Sushi Train @ Neutral Bay

 

 

Many (many, many) moons ago I took my very first bite of a sushi roll. I was intrigued by this handheld snack and instantly fell in love with the little parcels of rice and teriyaki chicken, cucumber and avocado wrapped in nori sheets, doused in wasabi and soy and a slither of lurid pink pickled ginger on the side. Yes, back in those days, and I am talking a good couple of decades ago, chicken teriyaki was one of the first sushi rolls to pass my lips. Thankfully, it wasn’t long before I was eating raw tuna and salmon rolls and moving onto sashimi, amongst other tasty morsels. My palate has certainly come an extremely long way since those days of chicken teriyaki rolls.

I am by far no sushi expert. Yes I have had my fair share of sushi and sashimi. I have had varying degrees of quality and quantity both here in Australia and internationally. Of course, like most, I have my favourite(s).

As with many ‘franchised’ restaurants I admittedly (and most ashamedly) have always had this pre-conceived notion that Sushi Train (which is also one of the originals to open in Australia) was a simple, casual sushi train serving plates of average sushi on mass to the public.

HOW WRONG WAS I!  

We arrived at Sushi Train in Neutral Bay at 6.30pm on a Tuesday night and the restaurant was bustling. I was blown away about how inviting and warm the restaurant felt. Friendly staff welcomed us into the restaurant and seated us at a booth near the rear or the restaurant offering us a full view of the room. The room has warm and friendly, with dark panelling, soft lighting, counter seating and booths which are beautifully set around a central preparation/kitchen area where you can watch the chefs.

Ken, chef and owner introduces himself and has carefully prepared a dish of salmon aburi to start our meal. This dish is off menu and has been specially prepared for us. Salmon aburi is cross between half grilled and half raw. Usually found atop nigiri, this is ‘deconstructed’ with lettuce, tomato, alfalfa sprouts, lemon slices, fried garlic and salmon roe. This is a lovely light dish and I love how the fat pearls of salmon roe ‘pop’ in the mouth with a subtle fishy brine flavour.

 

 

Sushi Train drinks menu includes a selection of good wines along with a small selection of sake.  It's also noted that BYO is available.  It doesn't matter how many times I have tried, Sake is unfortunately one drink that I have never quiet enjoyed.  However, when Ippin is recommended, to be served cold, I decide on one last ditch effort  The Ippin is described as medium body rich taste.  We have also ordered the Bishonen, that has a dry and sharp finish (for comparison and research purposes). As a side note, if you are a member of Washuko Lovers, bring your card along and you will receive a complimentary sake.  If you aren't a member head on over and join up (it's free). 

 

 

 

It is Japanese custom to pour drinks for others and never your own and a sure fire way to drink far to much.  Although the Bishonen was exactly how I imagined it would be and one I am not partial to, the Ippin is a game changer!  I really enjoyed this (but it must be cold).

 

Getting down to the food.  Sushi Train offers a more diverse and certainly more modern sushi compared to other restaurants.  Sure there is plump and filling sushi and sashimi making it’s way around on the conveyor however, the menu offers an a la carte offering of nigiri, handrolls, ‘ships‘ reminiscent of an Izakaya vibe.

It's refreshing to see something a little different and exciting.  It wasn't until after dinner that we realised the only dish that we actually took from the train was Edamame.  These were crispy, cold and good.

 

 

The remaining dishes were ordered al la carte.  I did noticed the selection of sauces on offer.  Obviously wasabi was, along with big packets of pickled natural ginger (not pink here) and also packets of teriyaki sauce and kewpie mayonnaise (on the right hand side).  Condiments  I have never seen elsewhere.  I also noted the above average number of packets of ginger my friend was enjoying!  It was good.

 

The menu is broken down into types of dishes.  Here we have the Seaweed and Tofu salad with sesame dressing.  Firm cubes of tofu next to a big mound of seaweed. I felt healthy eating it plus the sesame dressing was lovely.

 

Agedashi Eggplant is a generous bowl.  Tender pieces of eggplant are swimming in a light dashi broth.  I like it a lot...although my friend would preferred it a little saltier. 

 

 

A selection of nigri follows.  There are some delicious options.  We start we Ika Sugata nigiri which is a raw whole baby squid.  This is creamy and tender.

 

 

Always a fan of grilled Hotate nigiri, which is more commonly known as grilled scallop.  Hotate is my go to nigiri and this one is awesome. 

 

 

 

Topped with fresh shallots too it's the perfect bite.

 

 

 

 

A salmon volcano ship is next up.  This is aburi salmon wrapped around a ball of rice topped with a mixture of cream cheese and mayonnaise and salmon roe.  Slightly charred  this was delicious!

 

It is the duck nigiri that surprises us.  Not your traditional choice of sushi, this duck had a jerky likeness to it.  Fatty and delicious with a sweet soy sauce and the mayonnaise.  This was a winner!

 

The tiger roll is a huge serve.  Ebi tempura (or fried prawn) rolled in sushi rice, nori and topped with avocado, mayonnaise and more tempura crumbs with a miso sauce.

The contrast of crispy fried tempura batter and the creaminess of the avocado was a great texture wrapped around a yummy fried prawn.

We end our meal with a tuna nigiri (only because we hadn't had tuna at all this evening and tuna is a benchmark for me).  This was melt in your mouth and perfect (but probably should be a starter not an end to the meal).

