Potts Point is all abuzz about newcomer Cho Cho San.
DS and I decided to try new, hot restaurant Cho Cho San in a suburb that is conveniently a stone’s throw away from my place – Potts Point. The restaurant is definitely cool – think concrete floors, minimal birch furniture fit out, long sleek bar. But it’s also cool because it isn’t just full of Potts Point scene-sters (although there were a lot of those…) – it’s the kind of place my parents would be happy going to as well.
The izakaya style menu is great, with a big selection from the raw bar, some really fun small plates and sides as well.
We went for the Tuna, avocado, pickled eggplant ($22) as I’m a big fan of tuna sashimi. Absolutely nothing to complain about this dish – the tuna was amazingly fresh and the avocado and eggplant complimented it well. Definitely a great starter.
We got one each of the buns on the small plates menu: Spanner crab toasted bun ($12 each) was really great but really quite overpriced in my opinion. The Duck steamed bun ($9, not pictured) was also really tasty – makes you think that they should start doing peking duck in buns rather than pancakes.
A highlight for me was the Tempura okra ($12) – okra is just SUCH an underrated vegetable! Most people haven’t even heard of it. Along with celeriac, fennel and parsnip, it’s definitely one that needs to appear on the menu more often. The Salt & Pepper Chicken Wings ($14) were also super great, especially with a bit of lime squeezed on top. Again, a very large portion for what you’re paying – I don’t think we even finished it!
Another stand-out from the night was the Soy glazed wagyu beef ($30). Every mouthful was such a delight, especially with the minimal seasoning that really lets the meat flavour come through. And for a good go-to side, we got the Brown rice, shiitake mushroom, egg ($12) which, to me, is a bit more Chinese-style than Japanese.
Overall, the food was really great at Cho Cho San. Quite creative, very tasty and fresh. The only negative is probably around the pricing of some of the dishes – $12 for a 2-bite spanner crab bun, when I could get an enormous plate of tempura okra for the same price, or 7+ chicken wings for $2 extra… I’d say if you’re going, stick to the dishes that are good value. Also – I know the matcha soft serve was all the rage over Instagram but personally…Gelato Messina is also a short walk away.
Cho Cho San
73 Macleay Street
Potts Point
http://chochosan.com.au/
