sushi e
Restaurant Review by Franz Scheurer
A stalwart of the ‘suits’ at lunch and a great post second-date place at night, sushi-e is in the CBD, close to transport and within walking distance of the ivy complex should you feel like a long night. sushi e has been at the forefront of Japanese dining for many years and for a long time, although good, it never really hit its full potential. This has, in my opinion, now changed.
Head chef Nobuyuki Ura and his team perform a perfectly orchestrated silent ballet in the centre of the elevated marble bar, where patrons get the chance to watch the chefs’ superb knife skills and dexterity. Ura has been there for a while and instead of resting on his laurels (he was already very good to start with) he elevated his game to the forefront of the serious sushi bars in Sydney. sushi e probably now represents the best Sydney has to offer in modern Japanese dining, in a surrounding that is both pleasing and interesting and at a price point that is very affordable.
Because the food is so light (and healthy) you can eat a lot of dishes, which is great as you can taste a good cross-section of what is available on the day. Dealing with the freshest seafood available, the menu changes and that’s a good thing.
Start your feast with a few slices of kingfish topped with ginger, chives and sesame seeds and drizzled with garlic oil and ponzu with a touch of white soy. You can literally smell the sea breeze. Follow up with a selection of sashimi and I’d leave the selection up to chef. The quality of the fish is first-rate and the preparation flawless. The tuna tartare is another fabulous starter and you may also be tempted by the spicy scallops, flame seared under chilli and spicy mayo. It’s very moreish! Oysters are shucked to order and the Sydney rock oysters are served either with ponzu or tomato salsa and the Pacific oysters gently steamed with mirin, shallots and peanut oil topped with shallots.
I suggest you order sushi from the nigiri sushi à-la-carte menu and you might want to leave it to the end of the meal. A tip: it’s perfectly acceptable to use your fingers to eat sushi and please don’t soak the rice in soy; hold the sushi upside down and dab the protein into the soy instead. One of Ura’s best dishes is the spicy miso, chilli and scampi soup, a deeply scented broth where the flavours don’t overshadow the scampi. The tempura might include prawns, lotus root and asparagus and is wonderfully crunchy without ever being oily. The spider salad of lightly fried soft shell crab combined with chilli, garlic, mayo and chives, dressed with ponzu is a must and I love the goma ae, Japanese spinach salad with sesame paste. I know people who would kill for a good agadashi tofu and sushi e’s version tops the charts. Try the wagyu beef. You can choose from 9 or 5 score, it’s lightly seared, served with miso+sesame sauce, grated radish, chives and a sautéed Enoki mushroom and it’s sensational. My only criticism would be that I would cut the bottom of the mushroom bundle, as it tastes too earthy for my palate. Should you prefer lamb then it’s served char-grilled, marinated in hatcho miso and accompanied by Asian greens.
A competent wine list should tempt you but I suggest you also look at the gorgeous offerings of Champagne by the glass, Sake flights and maybe slip in a Yebisu beer. Service is simply perfect. Nothing is left to chance and everything is seen and acted upon without ever giving you the feeling that you are too crowded by service staff.
sushi e wins my vote because it’s everything I would ever hope for: great food, superb ambience, fabulous service and a list of beverages that are not only appropriate to the food, but are the stuff I want to drink.
Do I like it: a bit too much I’m afraid
Would I go back: of course
Noise: Lunch: 78 db Dinner: 73 db
Value for money: excellent
Score: 8/10
For more information or bookings:
sushi e
4th floor
252 George Street
Sydney NSW 2000
Tel.: 02 9240 3000