Sake Restaurant & Bar - The Rocks

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To say Sydney's restaurant scene has seen an explosion in the number of Japanese restaurants over the last ten years is probably something of an understatement. Whether it be food court sushi takeaways, small Japanese cafes or fine dining restaurants, this city's love affair with cuisine from the land of the rising sun seemingly knows no bounds.

And so it was that my partner and I set off to try out one of the city's premier Japanese food destinations – Sake Restaurant in The Rocks . Headed up by sushi supremo Shaun Presland (who many of you will know from his regular appearances on Masterchef ), the restaurant is tucked away on st the rocks&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hq=&hnear=0x6b12ae433c8ae89b:0x11872d7ba167403b,Argyle St, The Rocks NSW 2000&gl=au&sa=X&ei=BuGdUN3rMImTiAeu44DoBA&ved=0CCgQ8gEwAQ Argyle Street , flanked by The Argyle Hotel and the nearby Lowenbrau Keller German restaurant.

Like many modern restaurants, Sake is a testament to cool, from the low lighting and modern interiors to the gorgeous and stylish wait staff. We started our experience with a cocktail from the bar while we waited for our table – my Zacapatator (love that name!) was a zingy blend of rum, ginger, honey and chili, while my partner cooed over a Miss Wednesday, an indulgent mix of rice sake, rose and lychee liqueurs, topped with vanilla and fresh lime.

Soon enough we were shown to our seat at the Chef's Table, where stools positioned around two sides of the kitchen provide an 'up close and personal' view of the inner workings of a sushi kitchen, as well as the pure artistry of the chefs.

As 'newbies' to the Sake experience, we were very pleasantly surprised by the personal attention and recommendations given to us by our lovely French waitress, who guided us to the Kingfish Jalapeno starter, which delivered a fan of paper-thin kingfish sashimi, each piece topped with a ring of jalapeno and a leaf of coriander. As an introduction to the Sake menu, this was perfect – the freshness and quality of the kingfish providing a citrusy and refreshing wake-me-up to our palates.

This was quickly followed by one of the house specials on the night, a bowl of steaming Chili Edamame, which were every bit as tasty and moreish as you could imagine, without blowing our heads off in the process.

The salt and pepper tofu was a delight – incredibly crunchy and tasty, something which tofu is usually not on most menus, while the Tonkatsu Cups drew inspiration from the old san choy bow of Chinese restaurant fame. These dainty lettuce cups were filled with panko-crumbed pork belly pieces, topped with red cabbage, a mustard miso dressing and tangy BBQ sauce.

For us, the Panko Rice Balls were also a hit, the golden discs filled with rice (obviously), soy beans, shitake mushrooms and bamboo shoots, and served with a side of creamy wasabi mayonnaise.

And while we're on the topic of wasabi, let me make one recommendation should you ever make the journey to Sake – order the Wasabi & Pepper Vegetables. This steaming platter of seasonal vegetables, including broad beans, baby corns, bok choy and asparagus, coated in a deliciously spicy sauce, are enough to turn even the most hardened carnivore into a vegetable lover.

Before the night was out, we also managed to squeeze in some scampi tempura, and then forged ahead with a shared dessert – the oozy chocolate fondant cake.

At this point, I know what you're thinking – that's a lot of food! But one thing about Sake is that all the food is light, tasty, and doesn't leave you with the feeling of being over-full. The courses are delivered promptly but are spaced out to give you time to breathe.

So whilst I wouldn't disagree if you said there was a little extra 'waddle' in our walk as we left the restaurant, I would say that this is a place we'll be coming back to – there's still so much we haven't tried.

#dinner
#japanese_restaurants
#lunch
#restaurants
#the_rocks
%wnsydney