Sake Restaurant & Bar, The Rocks

Sake Restaurant & Bar, a modern Japanese restaurant, is lauded by many for its fusion style and trendy atmosphere - not to mention its impressive collection of premium sakes (but I'll leave the analysis of the sake list to the alcohol connoisseurs). My own experience, however, has left me wondering what all the fuss is about.

I came to Sake a bit earlier than my booking for drinks in the bar/ foyer area. Waitstaff was friendly, but when when it was time for us to be seated, we had to follow up on it ourselves. No big deal. We were led into the restaurant and were greeted with a loud chorus of "irasshaimase!"

Dimmed lighting and a multitude of wooden furniture were the usual ingredients for a charming setting, but this romance was quickly negated by the relatively high noise level. We were only a group of 4, yet we had to lean forward to listen to each other.

Such sleekness.

Food

We all had cocktails. The ladies went for the pink blossom, a fruity mixture of choya umeshu (Japanese plum liqueur), passionfruit, chopped strawberries, and cranberry juice. Pretty delish, though the alcohol content was pretty low.

Pink blossom ($18.50)

The Boy tried something more manly - the hattori hanzo. Named after a famous samurai/ ninja, this was a concoction of gin, yuzu sake, jalapeno and salt. I found it to be strangely addictive, but the Boy preferred the pink blossom.

Hattori Hanzo ($18.00)

We were told that the menu is for sharing, so we initially had our hearts set on 5 dishes - 1 entree and 4 mains. I was tempted to order rice for everyone, but decided against it because of the sushi rolls. The waitress advised that we order an additional entree. It still wasn't enough food, which proved my initial gut feeling right in thinking that bowls of rice would have been appropriate.

Dishes are served in batches. The starters come first, followed by the dishes classified as mains on the menu, and then sushi rolls (which are normally the size of a main at similar restaurants). I'm not a fan of this system, because it means that if you come across a sauce you want to save for another dish, it'll either become cold before the other dish arrives, or the waiter will swoop it up before you manage to get a word in.

Steamed wagyu dumplings were the first to arrive, along with the accompanying sour dipping sauce. The menu said it was to be spicy as well, but it was pretty mild. The wagyu filling was simple and would have been too beefy if the ginger hadn't been included. Shell, with her German/ Polish descent, was reminded of her roots and mentioned that they taste like Polish dumplings, or pierogi.

Steamed wagyu dumplings ($19.00)

   
The tonkatsu cups were 4 crunchy medallions of panko-crumbed pork belly, each about the size of a 50 cent coin. The waitress suggested we pick them up in their lettuce cups and eat them in one bite. Loved the crunchiness, but you can't really tell that it's pork belly (it felt like there was more breadcrumb than meat), and there was way too little food for an $18 sharing plate.

Tonkatsu cups ($18.00)

The first main arrived - miso-cream scallops. All 6 scallops were cooked well, tasted great as expected with mushrooms and the cream sauce, but no way is this a main. There are instances where I'd rather trade in "art" for a decent meal, and that was such a time.

Miso-cream scallops ($32.00)

The scampi tempura is more reasonably portioned. There's a lightness when you bite into the batter, and the sweet ponzu sauce is highly enjoyable, contrasting nicely with the bitter sharpness of those little red seeds sprinkled on top - does anyone know what they are? They certainly aren't jalapeno peppers.

Scampi tempura ($36.00)

Alaskan king crab maki was a let down for me. You can barely feel the meat, let alone taste anything - overpowered by the rice. The roll was a decent length, but the diameter/ height was actually quite little - around 4cm. At least it was a stomach filler. With all of Shaun Presland's qualifications, I don't think this roll represented him very well :/

Alaskan king crab maki ($20.00)

The spider maki was a lot tastier - the soft shell crab was crunchy and juicy. I had a more satisfying spider roll the other week at Tatsuya in Artarmon though...

Spider maki ($19.00)

We were about 3/4 full and lined up another couple of mains, which I reckon were actually priced reasonably and what we should have ordered in the first place.

Popcorn shrimp was good - moist, crunchy, tasty. Lots of prawn. The menu says it's spicy but it lies.

Popcorn shrimp ($29.00)

Buta no kakuni - 12 hour braised pork belly with a 64 degree hen's egg that releases liquid gold. Generous amount of radish. Radish was a bit too crisp for my liking- I prefer mine boiled through until soft. A good winter warmer.

Buta no kakuni ($30.00)

We were really really full by then and so we vacated our seats. When I made my online reservation, there was a message warning me that each seating is limited to a maximum of 2 hours. I thought, "Fair enough", and we left with half an hour to spare. Seeing the impressive queue at the entrance for those without a booking, I can now see why they need them.

