Sushi omakase at Jizakana, Cammeray

Sydney's newest sushi omakase? Say konnichi wa to Jizakana, opening in Cammeray in late April this year. You might recognise owner and head chef Hideaki Fukada from his former stints including head chef at Masuya, executive chef at Umi Sushi and former owner and business manager at Toriciya.

The main dining room offers a la carte sushi and kushiyaki grilled skewers alongside modern Japanese dishes like charcoal grilled spatchcock quail with zaatar, popcorn lobster and baked jalapeno poppers with manchego and yuzu Mexican cream. Traditionalists will want to book ahead for the omakase sushi menu, a multi-course journey of the chef's choice that will set you back $130.


Chef Hideaki Fukada behind the noren curtain entrance to the private dining room

One of the key highlights of the omakase here is the private dining room in which you'll be served. The separate dining area is surprisingly spacious, and there's a distinct intimacy that's felt here versus the large and open main dining area. It's even better if you convince six of your friends to join you, enabling your party to secure the entire dining room to yourselves.


Chawanmushi with ikura salmon roe

We start with elegant cups of chawanmushi egg custard, still warm and wobbly from the steamer.


Soft set chawanmushi with ikura salmon roe, prawn and mushroom

The chawanmushi is replendent with ikura salmon roe, little pops of brine that marry so well with the silky custard. We dig deep to find treasures of prawn and mushroom buried within.


Chef Hideaki Fukada slicing kingfish sashimi

While we're eating, Chef Hideaki Fukada is already slicing sashimi for our next course. Fukada-san is quiet and thoughtful as he works, occasionally engaging in conversation with us as we chat. Waitstaff float in and out of the private dining room to attend to our drinks, topping up our sake cups and serving complimentary matcha green tea.


Chef Hideaki Fukada slicing imperador sashimi


Chef Hideaki Fukada assembling our sashimi bowls


Sashimi bowl of alfonsino, salmon, kingfish and tuna

Our sashimi bowl yields a selection of plump and firm slices of alfonsino, salmon, kingfish and tuna. It's a lesson in simplicity, served with just a smidge of wasabi and a saucer of soy.


Scallop sashimi

Scallop sashimi is equally restrained, dressed modestly so its natural sweetness shines through.


Shaving fresh Tasmanian truffle onto scallop sashimi

That doesn't mean you can't go baller with the addition of freshly shaved Tasmanian truffle. I take up the offer of the $20 truffle upgrade - over the course of the evening, two dishes will be adorned with truffle.


Scallop sashimi with fresh Tasmanian truffle

It's a pairing that works. The scallop is subtle enough to allow the truffle to take centre stage, but its presence isn't completely overwhelmed.


Cuttlefish tempura, seared imperador, unagi eel, kani miso with cucumber and raw oyster

The rectangular platter of appetisers appeals to our eyes and tastebuds. It's a clever assembly of snacks that we're told can be eaten in whichever order we please.


Sydney rock oyster with ponzu, unagi eel, imperador and kani miso dip with cucumber

I start with the Sydney rock oyster, its brininess tempered with a ponzu dressing. The skin of the cooked imperador is worth marvelling over - so flaky and crisp - as is the sweet and sticky unagi eel and the airy batter of the cuttlefish tempura.

My favourite has to be the kani miso dip, a little pot of crab brain goodness that needs to be savoured slowly with each cucumber stick.


Slicing ootoro tuna belly

We move onto the nigiri sushi section of our omakase. Tonight we'll be served ten pieces of nigiri sushi, starting with one of the most decadent sushi ingredients, ootoro tuna belly.


Chef Hideaki Fukada shaping nigiri sushi


Adding uni sea urchin roe to ootoro nigiri sushi

How do you make ootoro tuna belly even more luxe? Add a petal or two of uni sea urchin roe.


