May 5, 2013

Sushia Izakaya & Bar, Sydney CBD

Where is Sushia Izakaya & Bar? When I first heard about this Japanese restaurant, I had to pause for a second to wonder where it was. The address said 20 Bond Street in the Sydney CBD and the only building on Bond Street that I could think of was the Fitness First Bond Street building. Given that I walk along Bond Street almost daily, could I have been oblivious to this restaurant here? The answer is yes – this was exactly where Sushia is hidden – tucked away in a corner of the ground floor, opposite Australia Square and Ryan’s Bar.

I was mollified to find out that Sushia only opened late last year.

The entry into Sushia

Sushia has both outdoor and indoor seating. Walking into the restaurant, it was a bit like falling into a rabbit hole. The narrow hallway lined with sushi train stools suddenly expanded into a much larger space with tables, low chairs and even a private dining area.

The white wave design along the ceiling and walls made my overactive imagination feel like I was inside a whale. It turned out that the waves were specially designed and constructed to prevent echoing and loud noises coming into the restaurant from the surrounding bars. I really appreciated this since lately I’ve been feeling like I can hardly hear myself speak in a lot of restaurants.

I thought the private dining room in the above photo was very cute. Sometimes private dining rooms in Japanese restaurants can be quite stark but this one was very charming with potted plants and empty glass bottles giving it some ambience. I could definitely see my work colleagues wanting to pop here for a corporate lunch.

The offerings on the sushi train looked appealing and I took a quick snap of the plates on offer.

Sushi train plates (click to enlarge)

We didn’t take any plates off the train but instead enjoyed some dishes from the menu that came recommend by our incredibly friendly waiter, John.

Agedashi tofu with almond flakes and den-daishi sauce

The agedashi tofu was silky smooth with just the right amount of light batter that stayed crisp on top. I liked the addition of almond flakes which added some texture to the dish. Usually I tend to dismiss agedashi tofu as a generic starter dish but I really enjoyed this version.

Sushi and Sashimi platter

If you follow me on Instagram or Twitter, you would have seen that I posted a picture of this platter because I was so impressed by the presentation! It arrived on a large stoneware plate appearing as if it bore three dragon eggs. Carefully placed seashells and polished smooth stones graced the back of the platter and even the piped wasabi itself looked like a small shell.

The sashimi was very fresh and John told us that they choose their seafood each morning. My favourites on the platter were the salmon sashimi (melted in mouth), grilled aburi sushi and the pieces of salmon & avocado roll – I liked how the seaweed still had a bit of fresh crisp wrapped on the inside of the roll.

Soft shell crab kara-age salad with wasabi mayonnaise

mixed leaves, carrot, cucumber, cherry tomatoes and avocado

The wasabi mayonnaise dressing on the soft shell crab would please the wasabi fans. There was a strong horseradish kick in the creamy sauce and I was pleasantly surprised to see the generous slices of avocado included in the salad.

Prawn tempura

Black tiger, king prawn and scampi

The tempura scampi and prawns were perched prettily in the bowl before we devoured them. I prefer scampi served raw because the sweetness in its flesh seems lost when the scampi is fried. My friend really enjoyed this dish because she loves tempura prawns.

Seafood kushiyaki skewers with chili balsamic sauce

Prawns, scallop and salmon served with salad

Sushia has a number of interesting items on its menu that I haven’t seen before and this was one of them. The skewers were neatly jammed from top to bottom with prawns, scallops and pieces of salmon. It is actually a really good value skewer for the amount of seafood that you get. It was nice to see that the salmon was cooked well – I always fear with smaller pieces of salmon that they will be overdone due to how quickly salmon cooks. The chili balsamic glaze gave a great burst of flavour to the skewer and I enjoyed it more than I thought I would.

Teppanyaki Wagyu beef steak with mash sweeet potato and sesame demi sauce

The menu lists the Wagyu as having a marbling score of 9+, John proudly told us that they source their Wagyu beef from Queensland and this is one of their most popular signature dishes. I enjoyed the tender pieces of beef but my friend and I both agreed that the star of the dish was……the sweet potato mash! Peeking out from underneath the beef, we lapped this up. It was soft, seasoned and I would probably order this as a side by itself next time!

We were so full by this stage, I could barely breathe but as we all know, there is the magical separate dessert stomach.

House-made green tea and cookies & cream ice cream

Green tea ice cream! One of my faves! Despite being house-made, it was well mixed without uneveness in distribution of matcha that I have seen elsewhere. A perfect sweet ending to the meal.

Before we left, I noticed they are doing a check in promotion where you can get 10% off your food bill if you do a Facebook check in and show it at the counter.