Conclusion

Granted, nothing particularly adverse happened that night. We weren't on the receiving end of isolated incidents of rude service, nor was anything inedible. Quite simply, it didn't feel like value for money (even taking into account the fine dining premium ). On a per head basis, the damage wasn't so bad ($75pp, including cocktails and 3 bottles of $9 water). The pricing of each individual dish is what draws most of my ire, particularly given the miserly portions and disappointing sushi rolls.

Kobe Jones, Darling Harbour

 Quite a few months ago, I bought a $135 Groupon voucher for Kobe Jones' 13-course "Winter Romance" set menu for 2 with sake. It wasn't until recently that I remembered that it needed redeeming, so the Boy and I made a booking to go on a Sunday.

I didn't read any reviews until after I made the booking (I'd only heard of Kobe Jones through friends and family), so it was to my dismay that there were so many negative reviews, albeit prettyyyy contradictory.

The list of negative attributes that I gleaned from my 'research' is as follows:

• Too much mayonnaise
• Too much food
• Too little food
• Pacing is too fast
• Food comes out too slowly
• Service is bad, but food is good
• Food is bad, but service is attentive
• Loud doof-doof music
• Waitstaff don't deliver the usual spiel when setting down the plates

Needless to say, I was thoroughly perplexed (and worried at the thought that what we were hoping would be a nice evening out could possibly leave us both hungry!). Thankfully, the only gripe was that our waitress never explained what we were going to eat - each time she just placed the dishes on the table, muttered the name, and walked off.

When we arrived, we were taken to our table, which looked onto the harbour. It got a little chilly at night, so I was glad I brought a jacket with me.

Nice views

The sake was delivered warm in a small sake flask with a couple of cute matching cups. We weren't told what kind of sake it was, so we just shrugged and poured it out. It was pretty low in alcohol content so we ordered a couple of cocktails as well.

Sake

First to come was the Number One Special - avocado, (fake) crab meat and their creamy 'special sauce'. I like crab stick, fake or otherwise, and it wasn't drowning in mayo like I feared, so it was a nice start.

Number one special (for 2)

More alcohol came! Was in need of a pick me up, so got the espresso martini, which had a nice strong coffee flavour/ aroma.

Espresso martini ($18.00)

Harlem Shake ($18.00)

A tasting plate (per person) of 5 items arrived:

1. Never had a spider roll in my life. Soft shell crab was a little tough... 
2. Had no idea what poke is, either, but apparently it's just a Hawaiian salad. Loved the juiciness and fresh flavours.
3. Lollipop sushi: Raw fish on a stick with cucumber wrapped around it
4. Wagyu tataki: Thinly sliced raw beef, dry
5. Spicy ebi nigri: Don't remember it being spicy...

Sorry about the beef and ebi nigri photos! I was getting pretty hungry...

Spider roll

Salmon poke

Lollipop sushi

Wagyu tataki

Spicy ebi nigri

Surprisingly, the salmon tataki was one of my favourites that night. Possibly because the lemon juice brought out the sweetness of the salmon, partially because salmon roe is so fun to eat!

Jalapeno salmon tataki (for 2)

Panko-crumbed calamari. It tasted like it sounded. Not bad for a filler.

Pacific calamari fritto (for 2)

The volcano roll was like a more substantial version of the number one special. By this time, we were both becoming pretty full.

Volcano roll (for 2)

The tobanyaki was definitely meant to be a stomach filler - rice with crunchy fish flakes, seafood and mushrooms. It made for good comfort food. We managed to finish most of it.

 

Spicy seafood tobanyaki (for 2)

The Alaskan crab legs were about a forearm long each. There was surprisingly a fair bit of meat. Any fishy smell was killed off with the lime.

Alaskan crab (for 2)

Loved the novelty of the lobster hot rock - the only problem was that not all of the meat was cooked at the end (part of it a little cold).

Lobster hot rock (for 2)

Decided on the flaming anko - red bean and green tea brulee. Nice presentation when it arrived on fire. The taste? Well... the red bean was quite overpowering and there wasn't much crunch. It was around 9pm that fireworks began - quite unexpectedly, considering fireworks are usually only set off on Saturdays?

Flaming anko

 

















Was it worth $326 for 2? I don't think so, but $135 was a pretty good deal.

Origin Dining, Willoughby

We paid a visit to Origin Dining a few weeks ago because I was tugging at the bit for a change of scenery. I'd figured that parking in Willoughby would be simple enough due to the substantial size of its residential district, but it was actually pretty difficult to find a spot. Nevertheless, we managed to find a place and made our way down to the restaurant.

Upon arrival, I was struck by how little floor space they had - if you imagine a rectangular prism and dissect it length-wise, one half consisted of an open kitchen, while the other half was made up of 5 or 6 tables that sat 4 people each. This also meant that throughout our whole visit, the smells wafting from the stove were very tantalising.

