Sokyo // November

So you may recall that sometime ago,  i’ve blogged about Sokyo before. This was during their September seasonal “absolutely crab-ulous” monthly special .

Midway through exams is not the best time to dine, but i still think about their amazing Crab Chawanmushi steamed egg (above) stuck at the back of my mind. Like i’ve mentioned before, too much of a good thing is always a good thing. So i caved into temptation to try their November Seasonal “Amazing Crays” crayfish special.

I love a good food pun, and really, that seasonal food cray. Lobster was unavailable tonight but following the chef’s advice we go with the Scampi, seared foie gras torchon served with apple mizuna salad, lime and white soy.

You might find it a bit strange but i’ve never really gotten into the excitement about foie gras. However, combined with sweet scampi and refreshing apple it was delicious and you get a nice balance between the flavours. Yes please.

Following this came a number of hot dishes such as the above Dengakuman of miso marinated fish. For me this is usually a stable option i like to order at Japanese restaurants and i prefer this one due to the sweeter miso marinade. The rest i didn’t bother to capture, because that was not the highlight of the show tonight.

Now to the highlight, this is the real deal – Blue Fin Toro tuna straight from Japan.

My guess is that if you tell someone that you’re visiting Sokyo they’ll tell you to order the Crispy Spicy Tuna nigiri or the Queensland roll. There’s nothing wrong with that because they’re both really good but there’s a lot more than just that such as, Blue fin toro straight from Japan. This is probably the closest i’ll get to having a taste of a bit of Japan in Sydney.

The nigiri sushi comes quite quickly, the chef asks if we’re full and smiles when we politely ask for more. We were a little bit hungry and greedy i believe.

A compilation of the dishes we had.

Our meal concluded with something sweet. You must be confused, but it’s not what you think. I’ve been meaning to slow down on sugar but the special Tofu Cheesecake was just too hard to resist. It’s not offered on the menu as it is made in limited quantities as a special but the waitress whispers that she’ll see if theres any left. Sometimes you get lucky and this is what you get.

It looks like a block of tofu moulded into the actual shape of box, but taste wise was unexpected and definitely incredible. There was no tofu taste as such, but it was a a very light and smooth cheesecake. The added tofu created a very silky smooth custard texture. The dessert was balance and light, not of the rich heavy kind like what you would expect usually. I want more.

And if you’re interested in trying the seasonal crayfish special, the November special concludes end of month on the 30th.

E.

Sokyo at The Star.

I have a confession to make, of the food kind. Up until last year or so, i was under the false impression that “fusion” cuisine was nonsense and that in reality, was just a shortened term for food confusion. The idea of it came across as amateur chefs mixing elements from two (or more) cuisines together (not knowing how to cook either properly), passing their dishes off as “fusion” or as a “modern” style of cooking. But my first proper fusion experience at Sokyo a year or so ago, proved me wrong. Very wrong.

I’ve been back to Sokyo a few times since then, but the reason for my recent visit was because they were doing an “Absolutely Crab-ulous” Special Seasonal Crab menu for the month. I love seafood and i love crab, so i definitely didn’t want to miss out on this one.

The Sashimi platter arrives to impress with cuts of different types of fresh fish, four different sauces and a smoking cup of dry ice for the visual effect.

The next was our first dish from the special crab menu, a Chawanmushi (steamed egg custard) with burnt butter and spanner crab (15).

We ate this in complete silence, the silky savoury egg custard with generous chunks of crab meat was just too good for words. We were later informed by the waiter that there is only one dedicated chef in the kitchen who is allowed to make this and this is the only dish he makes all evening. This was definitely the best Chawanmushi i have had so far, all thanks to the one dedicated Chawanmushi man in the kitchen.

I dont usually like the idea of uni (sea urchin) and the Robata special came at an expensive price tag of $40 (for two bite sized pieces), a lot for something i usually wouldn’t like. But it was amazing. The King crab meat was topped with smokey creamy uni seasoned with shiro dashi and Japanese Pepper.

Our dinner continues with the rest of their usual menu with the John Dory as the first main to arrive. The interesting and slightly humorous part of this dish is that  the star of the dish is not the fish itself, but the vegetables underneath. The fish is good but for some reason, the sauteed vegetables underneath is so incredible it could be served up as a dish in itself.

The “Kobe Cuisine” Wagyu Tenderloin follows with tender melt-in-your-mouth pieces of wagyu beef.

Apart from the two mains we also ordered sides of tamago (because we couldn’t get enough of the egg,) and as recommended by the waiter we ordered grilled mushrooms, which were so simple but delicious.

Between two, we had a lot to eat and dessert was out of the question. Apart from being very full, usually we are not too much into sweets or desserts but having seen another tables order we caved in and decided to share the Peanut Butter Chocolate Fondant….

And there was absolutely no regrets.

The fondant flows out with peanut butter accompanied by a scoop of sesame icecream. My friend tells me over dinner that Sokyo recently gained a hat and i can definitely see why. I’ve left behind my confusion over “fusion”, and i’m definitely a very happy convert now. Food was good, dessert was delicious and service was excellent.

To follow this post, will be an experience of Black’s version of the Absolutely Crab-ulous menu.

E.

Sushi E.

Japanese food in general is a cuisine based around simple flavoursome fresh ingredients, and over the years it has become one of my favourites, if not my favourite cuisine. Japanese food offers all kinds of delicious healthy options, with most dishes predominantly based around fresh seafood and greens, served with noodles or rice. My love for Japanese food led me to Sushi E for dinner, in search of fresh sashimi and sushi.

