My wife and I celebrated our 1 year wedding anniversary here on a bustling Saturday evening.
Food: we ordered the omakase set menu plus some scallops.
The first course was the seared scallops, cooked prawn and pickled okra amalgamated by a delicious corn puree. Both my wife and I were amazed with the way the corn flavour brought all the others together. Delicious!
Course 2 was the kingfish sashimi which was fresh and balanced.
We then followed up with the barramundi in Dashi broth. The crispy skin of the barramundi was a delightful surprise and the mushroom filled dashi broth added real body to the whole dish. The scallop special was especially yummy with a miso bbq sauce.
Seafood done, we moved to the Wagyu which was perfectly cooked and succulent all the way through. The eggplant sauce that it was served on added a superb earthiness which really made it my favourite dish of the meal.
Finally dessert, whilst we didn't have the Dragon Egg we were delighted nonetheless. The hazelnut mousse coupled with the chocolate crumb and raspberry jelly cubes topped off the meal without making us feel like we overate.
Value: for $85 pp (minus the scallops) this is a bargain in the Rocks for such good food in a high end restaurant.
Service: Perfect as expected despite the high volume of patrons on a busy Saturday and added step of QR check in for contact tracing. Whilst we were limited to a 90 min seating the food came out at a great pace and we didn't feel rushed :)
had a great dinner at sake’s. Service was so so, price pretty standard for Japanese dining. Everything tasted amazing & loved the lighting in the restaurant. Favourite dish was the new style sashimi!! Definitely order it if you’re ever there :)
Sake was a choice for our sit down team dinner after a milestone achieved in hip surgeries. It couldn't be any better. The crowd was the people I hang with on most days, the service was impeccable.
Worthy mentions were the nori crisps, hiramasa kingfish, shumai and goma (pictured).
Amazing staff, layered cuisine and a vibe to remember.
Kudos.
Sashimi was great, the vibe was great, service... was rather average. Our waiter seemed very uninterested in conversation and even got our order wrong. Disregarding that, it's well worth a try! ;)
The perfect ambience to dine in the later evenings with it’s optional restaurant, bar and front row seats to the chefs cooking in the kitchen. The service is always attentive, polite and crisp. If you’re not a fan of dimly lit restaurants, then Saké may not be the place for you. The food is consistently great every time I dine here and have yet to be disappointed. ⠀
⠀
🍽 DISHES SAMPLED ⠀
⭕️ SASHIMI DELUXE PLATTER |⠀
There are not many places that perfect their kingfish slices like Saké has. It is by far the best I’ve had, whereas the tuna, salmon and scampi match up to other mid-high end Japanese restaurants.
Instagram: @sydneyfoodreviewer
Visited 20/5/17.
Came here just for the dragon egg and boy did they deliver. A refreshing raspberry chocolate egg shell with a smooth velvety white chocolate that's just warm enough to melt open the egg, paired with some playful textures underneath.
The smell of perfume was so strong and it affects the taste of food.
Nice buzzing venue,great choice of modern Japanese cuisine. Also nice selection of cocktails. Service a bit slow and not personal but wasn't a big issue. Def will come back
A really nice experience. Good food and nice ambience. The service was attentive.
Fresh fish and excellent quality food. Will visit again.
This place offers up modern Japanese cuisine in a beautiful setting. The seafood is super fresh but my favourite dish would have to be the Wagyu strip loin. It is a bit pricey but worth every cent. Have it with a side of corn with kombu butter and you have a pretty amazing dish on your hands. If you are new to the place, the Chef's Omakase is a good place to start. Opt to add on the Dragon Egg. It is worth it just to feast your eyes on the sumptuous presentation! Definitely recommended
hmm now this place is lovely,, food was AMAZINg, my partner and I ordered the set menu to share for $100 each but sadly that only filled us up about halfway.. maybe we both just have insatiable appetites but despite the rather underwhelming portion sizes, everything else was quite fantastic!! I guess that's the fine dining experience haha
Dined here late Friday evening with a friend. We ordered a number of pieces and were not disappointed. The service was quick and polite and the food was great. Dumplings and gyoza were great. Sashimi was super fresh. Would definitely eat here again.
