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Zushi has been around for almost 9 years and I used to go fairly frequently but hadn’t been for a few years before my recent visit. Not because there was anything I didn’t like, it’s just that living in Surry Hills there is always the next new thing to try. 

Going back was a little like catching up with a friend you haven’t seen for ages and getting along so well you wonder why on earth you haven’t seen them for so long.

On a busy Friday night they managed to fit us in at the sushi bar despite not having a booking. I actually prefer sitting at the bar, particularly in a Japanese restaurant because it’s great for watching all of the action. No matter how many times I see it, I’m still amazed by the knife skills of Japanese chefs and the precision with which they arrange the food.

We ordered the $55 chef’s menu which I’d recommend doing. The food we got was very good value for this price – tuna tartare, sashimi, pork bao, scallops and beef. All of the food was great, very tasty and light and fresh.

Wine prices are reasonable, with plenty of good quality wines $50-$60. 

Service was professional. Our water and wine glasses were regularly refilled and the food came with just the right amount of time between courses. 

Overall a great experience. I definitely won’t wait so long to go back.

http://zushi.com.au/

2A/285A Crown St
Surry Hills NSW 2010

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Gogyo is owned by the same Japanese company which owns Ippudo ramen and it’s ramen which is also the star attraction here.

The restaurant’s previous incarnation was as Salaryman (another Japanese restaurant) and they’ve retained much of the same fit out, including the long share tables and seats at the bar and overlooking the kitchen. Exposed brick gives it an industrial feel.

It’s the kind of place you come to for a quick mid week meal rather than somewhere to linger over a bottle of wine (or three) with friends.

Grab a seat overlooking the kitchen if you can as this is where the action is.

My go to dish is always the Chilli Shoyu pictured at the beginning of the post which is made with spicy chicken broth and has habanero pork mince as well as pork belly chasu. It’s packed full of flavour and heat. It comes with a wedge of lemon to lessen the kick. They recommend not adding it until you’re half way through the dish as the effect of the chilli is cumulative and you’ll notice the heat more the more of it you eat.

On a recent visit I tried the more traditional Tonkotsu ramen pictured above. It was pretty good, but let’s face it you can get good Tonkotsu at a myriad of places in Sydney (and some cheaper than here) so I’m going to stick with the chilli from now on. If you want to try something really different go for the Kogashi Miso which is made with charred miso.

The ramen is pretty filling so unless you are feeling exceptionally hungry you probably don’t need anything else. The waiter convinced me to order some gyoza as well as the ramen on my most recent visit and while they were really good, it was simply too much food.

52-54 Albion St, Surry Hills NSW 2010

Monday – Friday: 12:00-15:00, 17:30-22:00
Saturday: 11:30-15:00, 17:30-22:00
Sunday: 11:30-15:00, 17:00-20:30

http://ippudo.com.au/gogyo

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It’s my 5th attempt to get into the new Goryon-San in Surry Hills and we’ve finally secured a table so I’m pretty excited. The problem is that excitement also brings with it increased expectation and sadly in this case the expectation wasn’t met.

If you want to get in you’ll have to be patient. I tried walking in without a booking at 6pm on a Sunday night and a couple of times during the week and even when there was an empty single seat in the window I was told I couldn’t have it because it was deemed too uncomfortable (not quite sure why then the chair was there).

I was advised to book online but when I tried that the booking engine indicated they don’t take bookings for single diners. I then tried booking for 2 but the next available table was more than a week away. So I finally tried phoning and on about the 4th attempt got someone to answer the phone who advised there was a table available that night.

First up we ordered Zuke Salmon which according to the menu was marinated avocado and salmon sashimi. So we were a little surprised when what turned up was essentially 2 corn chips which 2 small pieces of salmon and a slice of avocado on each. It was lacking in flavour (definitely couldn’t taste any marinade on the avocado) and at $12 not exactly great value. The garnish of wilted watercress certainly didn’t add to the dish.

Perhaps we’ll fair better with some of the signature Kushiyaki we thought. But again this unfortunately wasn’t the case. The whole concept is meant to be modeled on restaurants in Tokyo where meat is grilled over hot coals. But surprisingly they use an electric grill rather than coals and so you get none of the smokey flavour.

The best way to describe the food is bland.

The chicken skewers were a small pieces of chicken thigh without any seasoning or accompanying sauce. Both my partner and I decided after the first bite the only way to eat it was to smother it in Togarashi seasoning (which they helpfully have on every table).

The signature dish of fresh lettuce and pork belly skewers which gets its own write-up on the menu is about 95% lettuce with a wafer thin layer of pork belly (see the image above) and again totally lacking in seasoning. Out comes the Togarashi again. At $7 a stick I’m starting to feel a little gouged.

The last of our order was billed as premium wagyu beef. At $25 I was expecting a reasonable sized piece of meat but the serve was tiny. It was accompanied by some more of the wilted watercress and a thin slice of lemon and wasabi. Consistent with the other dishes it was lacking in any form of seasoning.

At this stage we realise we’ve probably under ordered as we are both still hungry but decide that we’d rather go home and cook something ourselves.

At $100 for 2 for a very light meal, 1 beer and 1 glass of wine we definitely didn’t get good enough value to make up for the food. We leave wondering what all the fuss is about and just how busy it’s likely to be in a few weeks once the diner reviews start to appear online and the next newest thing arrives in Surry Hills. We won’t be back.