It’s hard to find anything in Japan that isn’t efficient and calculated. The trains run on time, the people word hard and the toilets do things to you that you never thought possible. Yes, it can said that Japan is a wondrous place and when it comes to food, Japan is world leader in cuisine that makes you say, ‘My God, I can’t believe that’s not cooked’.

So when I was asked to go along to the recent Sake Masterclass in Sydney’s Ocean Room restaurant, featuring a six course degustation designed by Chef Raita Noda, I ready for some quality of the seas. However, when I discovered that each dish would have matching Sake, designed by Premier Sake Master Toshi Maeda, I knew that I was in for something else.

Upon arrival at the quaint harbour side location of Sydney’s famed Ocean Room restaurant, we were treated to an appetiser of fresh Rock Oysters with lemon and sake in elegant bamboo cups.

Under the instruction of our Sake MC, we were told to taste our servings of salmon caviar, smoked cod and white anchovies and notice the differences in taste when drinking white wine or sake. I didn’t expect that I would find the sake fit the meal like a glass slipper. The white wine was abrasive and out of place and highlighted the calculated nature of the sake addition. The roles that both the dish and the sake played, in this case were of equal importance.

Next up, we were treated to glowing Sake Jelly King Crab served sous-vide with cured white turnips with sake and sour plum jelly. Once again, guests were treated to excellently accompanying sake, the gold medal award winning Eikun Ichigin Junmai Daiginjo from Kyoto, a smooth and textured match.

The following course, named ‘East meets West’, was an indulgent selection of Flash sakura smoked ocean trout with houji-tea with ocean trout pearls vinaigrette, lightly poached “arai” Crystal Bay prawn sashimi with green chilli and shiso salsa, fresh cuttle fish and Tasmanian Sea urchin ravioli with coriander infused oil.

This was an incredibly well presented dish featuring sealed test tubes of vinaigrette for the smoked ocean trout that sat encased in glass until the very last moment, a cute wisp of smoke rising once the dish was released.

As a fiend for prawns, I found the Crystal Bay prawn a real treat.

Our next treat arrived and was revealed as the Blue fin tuna sashimi that had been prepared in five unique ways, once again with matching Sake to compliment.

The fives styles were:

1. Seared akami with foie gras, ponzu jelly and momiji radish
2. Seared toro with shiso julienne, sesame and lime juice
3. Zuke akami with dry natto, negi miso and leek julienne
4. Oil blanched toro with fresh wasabi, soy and kombu
5. Marinated chutoro with truffle, caviar and spicy daikon.

I don’t know how you feel about Tuna, but to put it simply, I’m a fan. So when this elegantly displayed tray rolled out with five different selections, I compare the feeling I had to what a puppy must feel every moment of the day. Ecstatic does not say enough, but will have to do.

Picking a favourite is difficult in this situation, but I think I would have to say that the Seared toro with shiso julienne, sesame and lime juice was a stand out. There was no schism between taste and presentation. Both were top drawer and my compliments to the chef.

Soon after, there arrived a true surprise. A frozen sake shot with Umeshu plum wine and yuzu zest as a refresher. This was a welcome arrival as, not only was it a delicious iced treat, but it was also like a reset button for my tastebuds. If vodka has the jelly shooter, then the sake equivalent was defined that night with the frozen sake shot. In fact, I want another one and I want it now!

My last meal of the night was the Sansho pepper roasted aged Angus beef with ginjyo scented jus and flame seared Roquefort cheese. While this was probably the least interesting dish of the evening, though I am comparing it to the life changing seafood delicacies that preceded it, which is tough to beat with any closing dish.

As a man, I will never turn down a steak and the addition of Roquefort cheese was smooth match. What was most intriguing was that this was the first steak I’ve ever eaten with sake. While I would normally never place the two together, I found that once again the sake was perfectly matched and functioned to enhance the flavour of the meat.