 

 

Sushi Train offers a blend of typical, traditional sushi to the more modern dishes and depending on your appetite will fit any budget.  We were overall extremely pleased with out dining experience, as for my friend it was second time ever to do a sushi train and know that I may just have enticed her to go again!

Thanks for a great evening.  I know I will be returning to a Sushi Train soon!

 

*Roofood dined as a guest of Sushi Train Neutral Bay and SD Marketing

Sushi Train
306-308 Military Road
(Neutral Bay) Cremorne, Sydney
www.sushitrain.com.au



Sushi Tucker @ Neutral Bay

Japanese cuisine has come along way in Sydney, and there are more and more restaurants opening offering anything from handrolls to skewers, fresh sashimi and ramen to more complex dishes, sake tastings and regional spin on classic dishes. Casual to the more fine dining options. Regional Japanese is on the rise in Sydney and everyone is hunting out good food with new flavours.

From the street Sushi Tucker is an unassuming shop front, at first glance you might think it is similar to any other casual diner offering cheap and tasty sushi and handrolls. Once inside, you will see that it is just that, simple, casual yet very friendly and inviting. It's the little touches that make it so quaint.

Sushi Tucker is part of the Yachiyo chain which owns three restaurants and two shops throughout Sydney. Tucker offers rice bowls, and is particularly known for its ‘create your own’ rice and salad bowls, hand rolls and rice sandwiches (the ‘new’ sushi trend). Everyday starts with a visit to the Fish Markets and all produce is prepared at a central kitchen before being distributed amongst the restaurants. Not only are the ingredients fresh and of the highest quality it also means that the same quality is served in the shop and the restaurants.

Take a seat at one of the few small tables and browse the menu that is on the wall behind the counter. The selections are endless with various combinations of your toppings. Recently they have added dumplings to the menu and the steamer can be seen in the front window. Just what you need on a cold night.  

I am informed that the special tonight is the Pork Katsu Curry and that it is very popular. While the pork katsu special is not always on the menu there is always a ‘special’ of the day..

We make a selection with a little bit of assistance from staff who are eager to recommend various dishes.

In the glass fridge/cabinent are a selection of Japanese drinks including green tea. The Iced Lychee Tea has my attention. It’s a sweet style tea with a lovely lychee flavour.

In no time we are presented with a beautiful big bowl of the pork katsu. I am immediately drawn to the large cutlet that is golden brown with crispy panko crumbs and the light gravy of the curry sauce. It smells delicious.

The pork was crispy fried, crunchy and tender (although I am unsure of the cut of pork). The curry sauce was well balanced with a light curry flavour.. I am told that the curry sauce today is made with both fish and chicken stock, chicken and vegetables. There are cubes of potato and carrot in the sauce. At $9.90 this is a large serve.


Two perfectly rolled handrolls appear on a board with a bowl of miso soup (extra). Soy sauce and wasabi are also offered to mix your own sauce. We have chosen a snow crab roll and a scallop roll. The handrolls range between $3 and $4.

Although the snow crab meat is sweet, I find it a very strong crab flavour and I am still unsure whether I like it or not. However it was the scallop handroll that delighted me. The cold creaminess of the raw scallop has a lovely texture.

Tonight I have chosen to create my own rice bowl. Firstly you choose your rice base being white rice, brown rice or sushi rice and then your salad leaf which could be a mixed leaf, a herb mix or cos lettuce.

Secondly, you choose your fresh toppings that include a variety of seafood, including lobster, snow crab, scallop, smoked salmon and eel to name but a few. There is also miso pork, wagyu beef and spicy chicken. There are vegetables and edamame, crunch fried wonton skins and avocado. The beauty of these toppings is that they come in various serving sizes offering a truly unique create your own depending on your appetite. You could opt for a large serve of salmon and a small serve of eel or a medium serve of spicy chicken and you can have as little or as many toppings as you choose (each topping is charged for).  Price range would be between 6.90 and 90 cents. This could ultimately make it a very expensive ‘cheap’ dinner, but a unique and very tasty dish!

Lastly you have a choice of dressings ranging from sesame, teriyaki, wasabi or spicy. I have asked if I could taste a few dressing to see what works best with my choices.

I have chosen small servings overall, which actually gives you a fairly decent size bowl once everything has been added.

My bowl arrives and it’s beautifully presented. So colourful and fresh.

Consisting of sushi rice, mixed salad leaves, fresh tuna, fresh salmon, eel, avocado and crunchy wontons. I also note they have thrown in corn, edamame and some cucumber too. Along side are small bowls of Dynamite sauce, which is a caramelised chilli and soy sauce and packs a good punch of heat. The ‘house’ Yachiyo sauce, a onion soy sauce (which is also my favourite) and the widely popular and well known wasabi mayonnaise.


As a side note, Sushi Tucker is also a member of Washoku Lovers and offers a great member set deal. It’s free to become a member (and you can join here). I was lucky to be there when a member was ordering a Washoku Lovers set and I asked if I could take a photo of her meal. Here she has chosen the chicken teriyaki rice sandwich, smoked salmon rice paper roll and dumplings, along with miso soup and a salad. This is definitely a bargain at $10.

A very enjoyable casual dinner spot in Neutral Bay. A suburb north of the bridge and one I need to
explore more.



*roofood dined as a guest of Yachiyo and SD Marketing