Yoshii, Harrington St, Sydney

Yoshii, Harrington St, Sydney
Wednesday 11 October, 2006

I've been wanting to try this restaurant since I started working in The Rocks end of town. Yoshii Ryuichi has the reputation for being one of the most talented Japanese chefs in the country and his famed restaurant, Yoshii, is consistently rated in the top Japanese restaurants in the country.

As his bio states,

"Following his arrival in Australia Yoshii Ryuichi opened his first Yoshii restaurant in Pyrmont in 1997. During this time while working as an executive chef and part owner, Yoshii earned his reputation as a genius in the fine art of sushi making.

In July 2002, Yoshii and business partner Mr. Sakurada decided to establish a new revolutionary Yoshii restaurant on the Rocks."

As it is Good Food Month, my work buddy and I decided to give it a go. We stumbled across the entrance - a non-descript green door - and entered. We were provided with a warm welcome and shown to our table. Inside it is a calm, sleek oasis and the dining space is a lot smaller than you imagine. The decor is not overtly Japanese, more minimalist and there are two dining spaces - separated by a wooden barrier - the sushi bar section and the dining space offering 40 seats in total.

Our waiter was friendly and explained that during Good Food Month, Yoshii is only offering the lunch special - Slow-roasted wagyu beef served with red-and-white miso, dengaku style served with rice and miso soup. This sounded absolutely delicious.

The presentation of the meals were stunning. On a large round white plate we received two generous serves of wagyu beef - one topped with thick, red miso and the other topped with white miso. In between the beef was an impressive display of finely cut vegetables. The WOW! factor was definitely present.

The beef was tender and the contrast with the miso topping was divine. The thick red miso was sticky, the white miso was powdery and both were very, very good. We also received a side dish of rice and a small bowl of miso soup. To accompany this we were provided a glass of Brown Brother rose.

I am now keen to return to try their standard lunch offerings - 4 menus for $38pp and their degustation dinner menus. Yoshii is well worth a visit.

Yoshii - 115 Harrington St, Sydney - T: (02) 9247 2566

http://www.yoshii.com.au