NomNom: Sushi of Masuya, Sydney

Part of the Masuya International restaurant group, Sushi of Masuya open their door from 16 June 2014. 1/2heart and I are fans of Masuya (12-14 O'Connell st, close to Wynyard station) and Miso (World Square), and we were excited to see another establishment from the group, closer to Haymarket. We knew that dining at one of Masuya's restaurants wouldn't be cheap, but we knew we would be getting quality - the most important aspect of Japanese food, in my opinion.

We were right.





At around 12 p.m., the place was almost deserted. Looking at their lunch menu, I could not divert my eyes from their Eel (Unagi) and Anago Chirashi Sushi Set ($23.50).



I love eel, and Sushi of Masuya did not disappoint. Fluffy japanese short grain rice covered with generous slices of unagi and anago, slathered with sweet teriyaki-like sauce. The set comes with Agedashi Tofu and Miso Soup, as well as a small portion of radish/daikon pickles.

For the uninformed, Anago is salt-water eel. The more common one found in Japanese restaurants is the thicker and the more chewy Unagi, which is fresh-water eel. Anago is considerably thinner, usually smaller, and less oily than unagi.



My preference? They are both good - I enjoyed the unagi as I could not find or taste any small bones usually found in cheaper quality ones. The anago has cleaner taste though.

Look at those beautiful gems

1/2 heart opted for Sashimi Set ($18.50), also inclusive of Agedashi Tofu and Miso Soup.



The sashimis were, well, fresh. Very clean tasting, crunchy pieces of fish. And you can't really go beyond that.



So impressed we were with our lunch session, that we decided to come back for dinner and tried their a-la carte menu :D
While lunch was a quiet affair, Sushi of Masuya was packed with patrons during dinner.

We ordered Beans Goma-Ae ($5.80) for appetizer. Crunchy beans tasty sesame dressing. I wanted to also order their Salmon Fin Kara-Age, however unfortunately they did not have that.



Chicken Katsu ($16.80) was coated in generous panko crumbs, very crunchy and deceptively light tasting despite them being deep fried. It did not come with any rice though, so we had to order a bowl of rice ($3).



The star dish of the night would definitely be Wagyu Steak in Miso Sauce ($38.80). Sirloin piece of wagyu beef with marbling score of 7 (pretty good), it is freaking expensive. But the moment I bit into the meat, slathered with that tasty miso sauce - all was forgotten. There were only me and the juicy tender beef (no dice ever of me being a vegetarian there -_-). When 1/2heart let out an appreciative guttural moan after tasting his first piece of the steak, I knew he felt the same.

Sushi of Masuya
(Masuya International)

447 Pitt St. (cnr Pitt & Campbell St), Sydney, 2000

ph: 02 9280 0377

NomNom: Lotus Dumpling Bar, Dawes Point; Vivid Sydney 2014

"You have to try this dumpling bar. It's delicious!", My colleague walked up to my desk, surrendering a bill receipt for me to reimburse. I looked at the receipt and I remember raising my eyebrows: it was a $150+ lunch bill at Lotus Dumpling Bar.
I knew he had a lunch appointment with our clients, and I knew there were three people in total - including him - for the lunch affair. Fair enough if it was at some upscale restaurant, but $150+ at a dumpling joint for three people? (They did not even order any alcohol, mind you)

"What did you guys order?", I asked him, a bit bewildered, while checking the itemised order on the bill receipt. Duck pancakes, dumplings, dumplings, and more dumplings... .

"Dumplings," He said nonchalantly, "Anyway, give this place a go. It is excellent."

That was a few weeks ago and I quickly brushed his recommendation off; After all - for me, Din Tai Fung or Chef's Gallery are already epitomes of expensive dumplings.

Until last night - the second last night of Vivid festival for 2014. With all the road closures, 1/2heart and I parked our car closer to Chinatown and decided to walk all the way to The Rocks and Circular Quay to enjoy the light festival.
Then we got hungry. Then we spotted Lotus Dumpling Bar. Then I remember my colleague's enthused gushing recommendation.
Between Lotus and an also-expensive pizza joint across the road, we decided to give this place a go, and am glad that we did.



Lotus is chic. There is no doubt about it; from the semi-indutrial decor, the china dishes, even the tea cups (by the way, tea for two costed A$5, and it's free refill). But what about the food? After all, I came here expecting a lot.



The first dish: Jade Seafood Dumpling (A$13.80). Once you get past the thought that each piece of these dumplings costs more than $3, you'd be happy to taste delectable pretty dumplings filled with juicy prawns, mushroom and peas, enveloped in perfect dough. The jade green color is apparently from spinach, but for me it just gave a nice color (I'm mad about green) and just made it more enticing to eat.
Have to give my toes up for the skin texture: perfect thickness - they hold the fillings very well - and no hint of sogginess, they bounced inside my mouth.



Pan Fried Pork Buns (A$10.80) had perfect crispy bottoms and when eaten, exploded with juice from the ground pork inside.



Next came Prawn & Pork Wonton in Spicy Sauce (A$9.80). I ordered this thinking it would be a similar version of Din Tai Fung's - the one that I love so much. However, this one was quite different: instead of the usual tangy sweet and spicy sauce I was accustomed to, Lotus' wontons were not as spicy. I was a bit taken a first (chilli-freak over here), however treated as a different dish altogether, it was actually quite good. The cloudy sauce had nutty sesame taste, the wontons were moist and glided very easily the moment they touched my tongue - bouncy and flavorsome.



Lotus Fried Rice with Duck and Asparagus with Mustard Flavour (Small - A$16). I ordered this as I figured the past three dishes were not enough for the two of us. Wanting to avoid ordering more dumplings, I thought this would be a good stomach filler.
Small portion turned out to be a good portion for two, however this was probably the least satisfactory dish for the night. Though the rice had good texture and still had very mild mustard flavor (dotted with mustard seeds too), it was quite lacking in flavor - we had to put some soy sauce and chilli into it to make it more of our taste.



So, the verdict? I have to admit my colleague is right: Lotus is a great place serving excellent dumplings. Taste (apart from that fried rice), texture, quality - they hit the spot. Just don't think of the bill.

Lotus Dumpling Bar

Shop 3a / 16 Hickson Road, Walsh Bay

Satisfied with our dinner, we braced the cold night onto The Rocks and Circular Quay vicinity to treat our eyes to Vivid light show. With some pictures from the night, I finish this blog post :)