The hoardings are finally down, the bike path to Taylor Square is open and there are new additions to the neighbourhood, including gelato specialists Mapo.
asserted
path → be → Mapo
Aenza, an Australian-Japanese wine bar, opened in July, just 100 metres away from its three-year-old sibling sake bar Amuro on Crown Street.
asserted
Aenza → open → Street
A nine-metre-long, dark timber counter anchors Aenza’s open kitchen, and calculated ambient lighting creates an intimate atmosphere.
asserted
lighting → anchor → atmosphere
It’s a wonderfully designed 50-seat space (from Like Minds Studio) that immediately feels like an escape from the hectic footpath outside.
asserted
that → ’ → footpath
This is where owner-chef Joy Liu wants to flex her creativity with head chef Josh Liu, free from the borders of Amuro’s more traditional Japanese menu.
asserted
Liu → want → menu
But the menu feels more Australian, too, with seafood such as Murray cod, royal red prawns and bass grouper.
asserted
menu → feel → cod
You’ll likely start with sashimi, and snacks such as a tomato wedge marinated in umeshu and topped with miso cream-cheese and white anchovy: so much freshness, umami and acidity in one bite.
asserted
You → start → bite
Paradise prawn and pickled chilli wrapped in shiso leaf is an interesting bite, with the shiso slightly out-muscling the crustacean, but it’s still thoughtful, measured cooking, with the addition of fried leek for much-needed crunch.
asserted
it → pickle → crunch
Liu commands both the pass and the drinks, and of the 120 bottles on the wine list, more than a quarter are available by the glass.
asserted
quarter → command → glass
I’m drawn to the concise list of Japanese wines, which aren’t a common sighting in Sydney.
asserted
which → draw → Sydney
The 2016 Shimora Koshu is a freshly acidic white made from koshu grapes in Japan’s Yamanishi prefecture.
asserted
Koshu → make → prefecture
Its honeyed sweetness is subtle and stands up to the seafood.
asserted
sweetness → stand → seafood
Liu recommends the bluefin tuna sashimi without hesitation, where two cuts (the leaner akami and fattier toro) are dressed lightly in tosa soy (a bonito-infused soy sauce) and sprinkled with marinated sansho peppercorns.
asserted
cuts → recommend → peppercorns
As you work your way through the menu to the larger plates, the food ascends to more direct flavours.
asserted
food → work → flavours
I can’t recall a more expertly grilled Murray cod, where the skin is crispy and charred but the flesh remains incredibly tender.
asserted
flesh → recall → cod
The sustainably farmed fish is butterflied and halved, with two sauces on the plate: a fermented yellow capsicum and confit garlic number, and a shiso chimichurri.
asserted
fish → farm → plate
Each bite is different depending if you choose one or both sauces: acidic, sweet, salty and savoury.
asserted
you → depend → sauces
You must order it.
asserted
You → order → it
It wouldn’t be a new Sydney restaurant opening without a steak on the menu, which comes as a wagyu rib-cap paired with daikon.
asserted
which → open → daikon
The beef is great (smoky, buttery, rich) but the puck of daikon steals the show.
asserted
puck → steal → show
Intensely braised in dashi, it might be the most Japanese item on the menu.
uncertain
it → braise → menu
Desserts are made in-house by sous-chef Ping Li, and I’m still thinking about the Basque cheesecake with Burgundy-poached pear.
asserted
I → make → pear
I’ll be back to try the chiffon cake, baked daily.
asserted
I → try → cake
But when the food is so tasty, does that even matter?
asserted
that → matter → ?
Sequels, they say, are never as good as the original, but Aenza bucks the trend.
asserted
Aenza → say → trend
Cost: About $210 for two, excluding drinks
Good Food reviews are booked anonymously and paid independently.
asserted
reviews → exclude → drinks
A restaurant can’t pay for a review or inclusion in the Good Food Guide.
asserted
restaurant → pay → Guide
The Aporia
