Did you know that it takes one hour (or more) to get from Sydney... to Sydney!? 🙃 It's all too familiar to work in the CBD, not have any pressing last minute work matters and yet still be late to your dinner reservation because the bus moves centimetre by centimetre at a time. And that teamed with peak hour traffic too, oh my.
But ANYWAY there are so many food choices here perfect for a little celebratory dinner that it's hard to pass up despite the wonderful transport options. Patrick chose Toko in Surry Hills for our anniversary dinner which I have been meaning to try for a while now!
"Sorry I'm late!!!" I sigh as I make my way past the staff and rush to pull out a seat from under the table. Patrick rolls his eyes because on one hand yes, public transport is notoriously unreliable but on the other hand, so am I when it comes to who gets to the restaurant first.
Despite a glossy black exterior, the inside of Toko is surprisingly cosy with its wooden slash industrial fit out and soft but moody lighting. I find it really nice and casual with a crowd that is a mix of friends and colleagues all enjoying themselves after a long day.
Even though it felt like the longest journey to arrive here, I still make it before the dinner rush hits so I get to enjoy the calm before the storm. Noticing the thick bundle of a coat I have placed on the seat next to me, the staff offer to take it to the cloakroom. Love it!
We order our drinks to start and opt to be looked after with the "sora" tasting menu. The cost for this is $98 per person and there has to be a minimum of 2 people dining.
"hiramasa no usuzukuri"
Sliced Kingfish with Yuzu and Chives
Unfortunately this dish didn't taste that special or memorable. It was quickly devoured and I didn't really get any hints of yuzu or chive.. just a bit of sweet soy flavour.
"kangaroo no taru taru"
Kangaroo tartare with pepita and blood lime
I am a huge fan of kangaroo AND of all tartare dishes so I was really excited to see this combined. It truly seemed to highlight the venture into modern Australian cuisine with authentic Japanese aesthetic. Kangaroo can often be quite tough with an overpowering gamey taste. However this tartare beautifully melted in the mouth and had enjoyable subtle flavours from the native herbs and lime. It was served with what I can only remember as some sort of charcoal or nori seaweed crackers? They were really light and airy, and only slightly seasoned which went perfectly with the richness of the tartare.
"honjitsu no osusume no osashimi"
Daily selection of Sashimi
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"tenaga ebi no nigiri"
Scampi nigiri, foie gras, truffle oil
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"wagyu no nigiri"
Seared wagyu beef nigiri, eschallots, chives
Served ALL AT ONCE this was such a beautiful and colourful platter for the table. I should also mention that we also have some salmon and tuna nigiri on our platter because we switched it out with the oyster entree that was originally on this tasting menu. Huge fan of these classic nigiri toppings and not so much an oyster fan so this was a great compromise. Thank you Toko!
The sashimi and sushi was very fresh and oh so delicious. The thick slabs of kingfish sashimi with the hot wasabi and simple soy sauce was actually a lot better to me than the kingfish in the entree above. The salmon and tuna nigiri also had a brush of soy sauce painted over the top and it was so delicious, we didn't need to dip these ones into any extra sauce.
As for the scampi sashimi, it was unfortunately a little bit on the chewy and tough side. There are shavings of foie gras on it and I admit I never had foie gras before. But I think it lent an extra rich, buttery and earthy flavour.
My favourite? I always love a good wagyu beef nigiri. This one had stunning grill marks yet balanced the line between seared and sashimi really well. It was not completely 'melt in your mouth' but that's what I enjoy too - a little bit of that real beef texture. Really delicious with the eschallots and chives but even better with additional wasabi. Here's another photo below because I enjoyed it very much:
What's next...
"watari-gani no karaage"
Crispy soft-shell crab, wasabi mayonnaise
A soft shell crab, halved and battered. The tempura-esque batter was light, slightly crispy and deliciously seasoned. I loved tackling the crab legs one by one on my half. The wasabi mayo was nice too but I kind of wish I had stashed the remaining wasabi from the sashimi and sushi platter for extra wasabi flavour hehe
"wafu zucchini"
Zucchini, wafu sauce, sesame
As what I can only describe as the adult I am, I am still learning how to eat a zucchini and distinguish it apart from just being the weird, warm and mushy cousin of the cucumber. Dishes like these definitely help. The sweet and savoury wafu sauce featured a generous helping of grated onions and it was actually very delicious with the warm and slightly grilled zucchinis. The thinner slices were better as they were less watery. Overall, a nice vegetable addition to the night!
"sake no aburi yaki"
Smoked miso king salmon, house pickled ginger
Such a pretty and orange dish! The salmon had an amazing grill on every side and was still tender and juicy. They didn't explain to us what the sauce was but I think it's red miso? Definitely very strong and savoury which is so yummy with the salmon!
"amiyaki ro-su niku no wafu sauce"
Scotch fillet steak, wafu sauce, garlic chips
Love the rare and pink doneness of the steak! Unfortunately I would say this is my least favourite dish of the night. I found the steak to be too chewy. The wafu sauce, spring onion and crunchy garlic chips did offer a little redemption but ultimately, a miss.
"shiro miso"
White miso soup, spring onion, tofu, wakame
A simple miso soup to end the meal is always very lovely!
Grape Sorbet
A small round ball of grape sorbet garnished with a slice of grape is about the cutest thing at Toko this day! This was sweet and refreshing. A great palate cleanser to end the meal.
Except it wasn't really over because there was one more thing...
I think this was a dark chocolate mouse with either tofu or mascarpone. Either way, it is all rich chocolately goodness!
I love when the kitchen comes out with a special surprise dessert plate with writing and sparklers or candles too. It's such a nice way to make sure the special occasion you are celebrating is that much more memorable. And even better that is wasn't something Patrick and I had to SHARE. We got one each but even though he loves chocolate, he so kindly let me have the one with the writing 😍
Thank you to the staff for kindly taking these cheesy polaroids for us!
Had such a good night trying the tasting menu at Toko. The dishes were generally delicious and even though the service declined as the night got busier, they were still friendly. I would highly recommend this place for a nice dinner, or even celebration and drinks!
Toko
490 Crown Street,
Surry Hills NSW 2010
Open Wednesday to Saturday