Best Classic New Menu!! The place is real dim so it makes the experience so romantic, staff is friendly and food is extremely flavoursome! Sashimi super fresh. All dishes were packed with unique twist. Dragon egg is a must!! Would definitely come back :)
Be prepared to drop a several hundred bucks for a night here - drinks and food are both expensive, however, you pay for the experience and ambiance. As we were here with friends we haven’t seen in about a decade, it seemed appropriate to celebrate at an upscale place. For a table of four, with food and drinks, the total bill came out to about $600AUD. The sticker price may be shocking but let’s just say, this was an accumulation of 10 years worth of dining. The vibes were great with a DJ, quick service, delicious food, and modern upscale interior decorations. The crowd was also trendy and young!
This is a pretty okay modern Japanese restaurant. My favourite dishes were actually the entrees like the lobster tacos and s express sushi roll. The signature hiramasa kingfish was pretty good and popcorn shrimp dishes were okay as well but the portion is a bit small for the price. The short rib bo ssam was my favourite main and it was fun putting all the condiments and sauces together to make your own wrap. The toothfish was alright but could do with more sauce.
Definitely stay for dessert because I really liked the green tea kit kat dessert which wasn’t too sweet and the matcha and raspberry combination was really good. The dragon egg was visually a really awesome dish but it is a bit sweet so best to share. Overall, lovely restaurant and service and remember to book beforehand!
I went on thursday night and it was crowded. The food 5/5 definetly will come back here again. The scallop was good. I tried duck, scallop and king fish. Everything was good so satusfied. The place and atmosphere was good. Just the water we need to pay and i dont know before we need to pay for the water that cost 11 dollar.
This restaurant is beyond amazing! By far the best Japanese I have ever eaten! The food is all so fresh and tasty and the service is five star. You will not be disappointed if you come here.
Came here for my partner’s birthday. Delicious food, attentive service, can’t fault a thing. We absolutely loved dining here, definitely one of the best Japanese restaurants we’ve been to.
I spent my 22nd birthday here and was thoroughly impressed. From the waitstaff to the food itself, it was a wonderful experience and I will return in future. I wish there were a little more heartier options however it is the nature of degustation. We had the 7 course meal with the accompanying wine list, safe to say it was absolutely wonderful.
Came here for our anniversary. Was greeted at the door and brought into the main dining area where we were seated at the bar area where we had a nice view of the staff prepping the food.
Through the night we made our way through two flights, a sake one and a Japanese whisky one. Both were beautiful. The sake one was recommended by the waiter and was very smooth and light. The whisky one was stronger than expected but still lovely.
The food was amazing. We got
- sashimi tasting plate each! What can I say. So fresh, no fishy smell. Just perfect.
- mushroom cerviche. We loved the freshness of the lemony dressing and the variety of textures from all the different types of mushrooms.
- shrimp popcorn. How lovely were these small morsels of deep fried battered shrimp.
- Cape grim short ribs. We were pleasantly surprised that it was a self-assembled dish. The rib were so beautifully seasoned and tender. And the condiments that went it were perfect accompaniments.
Set within an impressive designer space in the historic Argyle Precinct at The Rocks, Saké Restaurant & Bar serves up contemporary Japanese fare created by sushi master Shimpei Hatanaka, who draws on authentic Japanese training to present an outstanding mix of new-style sushi and classic dishes.Shimpei's menu changes with the seasons and is perfectly matched to a premium range of imported sakes, allowing guests to gain greater insight into the age-old Japanese tradition of delicately balancing flavours. Awarded with a coveted Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide Chef's Hat each year since opening, Saké is sure to exceed your expectations. Call in for cocktails, pull up a seat at the sushi bar…
Food absolutely amazing. Had a tasting menu and the salmon absolutely wowed us. The dragon egg was beautifully presented too, although becomes a bit too sweet after a few spoonful. Service was not amazing, perhaps because it was a busy Thursday night. We were also charged for 1 still water (bottled) which we didn’t have, so check your bill before paying for these sneakies!
I came here for a friend's birthday on a Friday night. We had booked the reservation well in advance and got seated straight away at a nice separate table. We ordered the 5 course set menu and opted for the $15 upgrade in dessert for the dragon egg.
Straight off the food was delicious. Small portion sizes that may not fill everyone up though. We were fortunate enough to get two extra dishes accidentally given to us and because we thought it looked like our next course, we started to dig in before we realised. We got these for free once we pointed it out to them so that was sort of a bonus!
