Sushi Dining Den

FOOD TYPE
Japanese

FOOD QUALITY
My wife and I dined here on the last night of summer. We started with a refreshing bottle of Asahi ($8) and a small bottle of Brute sparkling white wine ($10). For entrees, we ordered our favourite spicy edamame beans ($7) and vegetarian dumplings ($10). The beans were fresh and chewy. The dumplings were a nice contrast: quite small and just a tad burned on the outside, but with a soft outer coating and a nice smooth veg filling. For mains, I had the teriyaki chicken with rice ($19) and my wife had the karaage chicken ($11), and that was it for us. Both chicken dishes were tasty and fresh. My teriyaki chicken was tender and succulent and cut into small, thin slices. The karaage chicken had a crunchy batter and was served with lettuce, mayonnaise and lemon. Everything is freshly prepared and brought out to the table piping hot, in stylish white or colourful crockery.

ATMOSPHERE
This is a fairly basic suburban eatery with a brown colour scheme. But the honey coloured timber floors, exposed brick walls and dim lighting give it a pleasant and relaxed ambience. In addition to the main dining area, there’s also an overflow space outside at the back under cover, with another six or seven tables, but a bit too near the kitchen and the toilets, so we sat upfront near the door. This place is clearly popular with the locals, as there was a decent turnout on a Wednesday night. Given the small catchment around here and the upmarket clientele, it’s quite an achievement to even half fill a restaurant midweek, so clearly these guys are doing something right.

SERVICE
There are about three or four staff on duty, so things hummed along very smoothly. Orders were smartly taken and dishes came out quickly and in the correct order. All the staff are polite and courteous. One waitress seemed a bit hesitant in English, but she made up for it by being patient and helpful. If I do have one complaint about the service, it was that they seemed a bit slow in tidying up and resetting the tables after guests had left. Chairs were left half in, half out, tables dirty and that’s never a good look.

COMFORT
We were perfectly comfortable at our table for four, even though there were only two of us, so were easily able to fit all the dishes. Plastic upholstered chairs were firm and comfy and the temp was just right, although it was the ideal time of the year, being the last day of summer, so not too hot or too cold.

MENU
There are quite a few menus here, with lots of colourful pics so it can be a bit confusing. There’s a specials menu, a regular menu and a drinks menu. They’re enclosed in plastic sheets but I still found them a tad grubby through so much use, so maybe it’s time to refresh them.

TOILETS
There’s a unisex toilet out at the back past the kitchen. It’s well provisioned with adequate soap, hand towels and toilet paper, but, like the restaurant, some attention mid-evening to keep it clean wouldn’t go astray.

ACOUSTICS
This can be a noisy venue with lots of wood and concrete and not a sound absorber in sight. We were unlucky enough to dine on the same night as a bunch of six very loud, boozy guys, who made a helluva racket which just reverberated around the restaurant. Thankfully, they didn’t stay long, and once they’d left, it was fairly peaceful and we were able to converse without a problem.

COST
We paid a reasonable $65 for a single beer, a bottle of sparkling wine, beans, dumplings, two chicken dishes and a single rice. It’s not super cheap, but given the high quality of the food and the efficient service and pleasing ambience, it does represent fair value for money.

BOOKING
Not necessary for weekday dining but probably advisable for weekend dining. There is an absolute dearth of decent restaurants in this area, and this place is one of the few, hence its popularity.

PARKING/ACCESS
Living nearby, we walked, but street parking shouldn’t be too much of a problem.

SUMMARY
We had a pleasant evening here. Food is of a high quality and served in moderate portions. Service is polite and efficient and the ambience is casual and laid back. It’s a great location in upmarket Vaucluse with easy parking nearby. Prices are fair for what you get. We’ll definitely be back.

MEMO
Don’t confuse this place with another Japanese restaurant with a very similar name, at 639B New South Head Rd, on the corner of O’Sullivan Rd in Rose Bay. That one is called “Den Sushi Dining”.

Good Japanese restaurant. We ate here twice during our recent Sydney visit and thoroughly enjoyed the experience on both occasions. As we like to share and experience a range of dishes we ordered a number of different courses and left it to the kitchen to serve them as they saw fit. Suffice to say they excelled and we had 2 wonderful leisurely dinners with great food and service.

The best Sushi around!! Great value served with a smile.

The best sushi here, perfect customer service. I love salmon salad and dumpling. Fish is always fresh. I can eat here forever. Would be nice to implement yummy ramen soups. If you will include ramens in your menu, I will eat with you forever.

Generally good food but a bit expensive for the portion sizes. Fried squid and teriyaki chicken were nice however the tofu here wasn't quite as fresh and as succulent as served in comparable establishments like Den in Rose Bay.