It took me numerous attempts to finally reserve at the five-seated omakase bar at Sokyo, Sydney. I managed to get a reservation six months in advance; perhaps a whole new record for me. If you know me, I am a born planner, and I hate leaving anything to chance. Understandably, the build up of anticipation to Sokyo has been long awaited. Between Japanese being one of my favourite cuisines, and my avid love for sushi; I had a cocktail of expectations and excitement for this dinner.
The dinner degustation has one sitting per night, beginning at 7 pm. Staff had us quickly seated and took orders for our drinks. For myself, hibiscus - a concoction of hibiscus, apple, mint and lime. Sweet, refreshing and fragrant while being ensuring it was simplistic enough on the tongue to not confuse the palate. Takabshi Sano introduced himself and made for pleasant company through the night as he served and explained the elements of each dish, and witnessing his tasteful twenty one courses, along with an additional two from the dessert kitchen. The night plays homage to the sea.
Appetizers
1. Seared scallops, mussel soy sauce, sea urchin and truffle. Seamless and natural. It is a light way to begin the degustation. The umami from the sea urchin marries well with the earthy dense crisp from the thin slices of truffle.
2. Spanner crab with asparagus with a mixed raw spanner crab flesh. The flesh is soft and full of flavour, while the asparagus carries texture and bite to the dish. It is light, fragrant on the tongue and highlights the land meeting the sea.
3. Golden eye snapper with mussel soy sauce.The soy adds vibrance and acidity and soaks into the soft flesh of the fish. The finger lime and seasame garnishing the dish adds a crunch and further depth in acidity. The spring onions add a light freshness.
4. Miso seared salmon belly with green peach sauce. Another delightful dish. A light reminder of the first day of spring. The peach sauce is full of sweetness. The salmon belly melts in the mouth and the the fattiness is cut through with the smokiness from searing.
The dinner degustation has one sitting per night, beginning at 7 pm. Staff had us quickly seated and took orders for our drinks. For myself, hibiscus - a concoction of hibiscus, apple, mint and lime. Sweet, refreshing and fragrant while being ensuring it was simplistic enough on the tongue to not confuse the palate. Takabshi Sano introduced himself and made for pleasant company through the night as he served and explained the elements of each dish, and witnessing his tasteful twenty one courses, along with an additional two from the dessert kitchen. The night plays homage to the sea.
Appetizers
1. Seared scallops, mussel soy sauce, sea urchin and truffle. Seamless and natural. It is a light way to begin the degustation. The umami from the sea urchin marries well with the earthy dense crisp from the thin slices of truffle.
2. Spanner crab with asparagus with a mixed raw spanner crab flesh. The flesh is soft and full of flavour, while the asparagus carries texture and bite to the dish. It is light, fragrant on the tongue and highlights the land meeting the sea.
3. Golden eye snapper with mussel soy sauce.The soy adds vibrance and acidity and soaks into the soft flesh of the fish. The finger lime and seasame garnishing the dish adds a crunch and further depth in acidity. The spring onions add a light freshness.
4. Miso seared salmon belly with green peach sauce. Another delightful dish. A light reminder of the first day of spring. The peach sauce is full of sweetness. The salmon belly melts in the mouth and the the fattiness is cut through with the smokiness from searing.
Mains - Nigiri
5. Golden eye snapper. Soft and carries a natural sweetness. The flesh is delicate and well seasoned that soy sauce is unnecessary. The wasabi's presence is notable, and provides an underlying awakening of the palate.
6. Blue fin tuna. Lovely and smooth in texture. Quite light, and not too fatty.
7. Yellow fin tuna. Buttery and elegant in its silky texture. The flesh somewhat a reminder of toro, and the brush of ponzu.
8. Shellfish pearl meat. Served raw. Light resistance in the texture but somehow plays a nice reminder to lobster. Lime zest provides a little bit of tang and cuts through any fishiness.
9. Toro (Tuna belly). Flavoursome and a natural sweetness. Effortlessly breaks down and is such a classic combination. The scoring allows it to fan out so lazily across the sushi bed.
10. King fish belly. A nice subtle crunch. It was mesmerizing to watch Sano's attention to detail and his culinary knife skills with finely chopping the baby chives before placing them on to the fish.
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11. Tuna head charred with spicy daikon and peach. The first intermission. Sano easily pulls away the flesh. The charring adds further intensity to the fish flavour, while the daikon adds a fresh crunch and the heat. The peach has been soaked in a syrup of some sort, and cleanses the palate before returning back to the next round of nigiri.
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12. Puffer fish. A notable change in the texture of the rice, with each grain more defined and less glutinous in texture. Topped with finely chopped shiso and caviar to add a light grassy spice, as well as a pop of umami.
13. Kami. Toro from Japan. The whole piece dissolves so easily in the mouth with its buttery softness. There is a light dusting of pepper and as a garnish. A sublime experience on the tongue.
14. Mako. A type of shark. A very unique sashimi, and was well presented with Sano's scoring. Mild in flavour.
15. Ocean trout. Served with sansho pepper and lime zest. Defined citric notes harmoniously complementing the rich fish flavours.
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16. NZ trevalley. Served with a lime wedge. Covered in a light, crisp batter. Perhaps my least favourite dish of the night. The flesh was a little dry, and the bones within the dish disrupted the seamless nature of eating.
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17. Seared scampi. What a delicacy. Again, lightly blow torched. Sweet and tender but again, well balanced. A poetic note of creaminess and the soft, fleshy texture of the scampi meat make this perhaps the most memorable nigiri piece of the night.