Origin seems like a good place for groups - every dish is accompanied by an option to go a size larger in order to share it with your dinner partner.

We decided to share the entree - a salad of chickpeas, quinoa, capsicum, feta cheese, coriander and pine nuts. I was expecting the quinoa to be sprinkled around the dish like cous cous or rice, but it was formed into starchy cubes.  It took some getting used to, and the dressing was a bit sour, but the creaminess of the feta helped to balance everything out. It really grew on me - though it was a bit of a pity that there wasn't more dressing, as the overall dish was dry.

Quinoa salad ($14.00)

We waited for about an hour after our entrees were collected for the mains to arrive, during which I became well-acquainted with their "Life is Short, Eat Dessert First" sign.
 
The scotch fillet came with bordelaise sauce, watercress, caramelised onions and a bowl of fries. It was average - not unpleasant to eat, but not particularly memorable.

Scotch fillet ($28.00)

My dish was lamb rib eye with chickpeas, borlotti beans, and olives. Tasting slightly curried, as well as being moist and tender, I have to say that this was more flavoursome than the beef and my favourite for the night.

Lamb ($24.00)

In summary, Origin Dining is a slightly pricey neighbourhood restaurant that's worth checking out - just don't plan to visit when you're in a rush or if you know you'll be experiencing hunger pangs at 9pm!

Waqu, Crows Nest

Waqu was offering a 6 course early-bird special on Friday nights (at the time it was $58 per person, but it's been lowered to $55 since then), so I dragged one of my Japanese-food-loving friends with me. Situated in Crows Nest, parking was a little tricky to locate, particularly close to the Pacific Highway. Nevertheless, we managed to park on Holtermann St and strolled off to Waqu.

I loved the sleepy, intimate atmosphere of Waqu - the lighting was a bit dim for my liking, but my friend was facing the wall lights, which were apparently more than bright enough.

After ordering, we were provided with a biteful of crispy cornbread and cream.

Amuse bouche

In addition to the 6-course menu, I had a cocktail (there were Friday specials so I just could not resist) dubbed "Yuzu Citrus". It consisted of yuzu liqueur, jelly, sparkling wine and lime juice. The jelly evoked the same texture possessed by those aloe vera drinks that you can get from Asian supermarkets. The citrus was quite useful to clear my palate throughout the meal, and as with all good cocktails, there was just enough bitterness from the alcohol to make it extra enjoyable.

Yuzu Citrus ($9.00)

1st course: Pumpkin soup with kaffir lime and (if I recall correctly) some sort of nutty foam, which was purely aesthetic. Normally I turn my nose up at pumpkin soup because it's... well... pumpkin soup. However, the kaffir lime provided an interesting twist that nullified any of my negative thoughts.

Japanese pumpkin soup

2nd course: Scallop confit, sake cooked mussel, dill cream sauce and ponzu daikon. I tend to rate scallop highly on any plate, and this was no exception. The fact of the mussel being cooked in sake made no difference to the taste. I thought it was interesting that they added okra - my mum includes it in one of her fish curries, but I've never had it in a restaurant before, so it was nice to see an underrated vegetable on a plate.

Scallop and mussel

3rd course: Chicken galantine with mochi rice okowa, miso essence, shimeji, soba seeds, rice and peanut tulles. The waiter explained that even though galantine sounds French, this particular dish is actually traditionally Japanese. Not sure whether that's true, but it tasted alright. It wasn't particularly memorable, but it wasn't bad either - the chicken was moist and the peanut tulles were a novelty.

Chicken galantine

4th course: Pan fried barramundi - I was given the choice between this and salmon, but the barramundi just sounded better. It came with onion puree, pinot noir syrup, roasted leek and macadamia sprinkled over the top. It made my mouthwater - loved the crunch of the barramundi skin and the soft texture of the fish. I wasn't the biggest fan of the way they did the leek, but overall not bad.

For our 5th course, we were given a choice between duck, lamb and steak. I chose the lamb, my friend ordered the duck, and then we did a swap.

5th course (a): Roasted duck with dark cherry sauce, beetroot puree and coffee chocolate crumble.
The duck was moist and flavoursome - I preferred this dish, but according to my friend, the lamb was just as good (except with muted flavours). I love beetroot, so the beetroot chips were an excellent addition.

Roasted duck

5th course (b): Cabernet marinated lamb with fig balsamic vinegar puree, chestnuts, fig fritter, spiced bread crumbs.

Tender lamb, consistent theme of figs. The only issue I had was that this lacked sauce, which made it a bit dry.

Cabernet marinated lamb

6th course: Lychee lime mousse & pear compote with blood peach sorbet, lemongrass jelly, rosehip sauce.

Light dessert, rosehip sauce was nicely sour, interesting combinations (you can tell I've run out of writing steam).