It was at this time that I thanked my fellow guests for the enjoyable conversation, donned my suit jacket and set off into the night on my journey home (my head somewhat cloudy thanks to all the sake). It had been quite the evening and I think it’s safe to say that everyone in attendance had a renewed appreciation for that subtle, and often misunderstood drink known as sake.

Domo Arigato.

- Nicolas Mesker

As the weather in Sydney takes a chilly turn, we start to crave warm spaces and comforting food, and what more perfect way to treat yourself than taking advantage of Monkey Magic’s mid-week winter special?

You’ll find the subtle glass door leading upstairs to the converted warehouse space on Crown street, refurbished beautifully into a warm and inviting restaurant, floating with the gentle scent of fresh oriental lilies at the entrance. The cold rainy weather outside instantaneously became a distant memory.

It doesn’t take much to convince myself that Monday night is never too early for a cocktail, as it was only appropriate to start off with an Edo Garden Tea – a mix of jasmine and rose tea, shaken with Hendricks gin (my all time favorite) and cucumber, stirred with dried rose petals. My partner was only too eager to follow my lead with a Komeshi Bon Bon (Kome-shochu with lemon and tangy marmalade).

We ordered the night’s special – deep fried kushiyaki (skewers) of lotus root, haloumi, prawn, shitake mushroom and scallop with a trio of condiments to accompany our drinks, Izakaya style.

The exposed brick and polished wooden surfaces and deep chillout beats brings us back to the lounges in Tribeca with modern Japanese undertones. The Japanese couple nearby confusingly tries to eat the crab leaves, and after much careful discussion, decides that the betal leaves we not edible. It was a small shame that the waitress didn’t explain the wonders of the betal leaf to them.

It was not long after that we felt food envy from the other Japanese couple behind us and decided to order our own plate of Monkey magic style sushi selection. Melt in your mouth sushi, jazzed up with refreshing flavours of yuzu cream, anticucho (a Peruvian marinade), basil sauce and soy glazes, I chose not to use the accompanying soy sauce so I could savour each garnish.

The legacy of the late Ivy Teppanyaki still lives on in Monkey Magic menu, with many dishes still available since the departure of Chef Adam Lane. I trusted our waitress to recommend the new dishes on the menu to try.

The slow cooked pork belly was braised in a rich soy, dolloped with seeded mustard and served with puy lentils and wilted English spinach; the braised beef cheeks – so decadently soft the meat falls apart with with a single touch next to the pan fried (goat’s cheese?) gnocchi resting by the red wine sauce. The yuzu citrus notes from the Monkey magic salad of mizuna, radish and baby beetroot was a perfect compliment to cut the fat. We also couldn’t miss the much loved wok tossed mushrooms with lettuce hearts, where the sweet and sour notes from the citrus miso added that extra pizazz.

I couldn’t end our dinner without the legendary Banana Harumaki, a dessert style spring roll with banana, white chocolate and shiso – another favorite from the Teppanyaki days. Dip the harumaki into the warm raspberry coulis or the melting green tea ice cream to finish things off with a sweet note.

Monkey Magic

The special winter offer runs Monday to Wednesdays during the Sydney winter months and you get an awesome 20% everything on the menu (even the cocktails!).

Shop 3, 406 Crown St
Surry Hills, 2010
Telephone: 02 9358 4444
www.monkeymagic.com.au

Many thanks to George at Wasamedia for comping my meal for this entry.

Sydney seems to be catching up with this new seafood trend, as I noticeably received a lot less “ewww” from fellow Aussies when I talk about uni. Coming from a time when most Australians found the concept of raw fish and dried seaweed revolting, their willingness to try new things have dramatically increased.

”I’ve sold more sea urchin in the past 12 months than I have in the past four years,” says Wayne Hulme from Christie’s Seafood.

Fresh high quality sea urchin flesh is delicate and just firm enough to hold itself together, and just like pudding, it quickly melts in your mouth. Unfortunately, the taste is initially funky and reminiscent of pungent seawater, and that’s when the unadventurous start to gag. However, just like smoking your first cigarette, after a few more puffs, you start to acquire the taste. Sea urchin flesh is delicious: subtle, sweet, creamy, and sea-salty bitter rather than fishy – If an oyster made love to custard.

