Zushi @ Sydney

Barangaroo is the location of my new Sydney office and I was keen to explore the eating places around the block during my recent visit. Meeting some old friends after two years of closed borders, we chose a Japanese izakaya just below my office block to catch up.

At the turn of the 21st century, Barangaroo was a disused container terminal – a physical barrier to the Western Harbour. Today, it is a dynamic cultural, residential, business and civic hub. Zushi Barangaroo is an outdoor waterfront restaurant located in this spectacular 22-hectare waterfront precinct. 

Zushi prides itself on using only carefully sourced local ingredients, the freshest vegetables and sustainable seafood where possible and almost 90% of the menu is already gluten-free.

Oysters

Sydney rock oysters from port stephens, NSW

There’s no bad time of year to eat oysters across New South Wales — they regularly take home awards for their creaminess and flavour. But this time, its supply was badly affected by the recent flooding. I was so glad that they were still available here. Opened fresh, Port Stephens oysters need no embellishments.

Sashimi Special

fish of the day, thinly sliced, chilli ponzu

The fish of the day was NZ snapper, which is very similar to tai 鲷 (Japanese sea beam). The almost tasteless fish was paired with ponzu sauce added with chilli powder for that kick that is really used in true Japanese restaurants. Many people will gladly place their faith in an anonymous sushi chef at a random restaurant. Sashimi grade actually just refer to fish that has no known parasite when served at raw through special freezing treatment. Wild fish need to be frozen for specific periods of time at specific temperatures to get rid of parasites. Freshwater would naturally have parasites and are not served in good sashimi restaurant.

Tuna Tataki

seared yellowfin tuna, tamari ponzu, leek, shiso cress

Tataki たたき is a Japanese cooking technique of quick searing the sides of a piece of fish like tuna or bonito to seal in the flavours before slicing them into pieces. A ponzu soy sauce (tamari ponzu) is poured over and served with fried leeks and shiso cress for crunch. Never failed to please the crowd this dish would.

Chefs’ Selection of Sashimi

tuna, salmon, salmon belly, snapper, kingfish

A quartet of locally sourced fish was served tonight. Not the most exotic tiype that you would find in a Japanese fish restaurant, today choices were the typical salmon, tuna, snapper and yellowtail that were raised or wild-caught in local waters and processes to sashimi-grade. It was a misconception that only certain fish can be served as sashimi. Sashimi-grade fish are caught quickly, bled upon capture, gutted soon after, and flash frozen thoroughly. This method matters a lot between good eats and food poisoning. So if a fish is processed as such, they can all be sashimi.

Corn Ribs

shichimi, parmesan, lime

This was my surprised favourite of the evening. I never thought corn on the cob could taste so refreshing and good as a snack. It was through this dish that I changed my mind about shichimi tōgarashi 七味唐辛子 (seven flavours chilli powder). They were a great flavour when scattered sparingly on a fried dish.

Snapper Tempura

NZ snapper, chili, lime, japanese dashi 

The third time the NZ snapper has made its appearance this evening. But for tempura, a white fish is usually used so it was a good choice. And my new favourite, the shichimi tōgarashi chilli salt was added for that additional dimension that made the dashi dip totally unnecessary.

Kombu Prawn

grilled WA king prawns, shio kombu butter, shichimi, shallot

OK, the flavours of shichimi tōgarashi were great, but three dishes in a row was a bit too much. But it had proven again that something like a perfectly grilled WA king prawn would be enhanced with a dash of that magical powder.

Buttered Toothfish

oven roasted glacier 51 toothfish, crispy leek, asparagus, yuzu tamari butter

Glacier 51 Toothfish is certified sustainable by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) and sourced from the Australian Antarctica oceans. Australia’s Heard Island Glacier 51 Toothfish fishery undergoes rigorous annual stock assessments to maintain its stock. The fish is like silver cod and only require soy sauce and heat to release its intense flavours and fattiness. The Maillard effect on the fish was more delicious than on meat protein.

Wagyu Steak

grilled medium rare wagyu, shio koji, shiitake mushroom, crispy garlic, chives, nashi pear + apple soy

The last main choice of the evening was this Australian M7+ wagyu flank cooked medium rare, sprinkled with crispy garlic chips and chopped chives, and served with a fruit soy sauce on the side. The flank was not my favourite cut but since it’s wagyu, it was alright in terms of flavour and texture. The soy was really concentrated and so you need to use it sparingly, but it was great with the accompanying steamed rice.

Goma Mushrooms

oven roasted shimeji, shiitake, button, wood ear, sesame, tamari, miso

A sautéed mixed mushroom combination came as a side dish to round up an evening of great surf and turf. Unlike the steakhouse version using butter, it was lighter with soy, miso and sesame oil. Nevertheless, you still need the steamed rice to go with this salty dish.

Sticky Date Pudding

miso caramel sauce, vanilla ice cream, strawberry

My friends had the date pudding. Intense was all I can say, with the rich salty and super sweet miso caramel sauce.

Lychee Sorbet

lychees, lychee sorbet, coconut cream

I had the lychee sorbet and coconut ice cream served with canned lychees. It was my childhood all over again, with the cheap tasting coconut ice cream that has come into craze for its supposed healthy properties and the canned lychees in syrup. The sorbet was more like the syrup from the canning made into sorbet. Not recommended.

Afterthoughts

The average price per person was around AUD 120 with drinks, not cheap but not really out of place since most of the places are around that range these days. But the amount of food and the quality did compensate the value proposition.

Service was prompt and attentive. The crowd was a younger set, which made us feel a bit old in this table. For the good eats and proximity, I would come again.

Zushi Baranagroo
10/33 Barangaroo Ave, Barangaroo NSW 2000, Australia
Tel : +61 2 8072 7383

Date visited : Mar 2022