As previously mentioned, the boy and I are huge fans of Japanese food. I spent a substantial amount of time on eatability and urbanspoon to find a Japanese restaurant that we had not been to yet that was in the heart of the city. Searching upon pages and pages, I finally decide with Azuma Kushiyaki. Initially I did not realise that Azuma had several restuarants and a cafe under the name. I got utterly confused.
We arrive for an early dinner session, which means that the restaurant is rather empty (one of the worst concerns for the Boy). The atmosphere of the restaurant sure is lovely. It definitely has that modern feel to it yet still holds to its Japanese roots. The lights are dim and gentle music is playing in the background. It felt like such a romantic date.
Seared Tuna Salad $16
(as featured on SBS Food Safari)
Biggie and I didn’t want to do any set menus this evening so we opted for the a la carte menu. What caught our eye was the Seared Tuna Salad – looks like it’s been featured on the SBS Food Safari as per the menu, so surely we couldn’t go wrong. And no we didn’t go wrong. The soy vinaigrette had the perfect balance of tartness and sweetness. There wasn’t too much of it to overpower the soft and perfectly cooked tuna, but rather there was enough to give it a solid dressing. What made the dish was the deepfried garlic bits. Ooooh it was soo gooooood.
Inside Out Spider Roll (Soft Shell Crab Tempura) $11
No matter where we are at, the Boy always has to the soft shell crab sushi. I think it’s a comfort thing but I don’t ever get sick of eating it myself. Every restaurant has its own variation. Here at Azuma Kushiyaki, the spider roll is average. It doesn’t wow us or anything. We still munch it down though because even if it does taste just average, it’s still good to eat.
Traditional Japanese Style of Confit Duck Breast $26
For something different, I choose the confit duck breast with Azuma’s orange sauce. I have no idea why but I was craving duck, which is unusual because I rarely eat it. To be honest, I could not really tell that it was confit, it looked and tasted like it was just pan fried but however it was cooked it was absolutely amazing! The duck was still medium rare and simply melted in your mouth. It was delicious! We’ve never had a duck breast that was cooked like that or tasted like that. The orange sauce sure was tasty. What a perfectly composed and flavourful dish!
We did order some kushiyaki skewers but after asking the waiters 3 times on the status, we decided to cancel it. The first time, the waiter said that they were coming out shortly. The second time (20 minutes later), the waiter said it was accidentally given to another table. The third time (another 20 minutes later), the waiter said they misplaced the ticket. We didn’t want to cause no drama so cancelled the order and asked for the bill.
It’s been a long time since I’ve left a restaurant still hungry. But apart from that fiasco, from the food we did order and manage to get, we were satisfied with what the restaurant produced.
Azuma Kushiyaki
Ground Floor Regent Place Shopping
501 George Street
Sydney NSW 2000
Tel: +61 2 9267 7775
Ooooh that duck does look good! If you like yakitori skewers, I like Toriichi on O’Connell next to Masuya.
Take me there Phil! :P
Such a pity when service mistakes keep you from leaving a restaurant as satisfied as you might have been otherwise. The duck certainly sounds a treat though!
I surely don’t experience that much at all. There was a bit of dissappointment but it didn’t ruin the night completely. Was so happy with the food that we did manage to eat :)
The food there is fabulous I agree. But what a shame about the skewers, service is usually good so perhaps they were having an off night :(
Possibly – this means I have to make a return :)
I’ve only been here for a sugarhit and it seemed really nice :) I forgot who I heard this off but someone told me that Azuma’s is one of Tetsuya’s favourite restaurants in Sydney!
I can understand why it would be! :D