Ootoro tuna belly and uni sea urchin roe nigiri sushi


Chef Hideaki Fukada serving us our nigiri sushi


Shaving fresh Tasmanian truffle onto ootoro tuna belly and uni sea urchin roe nigiri sushi

But wait. There's more. A generous shaving of fresh Tasmanian truffles will turn your nigiri sushi into pure luxury.


Ootoro tuna belly and uni sea urchin roe nigiri sushi with fresh Tasmanian truffle

Talk about sensory overload. The earthy truffle shavings amplify the buttery briny deliciousness of sea urchin, as the richly marbled tuna belly melts into a puddle on the tongue.


Raw scampi nigiri sushi, miso soup, aburi imperador and aburi Kumamoto snapper

The raw scampi that follows might feel like a decrescendo, but its sweetness holds stead. It's followed by miso soup and aburi (flame-seared) imperador and aburi Kumamoto snapper nigiri sushi, each torched on a portable gas stove.


Searing the Kumamoto snapper over gas flame


Chef Hideaki Fukada slicing the jabara ootoro tuna upper belly


Tuna with sesame sauce, jabara ootoro tuna upper belly and aburi Hokkaido scallop

We continue with tuna glazed with a nutty sesame sauce, jabara ootoro from the upper belly of the tuna, and aburi scallop from Hokkaido. It's worth noting, too, the ratio of fish to rice, weighted heavily in favour of the fish that feels markedly generous.


Abalone, aburi Mt Cook saikyo salmon and anago sea eel

Cooked abalone is impressively tender, aburi Mt Cook saikyo salmon has a fatty lusciousness and anago sea eel has a noticeably delicate texture.


Chef Hideaki Fukada making temaki handroll sushi with ootoro and uni sea urchin roe

I'm just starting to struggle to continue eating when I realise we're nearing the tail end of our omakase with the assembly of a temaki handroll.


Brushing the ootoro tuna belly with soy sauce


Chef Hideaki Fukada using special Kumamoto nori

Fukada-san uses a special nori sheet from Kumamoto for this final piece.


Sushi cone service


Ootoro, uni sea urchin roe and ikura salmon roe temaki handroll sushi 

Now that's what I call a handroll. It's packed with my holy trinity of favourites: ootoro tuna belly, uni sea urchin roe and ikura salmon roe. The tuna belly slice is enormous too, extending for much of the length of the cone. I almost wept as I ate this. It was ridiculously good.


Tamago omelette roll

The tamago omelette roll is the traditional finish for a sushi omakase, a sweet omelette that would suffice as a conclusion for savoury aficionados or provide a bridge to dessert for sweet tooths.


Choux pastry cream puff

Our dessert is a choux pastry cream puff, presented without cutlery in a move that we discover is deliberate. "Please eat with your hands," we're told. It makes for several moments of chaotic fun as we try to eat the very tall puff with dignity and decorum. Icing sugar gets everywhere and one of us drops the puff onto the table, a situation that is quickly rectified with a hasty replacement. It's an odd but bemusing finale.

There's much to like about the omakase at Jizakana. The intimacy of the private dining area is a rare luxury, and while there wasn't a huge diversity of fish served, Fukada-san will please fans of ootoro tuna belly, ikura salmon roe and uni sea urchin roe, depending on the season.

The omakase costs $130 with a $20 additional fee for fresh truffle when available. There are two sittings for the omakase each night. Bookings for the omakase are required. 






Jizakana
Shop 16, 450 Miller Street, Cammeray, Sydney
Tel: +61 (0)426 233 113 

Opening hours
Tuesday to Sunday 6pm-10.30pm
Closed Mondays


Related Grab Your Fork posts
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Omakase - Masuya, Sydney
Omakase - Osaka Bar, Potts Point
Omakase - Sashimi Shinsengumi, Crows Nest
Omakase - Sokyo at The Star

Osaka Bar omakase, Potts Point

Is omakase the new black? I vote YES. In a world plagued with choice and decisions, telling a sushi chef "I leave it to you" or "omakase" is almost a luxury in, and of, itself. Sit back and let incredible food come to you. Win.

