I often say how lucky we are to live in such a diverse food area like Darlinghurst. We have a myriad of options to choose from, most of which was only a few minutes from our doorstep! GAKU ROBATA GRILL is one of the most recent newcomers to the area. We had tried to go a few weeks ago for lunch (where they do ramen!) but they were already full when we got there and a line was starting to form.
This time we went back in the evening, where unfortunately you cannot get ramen. However, the normal food menu is amazing in it’s own way!
We started with a couple of smaller, snack-y dishes. First up was the Kurumi-ae – choi sum, walnut, tofu cream ($9). Such a simple dish but packed full of flavour! The walnuts were candied as well, adding a sweet element to the dish. I often find Japanese food can be quite meat-heavy, so make sure you order a the kurumi-ae or a salad to balance it all out.
We also couldn’t go past Shimon’s Famous Kara-age 2010 – deep fried chicken, ponzu noisette ($16). If it says ‘famous’, it must be good, right?! This certainly did not disappoint AT ALL. It’s quite different to the karaage I’ve had before. The batter, for one, was a lot lighter and more powdery. This dish is not simply fried chicken. The chef later came out to explain to us that it’s been twice cooked! First they fry it at 170 degrees, then again at 190 degrees. This way the batter stays light but the chicken is still moist inside. I’d highly recommend this if you’re into karaage!
When we arrived at the restaurant we were told that they had a fresh, blue fin tuna that had been caught near Ulladulla in southern New South Wales. Apparently it’s quite rare to get fresh blue fin tuna and most of it is frozen. Who knew! They had limited portions of all sorts of exotics cuts, but we went with the Nigiri Sushi – Kama Toro ($10). This is the part of meat that is behind the gills and there were only 4 portions available! Lucky for us we got two of those. When the dish came out we thought it looked suspiciously like meat… Had they made a mistake and this was actually the wagyu?!
Seriously, this was unlike anything I’ve ever tasted. It was definitely like meat, like beef even. But no, it was tuna! It is so soft and melts in your mouth immediately. If you get a chance to try this cut of tuna, definitely grab that chance!
The next two dishes were equally as amazing as the tuna nigiri. I had fond memories of wagyu sushi after eating it at Yakiniku GREAT in Hong Kong. The Wagyu Aburi Sushi – seared wagyu beef, grated daikon radish, ponzu ($6 per piece) was totally different to what I had imagined. Firstly, that piece of wagyu is HUGE compared to the tiny rice underneath. DS managed to pick it up and neatly fold everything into his mouth in one go. I, however, did not succeed as well and had to go with two (very messy) bites. But, MAN! This is TASTY! I would have eaten a dozen of these – so again, highly recommend you order this.
Finally, the Salmon – pan seared salmon, kombu fennel salad, smoke soy dressing ($18) arrived. It’s a fairly big piece of salmon for that price. I can’t even explain this to you properly. It melts in your mouth instantly. It’s like it’s been cooked sous-vide. It’s so tasty and soft. Possibly some of the best salmon I’ve ever eaten. Make sure you order it.
I feel like this has been a post of ‘highly recommends’ because we couldn’t really fault anything at all. DS has already called it as his new favourite restaurant and we’re looking forward to coming and trying their ramen menu too. That is only available at lunch times, by the way.
In addition to the good food, the service was great too. At the end of the meal, the chef came out to speak to us and ask us how everything was. He told us that he works here every day and that his favourite ramen to make is tonkotsu. We’ll definitely be trying that one out! It’s little things like that that really make a difference to a dining experience. GAKU ROBATA GRILL, we welcome you to Darlinghurst!
P.S: I’ve heard the menu is going to change once their robata licence comes through. That makes me excited because it’ll just be another excuse to check out GAKU again!
GAKU ROBATA GRILL
132 DARLINGHURST ROAD
DARLINGHURST
NO WEBSITE
INSTAGRAM