Lychee lime mousse & pear compote

The food was served one after the other at a pretty fast rate (though that may have been because we were early bird diners and were expected to return the table at 8pm), but you aren't made to feel like they're rushing you. The waitstaff is charming, attentive and even amusing when explaining each dish. Having had a pretty disappointing lunch elsewhere that day, my experience at Waqu restored my spirits once more :)

Universal, Darlinghurst

It is a truth universally acknowledged that Universal restaurant, which has graced Sydney with flavours from all over the globe (and, of course, its fancy twist on the Golden Gaytime), will no longer exist as at the end of April. It is thus why I responded enthusiastically in the affirmative when a friend invited me along on a last minute weeknight venture there.

 Located in a little open square that I didn't know existed, Universal visually stands out from the other restaurants with that distinct orange glow. The random brass statue right next to it is also a great conversation filler. Gravitating towards the light, we claimed our table and perused the menu. Our waiter explained that unlike other restaurants, Universal does not do degustations, but that people order a number of dishes a la carte. The list of savouries are arranged such that the lightest dishes are at the top and the heaviest are at the bottom - with a separate one for the vegetarians.

The recommended number of dishes per person is 3 savouries and 1 dessert, but being a small eater, I stuck to 2 savouries and a dessert. Wise choice in the end, as I was feeling pretty stuffed after the second savoury.

Universal has a pretty extensive drinks menu, but I settled on a detox virgin (mocktail) they called "Ruby Baby". Containing raspberry sorbet, grapefruit, cranberry and lemonade, it was sweet, tart and useful for clearing my palate throughout the night.

Ruby Baby ($9.00)

Next came the complimentary bread, which looked and tasted like brown rye. The accompanying olive oil had a light, bitter aftertaste.

My first savoury dish was the lamb rump, served with roasted pumpkin, saffron rice and spiced chickpeas, smoked almonds and bits of juicy pomegranate. I loved the flavours of the spices, but the lamb was quite rubbery. It's hard to tell in the photo, but the portions were also really small for the price charged - I know saffron is expensive, but it's not that expensive.

Lamb rump ($31.00)

My second course was roasted snapper immersed in a curry gravy and accompanied by cubed tomatoes, spanner crab (sprinkled on top), mint salsa and spiced coconut. The curry was spicy, slightly creamy, and slightly sour. The spanner had a nice flaky texture, made flavoursome on top of its bed of sliced young coconut.

Snapper ($32.00)

 With my whole table ordering the Gaytime Goes Nuts, I decided to deviate from the norm and ordered the Mocha Bomb. Which led to extreme sugar overload. The mocha bomb was a cube of cakey chocolate mousse, espresso ice cream (sandwiched by more dark chocolate), and 2 or 3 balls of chocolate hidden inside. It was probably better to share this one with someone (with a light dessert to balance out all that cocoa).

Mocha Bomb ($20.00)

Interior of chocolate bomb

I sampled bits and pieces of what the others had (including the Gaytime Goes Nuts, of course). Here's what they consumed:

Rabbit ($29.00)

This dish was slow braised rabbit with chorizo, swiss chard and a gruyere cloud. It was encased inside potato and leek pastry. I refused to eat this one because my brother's "children" are rabbits. If you're like me but want to have the cloud, they do have a vegetarian equivalent.

Risotto balls ($28.00)

 This was one of the vegetarian dishes - 3 sizable risotto balls covered in an avalanche of roasted cashew salad.

Duck ($32.00)

I had someone strongly recommend this duck dish to me, so I couldn't resist and stole some. It was sichuan spiced duck with a giant seared sea scallop, asparagus, lychee and smoked eggplant sambal. My forkful didn't contain any eggplant sambal or scallop  but the duck was crunchy and moistened by the fresh lychee.

 

Venison ($31.00)

This was rare roasted venison with beetroot and horseradish spelt risotto and a goats cheese cigar. I really liked this dish because of the tender but substantial texture of the venison. The risotto was also really tasty. Had a bit of food envy.

Gaytime goes nuts ($25.00)

 The famed tower of gaytime. They really boosted up the price on this one, but considering it won't be around for much longer they could charge $30 for it and heaps of people would still order it. I think what makes it so distinctive is the hazelnut caramel inside and the crunchy tuille skirt. I only had a spoonful and really want to go back and have a whole dish of it, but I was told that after a while it's too sweet and rich. Probably another dessert for sharing.

Little miss sunshine ($20.00)

 The little miss sunshine was a really light dessert, consisting of passionfruit banana and yoghurt sorbet, coconut cloud, papaya, pineapple and passionfruit. It was overall nice and summery, but as much as I love papaya, it was the sore thumb of the dish - too dense and distinctive to match everything else.

Overall, Universal has good flavours and friendly service, but the food is kind of really overpriced.