Sokyo, The Star
Tuesday, August 02, 2016
"Sokyo. Where the buzz of Tokyo meets a Sydney beat" 🇯🇵
It was such an experience to have dinner at Chef Chase Kojima's one chef-hatted, Sokyo. Serving up traditional Japanese cuisine with a contemporary twist on flavours, I didn't expect to be disappointed at all (and fyi before I set the wrong tone for this post, I wasn't disappointed)! I think that traditional Japanese food is already built up on simplicity and deliciousness so naturally I was excited and curious to see what the hype was all about. I've heard so many good things about Sokyo and according to all the posts on my Facebook feed, it seems to be the #1 place to take your girlfriend to for her birthday or couples anniversary. So in true independent woman fashion, I take my boyfriend and I out for a fancy dinner for absolutely no occasion other than just wanting to! 👫 💸
We didn't make any reservations and I strongly advise you do if you plan on heading here. There are people who do that months and weeks in advance, for real. I think we were really lucky we even got some seats at the sushi bar because we were there so early that we had to go kill some time at the casino before Sokyo opened.
Kind of empty…
… a few minutes later …
All filled up, even the sushi bar!
Sokyo is actually a lot smaller than I thought but the decor and feel of the place is extremely sophisticated, classy and elegant. The warm and yet dimmed lighting paired with the dark walls and floorboards create such a sense of intimacy. While the place is absolutely buzzing with people, it still retains that intimate feel. The waitress we had was really nice, attentive and friendly. She made us both feel so welcome and comfortable to be there. Not snobby at all! She explained that the place is actually a lot more casual than we think 😋
At first I was bummed out that we had to sit at the sushi bar but besides from the lack of space for an entire dinner spread and flat lay photo it actually wasn't bad at all!
Perks of sitting at the sushi bar:
- You can see your fresh sushi and sashimi being put together right in front of your eyes
- You can see other peoples fresh sushi and sashimi being put together right in front of your eyes
Everything on the menu was legitimately really pricey though. And I made the rookie error of ordering sparkling water which cost $9 for the bottle. But anyway that aside, we decided to go for the big sashimi platter, some robata, and a sushi roll. Maccas afterwards if we're still hungry 😂
The Sashimi Platter came so beautifully presented on a bed of rock salt, various dipping sauces, and of course the star of this dishes theatrics, the dry ice. It truly felt so fancy and magical ✨ ✨
Sashimi Platter - Chefs Choice 24 pieces of traditional sashimi $60
- The waitress explained each component of the platter but I was too busy being mesmerised by the dry ice that I completely forgot everything she was saying
- After reading a bunch of reviews to try and figure out what we ate I THINK IT WAS: snapper, kingfish, tuna, salmon, scallops and bonito. But I can't say much so I'll refer to it by colour
- The salmon had nice lines of fat through out it and it was incredibly creamy and delicious
- The scallops were so thick and juicy and who knew they'd taste so good raw!
- The white one in slices I didn't like though because I personally found it too fishy, however Fran enjoyed it
- The brown one on the far right had a really unique texture. It was a bit more dry and firm as if it had been a bit cooked or something
- The thing in the small bowl that is like a ceviche thing was so good. Really refreshing and delicate and I reckon it would definitely stand on its own
- We loved the dipping sauces! They were generous amounts making it easy to find the perfect compliment to each sashimi. One of my favourites was the yuzu dipping sauce which I felt went with everything
- Overall, everything on this platter was very fresh, clean, and tasty. The sauces were all so unique and complimented different pieces of sashimi really well, and the wasabi although mostly left untouched was noticeably mild and fragrant
- My boyfriend is a total food snob in the way that he is so frugal about spending on it. He's the kind of person who would choose Hungry Jacks over fine dining because of the price. However he actually LOVED this platter so much that every time I ask him if he wants sashimi now, he will say "nah it won't be as good as Sokyo" 😱 !!!!
Oh yes… and we also ordered a bowl of rice to go with our sashimi platter because we can't handle all that raw fish texture. I highly recommend it hehe
Beef Robata (wagyu tri-tip, caramelised eshallots, bbq teriyaki) $11 each
- Okay everyone raves about how the Sokyo beef robata is literally "melt-in-your-mouth" so we definitely had to test that out for ourselves
……
- It didn't melt in my mouth BUT it was a really nice piece of wagyu with both slight tenderness and a good bite to it. I was a little disappointed but Fran pointed out that he loved it and this is how beef should taste so for once he was right and I was cheered up!
- I didn't really like the onions though. I just felt like the mushiness was a bit off-putting
Prawn Tempura w/ asparagus and spicy aioli $20
- The tempura around the prawn in these rolls was so nice, light and crisp!
- The asparagus added a nice extra bit of crunch to each bite
- Although the spicy aioli mentioned was no where to be tasted… and if it was there, it wasn't memorable at all
We entered and exited via the hotel foyer side.
It's so pretty I think we spent half an hour after dinner taking photos here
It really doesn't seem like much but we were really feeling content and full with our dinner so we decided not to order anymore or have to head to maccas, and headed over to Pizzaperta Manfredi (also in The Star complex) for dessert. The entire time we were waiting to get the bill, many other staff also came over and asked if we were okay. I thought that their level of attentiveness and friendliness was superb!
I highly recommend Sokyo because my experience was just so good. Given it is really expensive, it's definitely worth trying. If you like it, come back 💖
TL;DR:
Price: Expensive
Quality: Everything is thoughtful and fresh
Service: Friendly, welcoming, professional, attentive!
Ambience: Intimate, sophisticated, modern
Sokyo
Level G, The Darling at The Star,
80 Pyrmont St, Pyrmont,
Sydney NSW 2009
0 comments