Restaurant Sasaki ささき, Surry Hills, Sydney

Macarons from Cre Asion are still my favourite Sydney macarons. I remember reading a blog post by Chocolatesuze about their macs and I went there in a heartbeat. I even braved the storm (yes an actual storm) to get there. From that moment on, I became a huge fan of Chef Yu Sasaki's work. The pistachio, Dear Chris and Hojicha are my go to macs.

One of the things I've looked forward to the most in 2017 was the opening of his new shop, Restaurant Sasakiささき. I'm glad to say that it's finally open! We went on its first night and we were surely in for a treat. The place looked and felt like a shop straight out of the Aoyama neighbourhood in Minato-ku, Tokyo. It was elegant but not pretentious, welcoming and very warm. The interior had a similar look to a high-end Japanese tea house with its blondewood fittings, furniture and very minamalist approach. The food is kinda like tapas style Kappo with a French twist, which is expected from Yu-san's background from restaurants like Universal and Marque. The menu may also change on a daily, weekly or monthly basis based on top quality produce that they can get their hands on.

Traditional green tea matcha is available here and is well prepared.

Asparagus, beetroot, hazelnut

First dish we had was tempura asparagus ($19) with a beetroot and hazelnut based dipping sauce. I loved the airy crisped coating of the tempura and the sweet dipping sauce was perfect from cutting through the richness of the coating.

Bruised beef cheeks

Mash

It was followed by braised beef cheeks and mash ($24) We were blown away! The beef was so buttery, absolutely tender, and flavoursome. The sauce was sweet and fruity with notes of umami. The mash was fluffy and well seasoned.

Pork cooked in salt crust

Daikon with mustard and miso

The pork, salt and daikon ($26) was rich and delicious. A huge fatty slab of pork was baked in a salt crust. It seasoned the pork and kept the juices in. The daikon was sweet and tender and came mustard and miso. Sweet soft daikon goes so well with pork.

Jewfish, celery and tomato

Yu-san also got us to try their jewfish, celery and tomato ($18) on the house. This dish was all about freshness and vibrance. 

Mushroom, egg & cheese

The mushroom with egg and cheese ($21) was insanely good! The mushroom was cooked as a katsu, cheese was emulsified and mixed with egg. The crisped and umami from the mushrooms was just amazing. The fluffy creamy cheese and egg gave a nice contrast to the katsu mushroom.

Takikomi gohan

Their rice dish is takikomi gohan ($9) cooked in pot that gives a similar effect to a kamemshi. You get nice crispy bits of rice. This was not only so tasty but also nostalgic for me. I grew up eating takikomi gohan. The takikomi gohan here was nicely seasoned from a flavoursome broth, mushrooms and prawns.

Potato and butter

The sweet potato and butter ($4) is based on Yu-san's favourite childhood sweet treat. This version is his own interpretation of it. A sweet ball of mashed sweet potato with the tiles of wafered caramelised butter worked a treat.

Green tea white chocolate with green tea buttercream filling

Last but not least was some dainty green tea matcha ice cream sandwiched between two disks of matcha flavoured white chocolate ($5). It was divine and amazing. There was not bitter and neither was it sweet. It had so much balance.

Second visit:

Salmon takikomi gohan

Seared bonito, orang and fennel

Prawn, apple and coriander

Duck, soy, & leek

Caramel and nuts in wafer shells

There is just so much to love about this place: the setting that takes you to the back streets of Aoyama, the beautiful food (both visual and taste) and warm service. Yu's finesse approach is one of his strengths and it shows in Restaurant Sasaki. Congratulions Yu-san!

Restaurant Sasaki

21 Alberta Street (behind Cre Asion)

Surry Hills NSW 2010
http://www.sasaki.com.au/
Ph: 02 8068 9774
Open Monday to Saturday from 5.30pm - 10.00pm