(IPhone photos only)

It’s not my first time eating here, but after a few very satisfying and consistent sushi experiences, i have left every time with a good impression. The restaurant itself is small with most of the seats being placed around the sushi bar. There are a few tables on the side which are more suitable for slightly larger groups but I prefer sitting at the bar so i can see the sushi being made fresh. The chefs here cut sashimi and make sushi as you order so nothing is pre made or pre cut. There is definitely a difference between freshly made to order and pre made versions which are usually left sitting in the fridge. Upon visiting, you will notice that the rice is also kept warm and covered in a tub behind the chef so it is kept at the right temperature and not cold. This is already a sign that good food lies ahead.

The first to arrive were the oysters served with salmon roe in ponzu dressing (4.5) along with our hot pot of tea. The oysters were fresh and creamy served and the ponzu dressing complimented this with an acidic hit which was a refreshing light entree to start our dinner.

This was followed by a plate of freshly cut sashimi (large) and much to my delight, it had pieces of beautiful blue tin tuna.

The seaweed salad (14.50) offered here is unsuspectingly good, simple but full of flavour to wet your appetite.

The hot food began with the miso chicken yakitori (16), which was the only yakitori on offer. This was unfortunately the least impressive out of all the dishes, the meat was a bit too dry and was lacking in terms of flavour.

The disappointment with the yakitori is quickly forgotten as the miso cod (34) arrives. Sushi E serves up one of my favourite versions of this dish. The fish is lightly grilled until golden brown and has the right balance between the sweet and right amount of saltiness in the miso marinade. It falls apart in the mouth and doesn’t leave a greasy heavy after taste.

The beef tataki (30) was also another favourite of the evening marinated in a garlic and onion soy dressing. The beef was so incredibly tender and soft.

The nigiri sushi was the last main we ordered and the main reason why we came. I find that in most Japanese restaurants fish is generally quite fresh but the difference is really in the rice, hence why in Japan training takes many years. I wouldn’t call myself an expert by any means, but i’ve had my fair share of sushi to tell the difference and understand it on a basic level. The sushi rice should be correctly portioned to the fish or other ingredient on top for the correct balance between the two. But most importantly, the rice ball should be firm enough to hold together while easily falling apart in the mouth. The temperature of the rice is also important, and i’ve had my share of less than impressive versions in the past where the rice was cold, and sometimes even hard. Luckily for me, the version at Sushi E did not disappoint.

A meal is never really complete with dessert, and the best part about it is that it is complimentary. It is not listed on the menu but is served after you ask for the bill, which i discovered on the first visit there. As far as i’ve gathered, it’s a deliciously light but creamy vanilla bean panna cotta served with a berry coulis. The portion size is also just right especially if you’ve ordered a big meal.

All in all i was very satisfied with my dinner, apart from the irrelevant part where perhaps i got a bit too keen and dropped food on my leather bag. Sushi E remains very high on my list of favourite restaurants and i dont think that this will change anytime soon.

E.

Masuya Japanese Restaurant

There are some people who prefer the cold winter season, but after the past month of the miserable cold and rain, i have come to the conclusion that i am definitely not one of them. I find that the cold weather brings out the laziness in me and i find myself not wanting to do much else apart from eating, sleeping and being hopelessly reliant on coffee.

The good news is that Japanese food, being my favourite cuisine, is something i always feel like eating and can always eat at any given time of the year. It’s never too cold for sashimi or sushi, and if you disagree, there are always hot options like hot pots or cooked dishes. The even better news is that it is the season for blue fin tuna and fresh uni (sea urchin). And so we ventured to a familiar favourite, Masuya Japanese Restaurant on the hunt for some fresh seafood.

We ventured into this popular Sydney Japanese Restaurant on a Monday evening around 7pm without a booking, and despite it being early in the week, the restaurant was very full. We were however offered a seat at the sushi bar counter, which turned out to be an even better option as we were able to see all the fresh fish and sushi being prepared.

Before i continue, i must firstly apologise for the photos that lie ahead. Although the restaurant wasn’t dimly lit, the photos did not turn out as well as i had hoped.

(Sashimi Deluxe)

We started our meal off with hot green tea and platter of the Sashimi Deluxe. All the fish was fresh and the only thing we could complain about was that there was oddly only one oyster and one scampi. This poses a problem to people who like both.

(Masuya Tuna Salad)

Next up came the Masuya Tuna Salad, which unfortunately was quite underwhelming. It came with a soy thousand island dressing which was a bit sweet for my liking and came separately.

(Egg roll “sashimi”)

The salad was then followed by my order of egg (tamago). Anyone that knows me or has me on Instagram (eilxrrr_) will without a doubt know about my obsession with egg and anything egg. This was served cold and was quite sweet in taste, labeled under sashimi. There was also a side plate of uni (sea urchin) sushi but the photo is just too hideously yellow and unattractive to post.

(Miso Yaki Grilled fish)

The Miso Yaki was delicious although it was not the usual cod that i am used to being served. It lay on a bed of red miso and delicious creamy potato mash.

(Blue Fin Tuna Sushi)

Moving onto the real reason we visited Masuya, to try the seasonal blue fin tuna sushi they had on offer. The photo really doesn’t do the sushi justice but it was definitely worth braving the cold for this. The plate lacked chu toro but both the toro and o toro were both thoroughly enjoyed along with the small bite sized maki rolls were served with pickled radish.

Other dishes i would recommend is ordering the salmon or kingfish wing, or their slightly pricier bentos at lunchtime (as seen on my instagram).

E.