The wagyu steak was absolutely incredible, melt in your mouth beef. And the dragon egg dessert was well worth the upgrade, with a cool theatrical presentation. They also brought over a little cupcake with a candle for my friend which was a nice birthday touch. The service was also great, with friendly and helpful wait staff.
The only downside to this place is the high price. With drinks the bill can get high very quickly, so be warned, while Sake is great, I'd only come again for a very special occasion. All in all, 4.5/5.
I really liked sake, it’s my 4th time visiting here, and every time has good from the food to the service. We dined here for Mother’s Day.
The highlight of the night was hands down the kingfish jalapeño. The sauce paired perfectly with the fish. It was so good my mother wanted to order the same dish again.
I also really liked the popcorn shrimp.
When they brought out the dessert, they wrote happy Mother’s Day on the dragon egg and that added a special touch (I love when restaurants do this).
Unfortunately, we didn’t like the toothfish, we found it too sweet and sickening to eat
Had the 7 course chef’s omakase here. All dishes were fresh and light but none of the dishes really had a wow factor and portions were quite small. Highlight for me was the extensive sake list, the sake tasting sets were amazing. The sake matches really well with the food. Service was great. Will be back, but will try their a-la-carte options next time.
I’ve always loved Japanese food and of course I was keen to try Sake. I have been to the restaurant a few times now and have always enjoyed the food.
Try the seven courses, delicious and fresh food. Like the wagyu beef most, juicy and appetising. There is another dessert that I only take a video, with the caramel source poured down to the white chocolate ball, the ball melts. The atmosphere especially the light is extremely warm and elegant, good place for date.
All food was on point, oysters and sashimi boat are a must. We also enjoyed the nori chips, s express roll, lamb chops and miso glazed toothfish. The dragon egg was too sweet and rich for my liking, but I really liked the presentation. Staff were very lovely too and my favourite cocktail on the menu was Miss Wednesday. Would easily dine here again, ambiance was good!
Absolutely amazing!! The dishes are so damn fresh and the atmosphere is very relaxed and lay back, will definitely come back here! Amazing place for a perfect date.
New Style Sashimi - not only pretty but also tasty
Marinated Lamb chop - super juicy
Popcorn prawn - love the taste of Yuzu, super fresh taste
Spider maki and s express sushi rolls - pretty ok size
Dragon Egg- I guess I had really high expectation :( it did not surprise me, I’ll say it’s a bit too rich for us
Overall, recommended :) I’ll be back
Sake in the Rocks has an amazing vibe and great customer service. Our waiter spent a bit of time with us explaining the menu and what combinations would work well together.
The food were was very lovely and the toothfish was very nice.I was here with a group of 4 and so we ordered many dishes.We could have probably done without the chicken karaage and the eggplant and miso as we struggled to finish off those dishes.
The dragon egg was so fun to experience but is very sweet (we ordered 2!!)Can't wait to come back.
Wow, was this a nice meal. Invited along for a business lunch, we had a whole selection of dishes: edamame with a spicy salt for dipping, gyoza, vegetarian sushi, and popcorn shrimp. A sashimi selection was beautifully presented and appropriately tasty and fresh. This dish in the photo was my favourite, two types of sashimi cubes in a light mayonnaise on top of a deep-fried seaweed cracker. Delectable.
Went there for a dinner with my workmates . Every one of us were amazed with the quality of the food and the presentation . Good selection of wine . Highly recommended.
Came here with my boyfriend for our anniversary dinner! Definitely one of my favourite fine dining spots! Everything from the start to finish was amazing! The kingfish and sashimi was probably the best i’ve ever had! The dragon egg was too sweet for my boyfriend but perfect for me. The waiters were friendly and the ambiance was good! Overall it was a good dining experience and i would highly recommend coming here!
The sushi there was excellent. The scallops were juicy and fresh, strongly recommended! The unagi was in a large piece, I like it a lot as well. The dragon egg was a very creative dessert, with carefully cooked apples and chestnuts. The orange cake inside was awesome! It is worth trying!
BY FAR THE BEST JAPANESE RESTUARANT I HAVE ENCOUNTERED IN SYD. Everything that we ordered, the nori, kingfish, sashimi, dragon egg mostly seafood was just extraordinary. Amazing service, even though our waiter for the night had finished his shift. Wanted to give him his tip :(
(it was my anniversary night with my gf) thanks for making it a memorable one!
