I was really looking forward to the Co-op Scholars Charitable Society dinner at Azuma Kushiyaki tonight, mainly because I wanted to write another post for this blog, but also because I wanted to try the restaurant for myself after finding several positive reviews.
At first glance, it seemed like a welcoming, somewhat classy, Japanese fusion restaurant with ambient lighting, relaxed atmosphere and simple yet sophisticated decor.
But that's about where the positives end.
To begin with, the service was quite poor. I'm accustomed to being greeted the sight and intricate descriptions of a restaurant's signature dishes upon opening up the menu, but instead, I see a page full of policies. One of which stated: minimum $30 spend per person. Under normal circumstances, this isn't a problem to me. Any satisfying meal at a mid-tier restaurant would cost somewhere between $40-$60. (although I am currently on a diet...) But to see the policy printed in black and white on the first page of the menu is somewhat off-putting. That was just the beginning.
After realising that we were expecting two more people than we booked for, a waitress advised that we should "count" the number of diners before making a booking. At any normal restaurant, this would be a simple problem that can be fixed by pulling up two chairs. But at Azuma, there seems to be a strict table-to-chair policy, which if broken, would result in a rude response: "You are not allowed to sit there, please get up" and "No no no, this chair is not for that table" After several minutes of standing awkwardly, the waitress finally brings out a matching chair and explains "this chair is for this table".
Another problem with the service was the timing and serving of the food. Although we all ordered at the same time, the dishes, regardless of whether they were an appetizer or main, came out individually whenever they were completed. This resulted in an awkward situation where some people had already finished eating by the time the last few dishes were served; not to mention it took about 15 minutes to serve one mug of green tea.
The first dish to arrive was my Seared Tuna Salad which was apparently made 'famous' on the SBS series: Food Safari.
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| Seared Tuna Salad - $16 |
I wasn't quite sure what I was expecting when I ordered it because I assumed that a salad that was featured on national television must be different or special somehow. So when it arrived, I was somewhat disappointed by the appearance of the dish - and I'm not a fan of a pile of shallots.
I'm not trying to be fussy, but I just want to point out that the onion slices are very uneven...
The dish does taste better than it looks though. The tuna was seared evenly, and just melts in your mouth (although a little stringy). Paired with the crunchiness of the fried garlic slices, the tangy vinaigrette and soggy salty crumbs, with just a hint of heat from the spring onions, it was definitely a pleasant mouthful.
Pleasant, but not outstanding, not amazingly good, not what I expected.
Next up was the 8-Skewer Tasting Plate which seemed to be a new addition to the menu (as it was written in ink in a cramped corner of the menu)
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| 8-Skewer Tasting Plate - $19.95 |
I think this dish looks quite cute, and by cute, I mean street-food cute. The presentation and plating at this restaurant is definitely inconsistent. Or consistent in terms of not meeting my expectations. Nevertheless, it did look quite appetizing. I feel like it's halfway there, but they haven't figured out how to make it look better.
Working clockwise starting from the Zucchini seasoned with dried Shiso leaf flakes, we have Asparagus dressed with soy & butter, Chicken thigh fillet with Kushiyaki sauce, Chicken breast with pickled plum mayo, Atlantic Salmon fillet with soy, Sea Perch marinated in soy, sake & mirin, Grain fed Ox tongue with Azuma’s curry salt, Wagyu beef tenderloin with Yuzu citrus pepper.
After sampling each of these skewers, I noticed one common factor that tied them all together: They were all very under seasoned, very bland. The Zucchini was a little dry and overpowered by the distinctive flavor of the Shiso leaf, the Asparagus - they weren't even cut to the same length, and tasted like it was boiled then reheated in a fry pan. The chicken skewers were very dry, and overcooked. I didn't even know dark meat could be THAT dry. With the Salmon and the Perch, I honestly wouldn't be surprised if they just left out the soy and grilled them with a bit of oil. You can tell just by looking at the colour of the fish that it either wasn't marinated in soy or not marinated for long enough.
The beef and ox tounge skewers were the only two satisfactory pieces on that plate.
I guess that's why they gave us a large salt and pepper grinder.
(Another thing I just want to add - I prefer to add my salt and pepper separately to get a good balance of seasoning to my personal taste, but Azuma Kushiyaki only gives you one shaker that has a pre-mixed combination of salt and peppercorns.)
Perhaps it's my inexperienced palette or lack of appreciation for this style of grilling, but I don't think I would be satisfied if I were to be served this selection of skewers from a food cart for half the price.
My friend ordered a mediocre Seafood Salad.
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| Seafood Salad - $16 |
There was one good dish on the menu though, the Wagyu Steak with soy garlic sauce - $25. I didn't manage to get a photo of this, but the texture of the marbled beef is perfect and just melts in your mouth. The only flaw with the dish that I could find (other than the presentation) was that it was pre-cut, and I prefer to cut my own steak, but that's just me.
And finally, for dessert, I ordered the Earl Grey Chiffon Cake, served with whipped cream, vanilla bean ice-cream and fruit salad. This cake was described by the Sydney Morning Herald as "Feathery, Pillowy, Melt-in-the-mouth...". And better yet, it's low in calories!
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| Earl Grey Chiffon Cake - $9.80 |
And again with the awkward plating...
After having my average dinner, I wasn't expecting much from the dessert, just looking at the puddle of split "whipped cream" made me regret my decision. But the cake was surprisingly good. The Earl Grey flavor was prominent and fragrant and the texture of the cake was as pillowy, and fluffy as described. I couldn't find any flaws with the fruit or the ice-cream (although the orange peel does look a little dirty), but I stayed away from the mysterious puddle of watering cream.
If you're not willing to dine at the restaurant just to try this cake, they also offer a selection of desserts at the Azuma Patisserie next door (Chiffon Cake for $5.80).
Overall, I had a great time at Azuma Kushiyaki, catching up with friends and discussing future CSCS plans and the. The food and service were disappointing but only because I expected better quality from a premium restaurant. Personally, I don't understand why there are so many positive reviews for Azuma Kushiyaki, but I would never choose to dine there again because there are plenty of Japanese restaurants in Sydney that offer a better dining experience at a lower price.
Ratings:
Atmosphere: 8.5
Service: 3.5
Food:5
Price/ Value: 8
Overall: 5
Azuma Kushiyaki
T: (02) 9267 7775
Ground Floor Regent Place Shopping
501 George Street
Sydney NSW 2000
ahaha so much hate bottled up
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