WAQU

I went to a Fine Dining Japanese Degustation in Crows Nest with my family on Wednesday night. There are two options, either a six course degustation ($69pp) or an eight course ($90pp). There is also the option of adding matching wines and sake to your meal. The restaurant was dimly lit and warm with hardly any noise. It is frequented by small groups and couples. The staff were very knowledgable, charming and well presented. 

To start we had fresh oysters, which was accompanied by a sorbet. The second course was the soup of the day which was warm and delightful.  

Cured King Salmon 

The salmon was light and delicate, the combination of flavours worked perfectly. As you can see, it was beautifully presented. 

 Scallop Confit 

The texture of the scallop was meltingly soft & was complimented beautifully by the kabosu (Japanese lime) foam.

Pan Fried Barramundi 

The pickled radish and turnip were gently acidic which was balanced beautifully by the sweetness of the barramundi had been perfectly cooked. 

Course seven was a choice of spatchcock, wagu beef or lamb. I chose the spatchcock which was perfectly cooked and the highlight was the enoki mushrooms that had been wrapped in the skin of the spatchcock. 

My dad had the lamb which was the rare side of medium rare accompanied by a quinoa salad. 

 Gateau Au Chocolat 

The intensity of the passionfruit cream and the soft vanilla ice cream complimented the richness of the chocolate flavours.

By course 5 we were concerned that we would still be hungry at the end. However the last couple of courses ensured that we were full, but not uncomfortably bloated as the quantities were perfectly judged  and each course was evenly spaced.

There was a worldwide selection of wines from Italy, France, Spain and Australia, each chosen specifically for the course it accompanied to both balance and enhance the flavour of the food. One sake was very rich and intense and the other was brewed using a particularly pure water source making it crisp and clean.

The thought and attention to detail to the individual courses, particularly the balance of flavours and presentation, and to the pairings with the wine and sake as well as the timing and order of each course was phenomenal.

This restaurant has won three awards this year deservingly. I give this restaurant my first 5/5 as i could not fault a single aspect. Despite the steep price it was good value, definitely worth the investment.

308 Pacific Highway
Crows Nest 2065
Sydney, NSW
Tel: 02 9906 7736
Tue-Sun from 6
Also open for lunch Thu-Sun from 12