Few things in this world please me as much as deliciously fresh Sashimi. I love the simplicity of Japanese food-the freshest ingredients married with simple yet elegant saucing. I would argue that no other cuisine has influenced the way we cook and eat day to day more then Japanese. My favourite destination for Japanese is Sakura at Highgate Hill.
The Sakura dining room is unpretentious and purpose built. Immediately as you walk in you see the sushi bar and nestled behind the kings of knives- the sushi chef. My favourite place to sit is at the sushi bar- so to admire the fantastic knife skills and to eye off exactly what I’ll include on the sashimi plate. The menu at Sakura represents a very broad selection of Japanese cuisine everything from gyoza to sashimi, tempura to hot pots, teriyaki dishes and more.
Mr. Eat Me Brisbane and I often come here both to celebrate our successes and share commiserations as when you leave here your spirit is inevitably buoyed by deliciousness and the wait-staff here always make me smile. In saying that Sakura pricing means that for most it’s not an every day eat- this is higher-end Japanese but it represents not only the best Japanese dining experience in Brisbane but also one of the most consistent eating establishments in Brisbane.
On this occasion we ordered the Agadeshi Tofu, Isobe age (tempura scallops tied with nori…oh my god please, please, please have this dish it is divine), Sashimi Moriawase and a tempura prawn roll (perfectly cooked prawn, delicious roe, yummy fresh nori).
The Agadeshi Tofu here is the best in the business- silken tofu perfectly coated in a light cornflour based batter and fried, the tofu is then drizzled with a gingered Dashi broth accompanied with Bonito flakes, grated ginger and chilli. This dish is so perfectly balanced here.
Next up my favourite- Isobe Age-, scallops rolled in nori and finished by tempura cooking- these arrive with a very subtle dashi/sesame broth. Crunchy, fresh of the sea flavour total bliss. The are scallops cooked to perfection.
The Sashimi Moriawase arrives in a large boat with an array of fish and sea creatures. You can nominate what you’d like to include, tonight we left it to the chef. Our boat contained; Salmon, Tuna, Kingfish, scallops, and calamari. All were perfectly fresh, expertly sliced and refreshingly delicious. This also came with rice and miso.
To finish we had a tempura prawn roll- that was as you’d expect biting down into perfectly fresh nori, well seasoned and textured rice then the crunch delight of a perfect tempura prawn in kewpie lemony glory. Yum
Sakura is licensed with a great selection of Sake, Japanese export and domestic beers. Make sure your treat yourself and make your way here. Bookings are recommended.
Hanaichi is a consistently good, value for money sushi bar with a convienient CBD locale to boot. I'm kind of always baffled how there aren't many good casual dining options in Brisbane's CBD- the choices are so limited.