Very good presentation and ambience is classy.
The menu is a modern interpretation of Japanese food, with an Australian twist.
Service was great.
Only criticism would be that many dishes had too much sauce.
From the moment we walked in we were greeted by a very cheerful staff member. It was our anniversary and they had reserved a secluded table for us which was lovely.
Our waiter was not only friendly, he was police and very professional. He explained to us certain dishes which we had never heard of before.
We ended up ordering edamame, popcorn shrimps, sashimi, soft shell crab sushi, seaweed salad, crispy chicken(very moist), and of course the dragon egg.
The food was honestly delicious, ambience was lovely and the service was exceptional.
This was a great dining experience. I recommend this restaurant to anyone who enjoys fresh Japanese cuisine.
I love this place!!! Kind of reminds me a bit of a casual version of Sokyo. If you come here, defs try out the sushi and nigiri. It’s to die for, probably one of the best sushi I’ve had in a long time!!!
Sake offers a wonderful dining experience that plays on a modern take of japanese food and culture. I was impressed by the friendly staff that ensured we were comfortable with the setting and items on menu. The food was very fresh and mostly delicious. However, I wasn't blown away by their sushi. Would revisit Sake, but would try other main dishes instead of sushi next time.
Very nice ambience to this restaurant. The food tastes just like what you would get at a Japanese takeaway restaurant. The pork belly however was outstanding, it melted in your mouth and the onsen egg completed the dish. The dragon egg dessert was much too sweet for my liking.
Underwhelmed
Sake Restaurant and Bar serves contemporary Japanese cuisine with a mixture of seating arrangements. The Rocks location is on Argyle street and within walking distance to Circular Quay.
We came to celebrate my husbands birthday and decided to dine here for dinner as reviews were positive and on par with Shiki Japanese Restaurant and we've already been to Shiki. Hence, we had high expectations on service and quality and taste of food.
We made a booking via Dimmi for a 5:30pm dinner. When we arrived, staff were friendly from the time we walked into the restaurant to the time we left. I was just a bit confused as to who was our waiter as so many different waitstaff attended to our table.
We ordered the signature dish Popcorn shrimp with yuzu chilli mayonnaise, Sashimi combo, Salmon belly nigiri, Agedashi tofu, Chicken karaage, Teriyaki lamb chop, 200g Tajima wagyu strip sirloin and miso soup. We later ordered the Dragon's egg for dessert as we saw someone else have it and it looked interesting.
I was looking forward to the Popcorn shrimp as it was meant to be spicy and the online picture looked salivating. It looked appetising and I couldn't wait to dig in, however, I was left disappointed. I was hoping it would be slightly crispy, spicy and tasty but all I got was soggy/mushy, tangy pieces of shrimp. It wasn't even spicy. I had a few bites and quickly moved on to my next dish.
The Sashimi combo had 18 pieces of chefs selection of sashimi. The sashimi was displayed nicely but if they added dry ice to the base, it would have looked amazing (dry ice tends to make things look amazing in my opinion). The sashimi was soft but not melt in your mouth soft.
The Salmon belly nigiri was soft and the rice held its shape. Flavours were nice.
I couldn't go past the Agedashi tofu on the menu as it is one of my favorite dishes, but I probably should have after trying it. This contemporary version did not do it for me in any way. The dish was displayed with 2 rows of deep fried tofu, side of shimeji mushrooms, daikon sprouts and a ramekin of sauce to pour onto the plate. The tofu was crispy on the outside but not silky soft on the inside. The side of mushrooms were nice but there was not enough sauce in the jug, I like to dunk my tofu in the sauce and not have to scrap every bit of sauce from the plate to moisten and give flavor to the tofu as on its own, it was bland. Flavors in the sauce were ok and suttle.
The chicken karaage were nice chunky pieces of crispy moist chicken. The spicy miso sauce was spicy but a bit strong for my liking. The wasabi sour dip had a hint of wasabi but I preferred the chicken on its own.
The Teriyaki lamb chop looked yummy and they were decent sized pieces. The flavouring was yummy but we had to send it back to the kitchen as some pieces just tasted burnt. The second time around, the meat was soft, tasty and did not taste burnt.
