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.
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| 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.
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| Bruised beef cheeks |
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| 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.
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| Pork cooked in salt crust |
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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:
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| Salmon takikomi gohan |
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| Seared bonito, orang and fennel |
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| Prawn, apple and coriander |
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| Duck, soy, & leek |
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| 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)
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