Saké Restaurant & Bar

by TP Little bro

Some places attract customers by a great menu, other places by great service. This place attracted me by an article published in the Sydney Morning Herald. Top 50 things every foodie must do

Having recently acquired 1 chef’s hat and sporting an Izakaya setting, I became intrigued and signed up for the signature dishes menu at $88 a head.

Edamame. Points for being the first I’ve seen using sea salt flakes. Nice presentation but because there are flakes, there's an inconsistency in spread over beans, but it's preferred as there’s always a salt hit when you least expect it.

Shumai (chinese inspired steamed prawn dumplings with ponzu dipping sauce). As soon as you lift the lid of the dumpling steamer, it smells authentically chinese. Unlike the traditional chinese dumpling, this one is beautifully wrapped. The firm smooth consistent texture paired with the ponzu dipping sauce, gets this dish a tick of approval.

Panko rice balls (soy bean, bamboo & shiitake mushroom rice balls with wasabi aioli). Deliciously coated in crunchy panko crumbs, first bites are well balanced with the wasabi aioli.

Kingfish Jalapeno (hiramasa kingfish, yuzu soy, thin slices of jalapeno chili and coriander). In each mouth full, I'm given the pleasure of individually tasting each ingredient while simultaneously experiencing syngeries of the flavours working together. It's light, fresh and has two key items which complement the kingfish - a refreshing lemony tang and a thin slice of jalapeno to add just the right amount of spice to elevate the flavour but not overwhelm.

Miso butterfish (sweet miso marinated butterfish grilled and wrapped in bamboo with sweet pickled radish and den miso sauce). It's a well cooked dish, soft enough to break apart easily but hard enough to maintain texture. The deep rich miso sauce complemented the fish well and was interestingly creamier, sweeter and richer than any miso sauce I’ve ever tasted.

Popcorn shrimp (bite sized prawn tempura pieces tossed with a creamy spicy sauce). Delightful, playful pieces of crispy tempura, seasoned well, bringing out the flavour of the prawn with the added the light crunch of the tempura. Very addictive!

Beef teriyaki (grass fed beef sirlion cooked medium rare on sautéed shitake and buckwheat with matsuzaka sauce). It was just like a standard steak but the point of difference was the edamame beans sprinkled throughout dish and the rich, authentically japanese flavour of the matsuzaka sauce.

Buttermilk panna cotta, raspberry jelly, raspberry sauce & toasted coconut.

The smallest dessert I've ever seen on a menu, served in shot glasses, simple but delicious panna cotta went down very quickly with the refreshing lightness and sweetness of the raspberry shining through a pinch of tang and the crisp nutty flavour of the toasted coconut.

Overall, this place was worth the investment. There were quality ingredients, cooked well and elegantly explored the many facets of Japanese fusion cooking. The servings were also good servings with each person at the table feeling happily full at the end.

There’s an certain expectation of going to a hatted restaurant and paying hatted prices, but Sake definitely earns their stripes and easily finds a place in my top 5 japanese restaurants in Sydney.


Saké Restaurant & Bar
12 Argyle Street, The Rocks, Sydney. Phone: 9259 5656.
sakerestaurant.com.au