bento. Like the other bento boxes this comprises in addition to the main course also a soup, a few pieces of sushi and maki, a salad and a dessert. The extremely tender butterfish was absolutely delicious. On top of that, at lunchtime the bento boxes offer excellent value for money. On the other hand, a dish called “Fish Itame”, though quite tasty, was much too oily to be judged so favorably as well.Service was alright, although one may need to wait a little while for a waiter when the place is really crowded. As far as its look and feel is concerned “Okiru” is a typical “shopping center restaurant”. But the food served there may be a positive surprise if one makes the right choice.