sokyo, pyrmont

So thanks to Isaac, I was lucky enough to try the food at the famous Sokyo!

And I was pretty excited because anyone who knows me, will know that I love all things Japanese - okay maybe not all. Just most of the food, the vending machines and Yamashita Tomohisa.

Sokyo offers traditional Japanese foods with an innovative and contemporary twist in flavour. The whole place exuded charm and elegance with sleek, dark, lacquered surfaces, matching black napkins, chopstick rests and yellowy dim lighting.

To get to our table the waitress led us past a sushi bar and open kitchen, where thick cuts of fresh fish sparkled under the white light and where the chefs entertained diners with their magical culinary skills. As we walked by, the staff stopped what they were doing and greeted us with warm and melodious invitations of "Irasshaimase!". I love it.

Shortly after ordering, our first dish arrived!

Kingfish Miso Ceviche ($20.00):
Green chilli, crispy potato, miso ceviche.



We started off with the Kingfish Miso Ceviche, which is served  with green chilli and crispy potato. The potato strands were oh so fine, fragrant and crunchy, giving a lovely contrasting texture to the delicate slices of kingfish. It felt so light and the touch of citrus made it the perfect start to the evening.

Next up were the Hokkaido Scallops!

Hokkaido Scallop Yuzu Honey ($18.00):
Onion, capers, crunchy miso, yuzu honey.

It was almost too pretty to eat - look at those colours!

Fresh, plump slices of scallops are served in a yuzu honey dressing, topped with onions, capers and crunchy miso. The honey yuzu dressing gave a subtle tang to the dish without overpowering the sweetness of the scallops. It was just so perf.

Red Snapper Tempura ($19.00):
Served with coriander salad and black pepper chilli vinegar.

This was probably the best tempura I've ever had - it was fresh, flaky, crisp and generously dusted with ground black pepper. It just tasted so light and when you accompany each bite with that sweet vinegary sauce, ugh yum.

Kurobuta Pork Belly ($14.00):
Pork belly, daikon, sansho and mustard aioli.

At first glance, the two pieces of daikon wedged in between the melt-in-your-mouth pork looked like layers of fat. I was genuinely worried about my non-existent to be arteries but upon jabbing it with my chopstick, I realised it was just daikon and all the worry was unnecessary.

The pork was incredibly tasty, super juicy and super tender. I loved how the creamy, peppery mustard aioli made it seem so sinful and the fact that it was served on skewers made it all the more exciting to eat.

DengakuMan ($38.00):
Caramelised miso cod, Japanese salsa, cucumber salad.

The cod is wonderfully caramelised with a rich and sticky caramelly miso sauce. Splitting open each piece reveals a flaky yet buttery and moist flesh, which I could only wish there was more of!  The Japanese salsa and cucumber salad accompanying the cod is cool and tangy, balancing out the rich sweetness of the fish.

I was just about to mentally declare this as the dish of the day, but when the tuna nigiri with crispy rice arrived at the table, I died (in a good way).

Spicy Tuna Crispy Rice ($20.00):
Crispy nigiri, truffle salt and spicy mayo.

Why have I only just discovered the existence of these!?

These pillowy slices if tuna were a perfect contrast to the crispy, deep-fried, golden rice. The contrast in texture and chilli from the spicy mayonnaise was subtle and extremely addictive. It was such a perfect ending.

So um, can I just kidnap one of the chefs at Sokyo, please?

Sokyo
Level G, The Darling, The Star
80 Pyrmont St
Pyrmont, NSW 2009
f: https://www.facebook.com/SokyoAtTheStar
t: (02) 9657 9161
w: http://www.star.com.au/dine/signature-dining/sokyo.html