The Tajima wagyu strip loin was nicely charred and cooked well. They were cut evenly and came with yakiniku tare and ponzu sauce. I personally preferred the ponzu sauce.
The miso soup was nice, not too salty.
I didn't think I could fit any more in my stomach but I saw someone have a dish that looked interesting as the sauce melted the outer casing. I immediately enquired and the male waitstaff was so friendly and explained that it was the dragon egg. Of course we had to order it.
The dragon egg was a pretty aqua colour. The waiter would then pour the hot miso caramel sauce onto the egg revealing blueberries and kalamansi. I personally got turned off by the way it looked after the sauce revealed the fruit. It did taste nice however. I did find that there was too much sauce and the miso a bit strong in flavor.
Verdict: The highlight dish were the Teriyaki lamb chops as long as they don't burn them. Otherwise the food was okay. Customer service was great.
Not many times you can return year after year and never be disappointed, a big shout out to Shaun today for a special made for us and lively conversation. If you haven’t been here make sure you do it’s just extremely delicious and have a sake experience!
We had lunch at Sake last Sunday and it was excellent. We ordered a set menu which consisted of 7 tasting plates to share and every one was a delicious treat. Our friend has a gluten allergy and they catered for her too. Service was friendly and helpful.
We loved it all, it's quite expensive but worth every cent.
Sake is a fine dining Japanese restaurant in Circular Quay. We came here a to experience their signature Dragon Egg masterclass and try the amazing dessert. To start off, we tried their Plum wine, which is a traditional Japanese wine that one drinks before dessert. I am usually not a fan of dessert wine but this one was nice and sweet and not too strong.
Excellent service! The agadashi tofu was fabulous, as was the sashimi which had a great selection of fish on there. Good quality sushi. Would recommend
Tonight’s Highlight was the dessert..! It’s an Egg Melt when hot caramel sauce pour on it. Then revealed the yummy contents inside the egg !
The freshest sashimi I have ever had ! & the dragon egg was the most unusual dessert ever ! It was like an explosion of several different flavours ! Loved it !
This is my 3rd times having lunch here. Really enjoyed eating here.
All the food I’d ordered are delicious.
Good service, nice atmosphere.
Definitely will come back 😘😀
Second time here and didn't enjoy the food as much as I did the first time.The popcorn shrimp was the best dish we got this time around! Service was excellent, couldnt fault. Ambience and decor was great also. A little pricey for the food but overall not bad. Would I come back? Wouldn't mind but wouldn't choose to go.
Absolutely love the new style sashimi and the snapper sashimi, the dressing compliments the raw fish really well. We also ordered the chicken and the miso cod which was very basic.
Beautiful fit out with great ambience.
Service was standout by a very attentive and relaxed man, named Matt. An asset to the restaurant.
We ordered a couple of smaller dishes and two mains, the Dragon Egg with all its whiz bang glory and the lava cake. The food was very good.
Would definitely return
Food was great! All sashimi was fresh and tasty, waiter recommended 6-8 dishes for two people so I ordered 7 dishes.... wayyy to much. sushi dishes are quite large, suitable for 4ppl.
A great restaurant with an awesome ambience and a lot of character.
We had the sushi, sashimi and some of the vegetarian there. The food was great, fantastic service and a really pleasant. Will go back, when I am next in Sydney
The food was lovely & fresh, cooked (where appropriate) to perfection with some great flavours.
The restaurant is massive but still feels cosy & intimate. The staff were just amazing - seriously some of the best service I've had in any Sydney restaurant.
Without us saying anything they worked out I'd taken my Mum there for her birthday lunch & brought a surprise dessert for her.
It's a little pricey, but worth it, for a special lunch to spoil someone. It also had little private areas for groups.
I've been to many sake branches in both Sydney and Melbourne and I am a fan of their style of food.
Favourite dish has to be their scampi tempura which is something that I can have multiple times! Their sushi is generally fresh which is one reason why I love going to them.
This is slightly lower rating than normal for sake as the service on the day wasn't exactly the best. Granted that they were super busy but it did reduce the experience.
One of my favourite restaurant, the atmosphere of the place is amazing. The food and service was great, would definitely recommend the wagyu beef
Good place, especially with the bar waiting area. Great ambience. Great service. Food and drinks were both really nice, but all within the expectations of the $ you pay.