You can buy fresh washed urchin roe in pre-packaged trays from the fish markets.

Ingredients: (serves 4)

500g dry spaghettini

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, more for drizzling

2 cloves garlic, peeled

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon crushed red chili flakes

1 punnet grape tomatoes, halved, ripe and room temperature

Sea salt & black pepper

1 tray of sea urchin

I packet of Muji urchin cream pasta sauce

Shredded dried nori (also available in most Asian grocery stores) for garnish

1. Bring a medium pot of water to a boil over high heat. Meanwhile, in a skillet large enough to hold pasta later on, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic, reduce heat to low, and tip the skillet to submerge the garlic in olive oil, brown it on all sides so it flavors the oil.

2. Raise heat under skillet to medium, add chili flakes and simmer for around a minute. Add tomatoes, face down, cook until just until wilted and stir gently.

3. When water boils, add a couple of tablespoons of salt and cook pasta according to packet instructions, minus 2 minutes. Stir well and bring back to boil. When pasta is cooked through but still firm, drain, reserving 1 cup cooking water (this water contains starch and is useful later for the sauce)

4. Turn heat under skillet to low. Add pasta sauce (optional: just replace with butter otherwise). Add about 3/4 of the tray of sea urchin to skillet with a sprinkle of salt and a splash of pasta cooking water to your favored consistency. I like it quite thick and creamy. Add pasta to skillet and toss thoroughly but gently over low heat, adding pasta cooking water and more oil to taste if mixture is dry. Don’t forget to season!

Serve hot, decorating each serving with remaining sea urchin and top with dried shredded seaweed.

The sweetness of the grape tomatoes compliments beautifully with the flavor of the urchin roe.

The restaurant had that inviting brand new smell as the aroma from the cedar wood hit me when I walked in. It was lovely to see lots of familiar faces from the Teppanyaki crew. The walls are decorated with barrels of Kozaemon Sake (the Nakashima Saké Brewing Company’s signature label) and handmade in the mountains of Japan’s Gifu prefecture. Shaun is the sole importer of the 300 year old brewery in Australia.

Before I settle myself into various types of Sake I thought I would start with a ‘Skinny Sumo’ (Shochu Tantakatan, lime juice, shiso leaf, vanilla sugar & sparkling wine). The addition of shiso leaf in a cocktail really gives this a fresh edge.

There are numerous nuances from Shaun’s past restaurants floating in the menu, such as the new style sashimi from Nobu, the spicy salmon salad from Teppan, or the perfectly manicured Philadelphia rolls from Sushi-E… all dishes that lacked “the vibe” after Shaun’s departure. I welcome them back with open arms.

Without further ado – let me show you the awesomeness that is Sake Restaurant:

spider maki & other nigiri
fried soft-shell crab, cucumber & mayowith spicy tobiko, chives & ponzu

tartare trio
tuna with wasabi soy, salmon with ponzu & kingfish with ceviche dressing

tuna avocado salad with shiso & bubuarare tossed in mustard soy

grilled scampi
split whole scampi with lemon & green-tea salt & daikon tsuma

butter-soy salmon
grilled, crispy skinned New Zealand salmon with butter soy & lemon

beef tataki
seared tenderloin with garlic chips, chives, radish & tataki sauce

green-apple mille-feuille
green-apple mousse with layers of crispy thin pastry & vanilla-bean sauce

matca bombe alaska
green-tea ice-cream wrapped in sponge & meringue, baked & served with white-chocolate sauce

There’s something for everyone – even a kid’s menu, gluten free options, and a “no raw” menu (for all of the unadventurous ones out there), and a great functions menu offering. Ask Rupert about their upcoming sake tasting events!