But omakase is more than just a suspension of menu responsibility. Inherent in every omakase is an exchange of trust in the chef's judgement and expertise, a transfer that is always taken on with deep-seated sincerity and wholehearted earnestness. No Japanese chef would do otherwise.

Which is how we find ourselves at Osaka Bar, one of the latest restaurants in Sydney to jump on board the omakase train shinkansen. Once a 40-seat a la carte restaurant - with a penchant for Osaka-style kushikatsu deep fried skewers - Osaka Bar packed up and moved across Llankelly Place laneway into a much smaller site. Now there are just five seats around the sushi counter. FIVE.


Bass grouper and saikou salmon sashimi

We strap ourselves in for the ride with sushi chef Kazu Nakatani and end up choosing the 12 piece nigiri sushi set for $80. Smaller sets ($55 for 5 pieces and $65 for 8 pieces) are available. In addition to nigiri, you'll also receive:

• a sashimi plate
• a simmered or cooked dish
• your choice of a three piece grilled dish or chawanmushi egg custard
• miso soup of the day. 

Our dinner kicks off with a plate of sashimi, thick slices of Indonesian bass grouper and saikou alpine salmon from New Zealand's Mount Cook that we relish with wasabi and only the faintest slick of soy.

Duck with chestnuts and Jap pumpkin

Our cooked dish is a nod to autumn - duck with Blue Mountains chestnuts and a wedge of sweet Jap pumpkin. It's not a tricked-up dish, but there's a honesty to its assembly, from the tender slices of rendered duck breast to the lashings of dijon mustard sauce to the tumble of cooked adzuki beans trying to escape from their skins.


Chef Kazu Nakatani seasoning the pork fillet on the grill

I lied. There are a couple of decisions to make. There are three choices for the third course: grilled pork, grilled beef or chawanmushi. Between our group, we're able to order and try every option. Phew.


Tender pork

The pork and beef cuts are cooked simply on an electric grill. Depending on your seat (and height) you should be able to watch Chef Kazu prepare everything before your eyes.


Pork and beef on the grill


Perfectly seared beef

The pork is good but the beef is better, cooked so a thin strip of pink flesh remains within. Season with fresh lemon and citrus pepper and chase each mouthful with a stray leaf or two of peppery watercress.


Chawanmushi in the steamer

My personal highlight is the chawanmushi, porcelain cups of egg custard cooked gently in the steamer.


Chawanmushi savoury egg custard with unagi eel

The chawanmushi theme changes regularly. Tonight it comes with unagi eel, hidden at the depths of the wobbly custard. It's fatty richness only amplifies the silky purity of the egg custard, studded with tender slices of okra, mushroom and corn.


Bass grouper nigiri sushi

Dinner then segues into nigiri sushi. It's a treat to watch Chef Kazu at work, first slicing each fish with precision and then shaping the sticky grains of sushi rice.


Chef Kazu slicing blue fin tuna


Blue fin tuna with katsuoboshi

The fish is served simply, garnished with waving tendrils of katsuoboshi smoked fish flakes here, a snowstorm of kinako soy bean powder there. Things get a little fancy when the gold leaf comes out, used to add bling to a shimmering slice of maguro zuke, deep red tuna marinated in soy.


Maguro zuke marinated tuna with gold leaf


Chef Kazu making nigiri sushi

I'm always mesmerised by the dance of sushi chefs, fingers and palm moving through the air with measured but modest grace. I can rarely get a shot in focus, as their hands fly at lightning speed. It's almost sensuous, too, the way that sushi chefs seem to caress, support and shape the fish and rice into a harmonious union.


Yellowtail nigiri sushi with soy bean powder

As each nigiri sushi is made, it's placed directly in front of each diner for immediate consumption. It's a world away from the garish convenience of the sushi train. Omakase means the fish is still cool and the rice has retained its warmth from the rice cooker.