18. Seared scallop. A light char on the soy brushed surface to enrichen the freshness of the scallops. Served in a crisp roasted seaweed wrap, adding a wooden complexity to the dish.
19. Tasmanian salmon. The skin has a lovely crackly chip-like crisp; a wonderful transition from the soft, fleshy textures of fish. Salmon roe provides pearls of intense umami.
20. Tuna belly. Served in chunks. We were kindly requested to eat as soon as it was served, to enjoy and preserve the crispiness of the seaweed. Each bite into the nori made a crunch, while the fattiness of the tuna melted in the mouth.
21. Tamago. To finish, two bite size pieces of the fluffy egg sushi. A relief from the heaviness from the rich flavours of the preceding courses. Light pillows and almost chiffon like in texture. The sweetness is not overbearing, and subtly concludes the sushi omakase.
Dessert
22. Sokyo Mochi Icecream. The Yatsuhashi Kyoto skin is floured and the gluten makes the texture quite chewy, but enjoyable. The frozen strawberry milkshake icecream is sweet with a light tang and is velvet milkiness. It makes for a refreshing transition from main.
23. Popcorn Chocolate. The popcorn ice cream was the clear star of the show. Well balanced, the toasted notes carried through and complemented with the chocolate mousse, and allowed us to finish off on a positive note.
Indeed - the night was not flawless. Minor details such as an unclean plate and missing soy sauce dish were noted, however easily forgiven for the quick amendments made by staff. The overall discourse between dishes is a little intense with the rich flavours, rather than the traditional crescendo in heaviness. Nevertheless, it is still a dining memory that I will treasure.
5. Golden eye snapper. Soft and carries a natural sweetness. The flesh is delicate and well seasoned that soy sauce is unnecessary. The wasabi's presence is notable, and provides an underlying awakening of the palate.
6. Blue fin tuna. Lovely and smooth in texture. Quite light, and not too fatty.
7. Yellow fin tuna. Buttery and elegant in its silky texture. The flesh somewhat a reminder of toro, and the brush of ponzu.
8. Shellfish pearl meat. Served raw. Light resistance in the texture but somehow plays a nice reminder to lobster. Lime zest provides a little bit of tang and cuts through any fishiness.
9. Toro (Tuna belly). Flavoursome and a natural sweetness. Effortlessly breaks down and is such a classic combination. The scoring allows it to fan out so lazily across the sushi bed.
10. King fish belly. A nice subtle crunch. It was mesmerizing to watch Sano's attention to detail and his culinary knife skills with finely chopping the baby chives before placing them on to the fish.
---
11. Tuna head charred with spicy daikon and peach. The first intermission. Sano easily pulls away the flesh. The charring adds further intensity to the fish flavour, while the daikon adds a fresh crunch and the heat. The peach has been soaked in a syrup of some sort, and cleanses the palate before returning back to the next round of nigiri.
---
12. Puffer fish. A notable change in the texture of the rice, with each grain more defined and less glutinous in texture. Topped with finely chopped shiso and caviar to add a light grassy spice, as well as a pop of umami.
13. Kami. Toro from Japan. The whole piece dissolves so easily in the mouth with its buttery softness. There is a light dusting of pepper and as a garnish. A sublime experience on the tongue.
14. Mako. A type of shark. A very unique sashimi, and was well presented with Sano's scoring. Mild in flavour.
15. Ocean trout. Served with sansho pepper and lime zest. Defined citric notes harmoniously complementing the rich fish flavours.
---
16. NZ trevalley. Served with a lime wedge. Covered in a light, crisp batter. Perhaps my least favourite dish of the night. The flesh was a little dry, and the bones within the dish disrupted the seamless nature of eating.
17. Seared scampi. What a delicacy. Again, lightly blow torched. Sweet and tender but again, well balanced. A poetic note of creaminess and the soft, fleshy texture of the scampi meat make this perhaps the most memorable nigiri piece of the night.
18. Seared scallop. A light char on the soy brushed surface to enrichen the freshness of the scallops. Served in a crisp roasted seaweed wrap, adding a wooden complexity to the dish.
19. Tasmanian salmon. The skin has a lovely crackly chip-like crisp; a wonderful transition from the soft, fleshy textures of fish. Salmon roe provides pearls of intense umami.
20. Tuna belly. Served in chunks. We were kindly requested to eat as soon as it was served, to enjoy and preserve the crispiness of the seaweed. Each bite into the nori made a crunch, while the fattiness of the tuna melted in the mouth.
21. Tamago. To finish, two bite size pieces of the fluffy egg sushi. A relief from the heaviness from the rich flavours of the preceding courses. Light pillows and almost chiffon like in texture. The sweetness is not overbearing, and subtly concludes the sushi omakase.
Dessert
22. Sokyo Mochi Icecream. The Yatsuhashi Kyoto skin is floured and the gluten makes the texture quite chewy, but enjoyable. The frozen strawberry milkshake icecream is sweet with a light tang and is velvet milkiness. It makes for a refreshing transition from main.
23. Popcorn Chocolate. The popcorn ice cream was the clear star of the show. Well balanced, the toasted notes carried through and complemented with the chocolate mousse, and allowed us to finish off on a positive note.
Making sushi nigiri is an art, and witnessing Takashi Sano place such care in each of the five pieces per course he prepared that evening was humbling in itself. I thank him for his time, and admire the skill he has mastered over the years upon years of practice. It is such an experience, to watch the care and precision taken as one offers a little part of themselves as they take you on a food journey.
From the heart, to the hands, to the plate.
From the heart, to the hands, to the plate.
Sokyo
A: 80 Pyrmont St, Pyrmont NSW 2009
Ph: 02 9657 9161