Azuma Kushiyaki, Sydney - Sugar Hit 2009

East Meets West Dessert Tasting Plate $20
Sydney International Food Festival Sugar Hit - Azuma Kushiyaki

We are suitably excited. Our first Sugar Hit for 2009.

You would not think that we had just eaten a dinner of dumplings, of pan-fried buns, of crab in salted egg yolk and crisp and golden shallot pancake.

And yet a short car-ride from Ashfield to the City followed by a mad dash through the driving rain will do wonders for the appetite. At least, that's our excuse.

We arrive to to the subdued Japanese tranquility of Azuma Kushiyaki. The restaurant is three-quarters full at 9.30pm on a Friday night, and although there seems to be an army of waitstaff, it takes some time before our order is taken (four Sugar Hits please). We'd been pre-advised that the Sugar Hit arrived on a set of two trays, but even so, our eyes still light up with childlike glee when we see the square boxes depart from the kitchen.

Alas they are not ours.

It's a long stretch of twenty minutes before our desserts arrive, but when they do, we're as excited as a six-year-old waking up on Christmas morning.


Mochi glutinous rice cake served with kinako (soy bean powder topping),
vanilla ice cream and Japanese brown sugar syrup

Described as an East Meets West dessert platter, we delight at the matching dark brown wooden boxes, one of which is resting on a base with a tall angular wooden handle. The trays are stackable tiers, but presented separately on this occasion.

"I want to pack my lunch in one of those! Can you imagine how much fun that would be?" I exclaim.

Yas nods excitedly. "That's exactly what I was thinking!"


Ice cream annointed with the Japanese brown sugar syrup

We all end up starting with the shot glass of vanilla ice cream. Two grapes have been beheaded to remove their seeds. A crumble of kinako soy bean powder adds a malty nuttiness. We're instructed to pour some of the Japanese brown sugar syrup on top and then stir until combined. The syrup is sweet and bitter. Digging into the creamy depths of ice cream we find two snow white balls of mochi, dumplings of pounded rice cake that are satisfyingly chewy.


Green tea rolled cake with chestnuts

Green tea rolled cake is my favourite. The swiss roll is intoxicating with the strong flavour of matcha, the soft delicate sponge sandwiched with cream and interspersed with chunks of chestnut.


Nori seaweed langue de chat biscuits

The Japanese take on cats' tongues, thin brittle sugar cookies with flecks of seaweed, aren't as exciting as they first appear. The biscuits have only a very mild taste of seaweed, and part of me wishes there was either more seaweed or a sprinkle of salt added to make them shine.


Brown Brothers 2008 orange muscat flora

Our included dessert wine is the Brown Brothers 2008 orange muscat flora, a reliable sticky that is served in beautiful O-Reidel glasses.


Belgian chocolate mousse

Our dessert journey continues with the Belgian chocolate mousse. The square of fluffy mousse has a pleasing cocoa flavour, the sweetness from the squiggle of chocolate syrup offset by the strawberry fan garnish.


Vanilla cheesecake

I'm not usually a fan of gelatin-based cheesecakes, but this lighter-than-air version of vanilla cheesecake wins me over. Almost pure white in colour, the cheesecake is ethereal in texture, the kind of delicacy you want to savour slowly, with a teaspoon. Its crown of raspberries and blueberry is elegant and generous too.


East Meets West Dessert Tasting Plate $20

We love this Sugar Hit offering from Azuma. It's different, classy and makes us feel special.




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Azuma Kushiyaki
Ground floor, Regent Place
501 George Street, Sydney
Tel: +61 (02) 9267 7775

Sugar Hits are on offer at selected hotels and restaurants every night in October as part of the Sydney International Food Festival. To avoid disappointment, bookings for all Sugar Hits are strongly recommended.

Check out the full list of available Sugar Hits for 2009.

Related Grab Your Fork posts:
Good Food Month 2008: Sugar Hit Challenge - Is it possible to eat FIVE Sugar Hits in one night?
Good Food Month 2008: Sugar Hit at Kings Cross Hotel
Good Food Month 2008: Night Noodle Markets




And because gluttony loves company, we find ourselves at Gelatto Messina in search of second dessert. We'd heard there was gingerbread ice cream on offer.

Unfortunately there's no gingerbread flavour available when we stop by, but we do marvel at the three display cabinets filled with unusual gelato varieties. I choose banana bread flavour which is chock-full of banana bread cubes but a little too overwhelming with the intensity of banana flavour. Poached figs in marsala syrup is sweet and creamy with bits of fig scattered throughout.


Banana bread gelato and figs poached in marsala gelato

We taste-test each other's scoops of gelato: baklava is for the rosewater fans; chocolate fondant is rich; apple pie has overtones of cinnamon and nutmeg; and dulce de leche has an odd but intriguing salty aftertaste.

Yas is the only sensible one, choosing the lighter flavours of blood orange, and lychee with coconut. They're both fruity and refreshing.

We'd only just made closing time, but two teenage boys after us don't quite make it. Their pleas for ice cream are accompanied by the melodic wail of a harmonica that suddenly emerges from their back pocket. For some reason Suze and I find this hilariously funny. I think it was the sugar talking.


Blood orange gelato


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Gelato Messina
Shop 1/241 Victoria St
Darlinghurst, NSW
Ph: +61 (02) 83541223

Opening times:
Sunday to Thursday 12pm to 11pm
Friday and Saturday 12pm to 11.30pm


Related Grab Your Fork posts:
Ice cream - French Riviera, Sydney (24+ scoops of ice cream)
Ice cream - LNC Dessert House, Sydney
Ice cream - Passionflower, Capitol Square, Sydney
Ice cream - Passionflower, Pavilion Plaza, Sydney
Ice cream - Smile Korea Mart, Sydney (32cm high soft serve)

PS. Remember my post where Matt Preston confessed he read Grab Your Fork but said he he'd never leave a comment?

Matt Preston left a comment.

Now if he can leave a comment, surely anything is possible!