Green king prawn nigiri sushi with kimizu sauce and egg yolk

We plow our way through bass grouper, blue fin tuna, yellowtail and green king prawns. The prawns are firm and sweet, dressed with kimizu sauce made from egg yolks and rice vinegar. It's like a Japanese version of mayonnaise, without the use of oil.


Chef Kazu seasoning the chutoro nigiri sushi


Chutoro nigiri sushi

Chutoro is a fatty treat, sourced from the tuna's back and belly area. Silver leaf adds a decadent touch.


Iwashi sardine nigiri sushi with plum sauce and Japanese ginger

The counter seat set-up mean there's a real sense of dining intimacy with Chef Kazu. He's remarkably chatty too, telling us about the way he prepares each fish, life in Osaka versus Sydney and how his restaurant and cooking has evolved over time.o

By the time the sardine nigiri sushi arrives, Chef Kazu is playing up for the camera. I haven't told him I have a food blog - I never volunteer this to restaurants - but he's happy to ham it up for yet another #asiantakingphotosoffood.


The dragon mural on the wall at Osaka Bar

We also learn about the dragon mural on the wall directly facing us. Dragon are believed to be Gods of Water in Japan, we learn. Water is vital for farmers, for life and for humankind. Chef Kazu (himself born in the year of the Dragon) hopes the dragon brings good luck to all those who look upon it.


Chef Kazu adding yuzukosho, made by his friend's mother and sent from Japan

On top of quivering petals of uni sea urchin, Chef Kazu adds delicate spoonfuls of yuzukosho, a fermented chilli and yuzu citrus paste. We're taken aback when he tells us the yuzukosho was a homemade gift from his friend's mother, sent over from Japan.


Longspine sea urchin with homemade yuzukosho

The yuzukosho adds a citrusy zing to the longspine sea urchin, plump and mouth-filling wonders of buttery briny bliss. Sigh.


Tasmanian pacific oyster nigiri sushi with homemade oyster sauce and finger lime

We move onto raw oysters. To marinated school prawns. To the pure luxury of lustrous salmon roe topped with black truffle sauce. Why would you stop at five nigiri sushi when you would miss out on all this?


Chef Kazu gently pressing school prawns onto sushi rice


Kombu marinated jimi school prawn nigiri sushi


Australian ikura salmon roe with black truffle sauce


Tamago rolled omelette

We're onto our final nigiri, tamago rolled omelette, when Chef Kazu realises he's forgotten to serve us ootoro, the fattiest part of the tuna belly that he promises will form part of every omakase.


Ootoro nigiri sushi

Easily fixed.


Fat-marbled ootoro tuna belly

Purists will argue that ootoro is over-rated (see also wagyu beef and truffle), but I'm still a sucker for the hedonistic pleasure of ridiculously marbled fatty tuna.


Saba mackerel nigiri sushi with kombu

And just for good measure, Chef Kazu offers another nigiri sushi for those of us that have room. Of course I do, especially for a precious slice of saba mackerel covered with a sheath of almost translucent kombu seaweed.


Aka red miso soup with giant grouper fish head

We finish with soup, made using aka or red miso paste. Red miso is fermented longer than white or yellow miso, resulting in a deeper, saltier and more pungent flavour. It's a lucky draw as to which part of today's fish (giant grouper on the night we dined) you'll score in your bowl.


Chef Kazu

Osaka Bar's omakase offers a uniquely casual but intimate experience with sushi chef Kazu Nakatani. There's plenty of technique evident but no sense of stiff formality or heady excess. Chef Kazu's a great conversationalist too. For maximum fun, grab four of your mates and settle in for one helluva oishii (delicious) private dinner party.






Osaka Bar
50 Llankelly Place, Potts Point, Sydney
Tel: +61 (02) 9331 1367

Opening hours
Monday to Saturday 6pm-10pm
Bookings essential


Related Grab Your Fork posts
Omakase - Fujisaki, Barangaroo
Omakase - Hana Ju-Rin, Crows Nest
Omakase - Masuya, Sydney
Omakase - Sashimi Shinsengumi, Crows Nest
Omakase - Sokyo at The Star