Moon’s Fresh Sushi, Dulwich Hill

Dulwich Hill is a fabulous suburb to live in, with Vietnamese, Thai, Lebanese, Pakistani, Chinese and Portuguese restaurants, plus plenty of excellent cafes, delis, butchers and patisseries. There are times, however, that I simply need sushi. 

Sushi Bar Rashai, Annandale

I love this place. I even had my 30th birthday family dinner here, partly because it’s such great food, and also because kids are made very welcome. Kids under 10 can even choose a free gift! Lucky ducks. Adults get a free meal on their birthday too if they’ve preregistered.

Mizuya Japanese Restaurant and Karaoke, CBD

We wander down the dimly lit stairs towards eerily glowing underground caves. Strange and haunting melodies (I used the term ‘melody’ loosely) echo from every deep dark corner, the seductive fragrance of sesame and smokiness teasing our nostrils.

Welcome to Mizuya! 

Komachi, Surry Hills

I took my lovely sister here as a birthday gift, using a Living Social voucher – $37 for a two-course banquet for us both. The banquet usually costs $38 each so it was a big saving.

Iiza Japanese Restaurant, Newtown

I love Japanese food and I love Newtown, and while decent Japanese places in Newtown do exist (Hikaru, Asakusa) there was definitely a gap in the market for an upmarket Japanese restaurant with accompanying sake and imported beer. Enter Iiza! 

Wagaya, Haymarket

For a Christmas dinner with some special ladies, I decided we should try Wagaya – I’d heard good things about the food, the location was central, and the idea of ordering on touch screens really appealed to my inner nerd. (You can also check your bill summary as you go, a great way to keep an eye on the cost.)

Fujiyama, Leichhardt

My mum and I come here all the time now, having fallen in love with their ‘Black Horenso’…

Nakashima, Circular Quay

This is a cute little restaurant tucked away on Cambridge St, off the main drag of shops and restaurants. It is decent value especially considering it’s in Circular Quay, costing about $8 per entree or $15 per main. We usually fill up for about $25 each. It has an outdoor seating area with a pleasant atmosphere and the staff are always courteous and attentive. Below are some of our favourite dishes, but we’ve found that pretty much everything is good!

Hikaru Japanese Restaurant, Newtown

I like this place because it’s great value, the courtyard is cute and I’ve never had anything that wasn’t yummy.

Best dishes are the misoyaki (steak or salmon, with sweet miso sauce), nasi miso (eggplant with miso sauce), the agedashi tofu and the sushi and sashimi. Here is a photo of the large sushi/sashimi combination boat, $28.