Saké Restaurant & Bar contemporary japanese cuisine

12 Argyle Street The Rocks Sydney NSW 2000

Tel +61(2) 9259 5656 Fax +61(2) 9241 1613

www.sakerestaurant.com.au

Hidden away near the Kings Cross Coke sign on Kirketon Road, underneath the old (and now closed) Bucha restaurant is a small, family owned Japanese restaurant. Chef Mitsuhiro Yashio and his wife (Rumi?) create a neighbourly environment for Darlinghurst locals to get their Japanese fix.

The decor is very basic and simple, and the restaurant seats around 30 people max. People were continuously dropping in after the restaurant was full, so it’s a good idea to get there a little early.

I ordered some shiso shochu (on the rocks) for a calming post-work fix, while my eyes perused the menu. There were a few specials written on the board – the minced tuna belly roll caught my eye. Toro would have to be my weakness – a fatty piece of tuna belly that melts in the mouth, melts all my troubles away.

The tuna was very fresh, and it was served with finely chopped chives. The portions were rather large which made it very good value.

The chef’s selection of sushi was also quite good – it was a combination of raw sashimi and lightly grilled sashimi – although the cut of the wagyu beef was very chewy which made it difficult to eat raw.

The wagyu beef tatki with avocado and ponzu jelly had delightful flavours – it was unfortunate that the same cut of beef was used.

seafood nabe

The seafood nabe was a great novelty. In Japanese culture, a Nabe dish is traditionally a symbol of friendship as it is designed to be shared. It is served in a Washi paper “pot” atop an open flame. Washi paper is extremely resilient against heat and moisture, which makes it durable enough to withstand soup stewing inside. Fresh raw seafood is submerged in a rich dashi broth and slowly cooked at the table.

wagyu katsu with brie

What was truly sinful and irresistible on the menu was the Wagyu beef katsu with a melted brie cheese centre. It tastes even better than it looks, as the beef is coated in panko crumbs and deep fried to remain pink, the melted brie oozes out with every bite. Dressed decoratively in Japanese katsu sauce and mayo, it’s a must try!

Beef okonomiyaki

The okonomiyaki was a little different to what I’m normally used to, perhaps to cater for a more Western palette. It lacked shaved bonito and seaweed sprinkles and instead served with chopped shallots and deep fried onions.  

 

Crabmeat avocado salad

The waitress recommended the crabmeat avocado salad – it was served with lotus root chips with a great crunch, and topped with fried julienned shallots. There is a distinct flavour similarity between a few of the dishes.

 For dessert, there is a sweet almond tofu with strawberry compote, which is very similar to the almond tofu you find in yum cha, but minus the sugar syrup.

But the standout for me was the chocolate cake with layers of fried yuba sheets (“tofu skin”). It was like a mille feuille made with yuba and brownies and lightly dusted with icing sugar - the texture and combination of flavours were just perfect.

With the friendly staff and casual family environment, Sushi Yachiyo is my new favorite place for a quiet week night dinner. Their menu is also available for takeaway.

Level 1, Shop 1, 13 Kirketon Rd
Darlinghurst NSW 2010
Phone (02) 9331 8107

Never before have I EVER seen something so breathtaking in my whole life – a pad of dolphins, around 20 or so, frolicking so close to Icebergs yesterday, and swimming amongst the surfers. Being such intelligent animals, they bathed in the glory when they showed off with numerous jumps and backflips.

Did ANYONE get a good shot?? I can’t seem to find any – and I only managed to secretly sneak my cell phone camera out for one shot during work… and there were many people with digital SLR’s and zoom lenses bigger than their unit. Well, here’s my hopeless photo, you can only see one dolphin jumping, but I was not exaggerating when I said there were 20 of them!

Lunch at Otto, Woolloomooloo:

Checked out Emon yesterday:

Highly recommeded, hole in the wall Japanese restaurant in Surry Hills. It’s very traditional and inexpensive, much like eating at a Japanese family home. It’s also BYO!

Vintage Cellars are on sale again! Stock up on your Krug Now!

Krug Brut Grande Cuvee NV 750ml  Each Price $245.00