Went for the 7 course Omakase. The meal started off with some a salad, sashimi and a chawamushi. The sweet corn chawamushi was tasty but we couldn't really taste the sea urchin! Disappointment of the meal was the steak, which we found was too lean and wasn't packed with flavour. The dragon egg was delicious!
Dinner for a table of 9. Had the a la carte menu. Some of the best food I've had. However the popcorn shrimp is not great. Wouldn't recommend. Otherwise, fantastic food. Just make you're wallet thicc as it is pricey.
The layout and ambience of the restaurant is great! Perfect for a catch up with your friends or significant other as it is very casual here.
Favourite dishes that I ordered were the king fish cappacio and the octopus dish. Definitely also recommend the dragon egg for dessert the presentation is exceptional!
One of the staff was actually rude which was very unfortunate, however the amazing beverage selection and dishes definitely did make up for that
The food was amazing. I've never had Hiramasa Kingfish nor eel before but I was pleasantly surprised. The atmosphere was great and the staff was amazing. I really enjoyed being able to watch the chef's prepare the sashimi.
Really nice! The room inside is quiet and clear. Miso soup is perfect and I like the spanner crab sushi roll most. Next time to sydney i will try this one again.
Loved everything!
Food was delicious, ambience was great, staff were prompt. Nothing negative!
Highly recommend the hiramasa kingfish and grilled eggplant.
Visited sydney branch a few months ago and I was not dissapointed. Menu was slightly different from melbourne branch but it was amazing and everything was on point. Everything was fresh and delicious and their signature, toothfish was soft and tender. The taste was subtle and the piece was good to share between two. Love the dressing on the ceviche and the deep fried ginger that was used to garnish the tataki was amazing to balance the taste. Dressing on tuna on nori crisp was nice and creamy, I recommend you to eat this last if you have plenty of dishes. Service was on point, waiter was helpful and friendly.
Absolutely loved it. First time experience here and can't wait to go back. The Hiramasa kingfish sashimi melts in your mouth and together with the nori crisps are a perfect starter. Pork chop and toothfish were our main dishes and they were both amazing. There's a reason you don't need a knife here. Everything just cuts like butter. Finishing with the dragon egg is definitely an experience. It's a relatively sweet dessert so probably won't order again but glad we had it once.
My favourite Japanese restaurant in Sydney! Had the pleasure of going here with my family to and got the classics set menu and I have to say, every dish was sublime.
The photos shown highlight everything that we were given as part of the set menu (excluding the sushi rolls which we ordered separately).
Would highly recommend to anyone who loves Japanese food.
Loved the experience and the food! Their presentation was amazing especially for the sashimi and the dragon egg dessert. The soft shell crab sushi was also super delicious!! The staff were nice although the service was a bit slow. Overall still a lovely experience and perfect for celebrations.
Had a great evening celebrating my birthday there with a friend. The food was amazing particularly the miso glazed tooth fish which melts in your mouth. The staff were friendly and made some really good recommendations on what to drink. This is another fine dining that I surely will be back.
This has immediately become our new favourite restaurant in Sydney! The food was out of this world delicious and came out so fast and hot - the drinks were equally amazing, specifically the Honey Ro was a highlight of mine. The oysters alone were the best we’ve had in Sydney, hands down. Perfect place for special occasions!
Came here as a party of 4 to celebrate my mum's birthday. We thoroughly enjoyed all the dishes and the customer service was really good too. The only downside was the wait for each dish was too long.
* Forgot to take photo of the salmon which was my favourite dish*
My girlfriend and I had the new classics menu and I would say the food is deceptively filling as both of us were quite full. Everything is done really well and I was not disappointed with any of their dishes. The service and ambiance was great aswell. My only gripe is while we thought the water was on the house, it ended up being 11 dollars per bottle of water. Just bring your own water .
At least one person in your group should opt to upgrade to the dragon egg, it is very sweet and coming out in the plate with smoke and watching the warm caremel crack it open is very entertaining
We ordered the chefs set menu. Was lovely food, very Japanese authentic. Serving size was very good as we were full by the end of the 5 courses. With dessert they even gave us a complimentary cupcake for our anniversary. Service was also great, very polite staff and food arrived promptly. Would come back again!
An error has occurred! Please try again in a few minutes