Restaurant Sasaki - Sydney, NSW

I think I've really slowed down lately on the blogging....not that I've eaten any less but I think, I've had many outstanding meals but none that invoked an emotion in me. A post-meal elation that has prompted me to immediate action, a meal so good that it's stoked an intense passion in me to sit here and put my thoughts to keyboard. I had a meal like that just last night when the Mrs and I visited Restaurant Sasaki.

Sasaki has been open for a short while but has amassed immense fame in the community for the aesthetic and philosophy behind the food. The philosophy was to bring Japanese home cooking to the Sydney public. The store is fitted out with a strong Japanese influence with clean lines and perfectly balanced contrast between darkness and light. Everywhere you look, the organisation and simplicity of your surroundings just mesmerise you. Looking from the outside, you would be forgiven for mistaking the area for suburban Tokyo (at least, that's how I felt). I felt instantly transported back to my favourite country when I saw the big, blue noren outside. As I walked in though, that nostalgic familiarity disappeared but was replaced by a fascination with the interior. The inside made me feel like I was in someone's well-organised and fitted out home in rural Shimane prefecture.

At 6:15, the restaurant was already packed out (a measure of just how popular they are) but we were fortunate enough to still be able to get my favourite seating, right at the bar. This was the most optimum seating as the lighting was perfect and we had front-row seats to see it all happen. When I said everything was aesthetically pleasing, I really meant it. Even the menu was made out of Japanese washi paper which meant it had a really delicate yet clean feel to it. The Mrs didn't really want to go with the Omakase because it had duck on it so we decided to order straight from the menu.

First to come was the Salmon, Fennel and Caraway Seed which consisted in a mix of fresh salmon cubes that had been marinaded in white miso, mixed with cucumber and topped with pomelo. This was a perfect start to a wonderful dinner as this really demonstrated the skill and technique of each dish to come and set the bar for what we were to expect. The flavours were fresh and distinct, each one layered in a way where you would taste each after the other in perfect clarity as if you were lead from point to point whilst being lead by a gentle river current. The crunchy texture of the cucumber really accented the soft, fatty mouth feel of the salmon and the nutty, moreish flavour of the white miso marinade gave it a buttery, sweet finish.

Just before we finished the salmon, the next dish came which was the Egg and Crab Chawanmushi. This was the Mrs favourite dish of the night as the egg had a custard like consistency. Smooth, delicate and delicious in every way, the dashi used provided a really clean but intense umami with the sweetness of the flaky crab meat accenting each spoonful. We legitimately did not leave a single bit left in the chawan and the Mrs was visibly in utter bliss with each bite.

Despite the small kitchen and space, the dishes definitely come at a blistering page because as we were just finishing the chawanmushi, the third dish came which was the Prawns with Apple and Coriander. This was another dish that was immensely impressive to me....the thought and balance of flavours was absolutely sensational. I could legitimately drink that vinaigrette since it was so light and appetising. The apples and herbaceous flavour of the coriander really gave the sweet, raw prawns another dimension of flavour. Though it may seem a bit daunting to eat at first, it really isn't that hard. The method I found easiest was bringing the flesh up to your mouth and swallowing it whole from the middle, leaving only the head and tail exposed outside your mouth. You can then use your teeth to gnaw out the remaining flesh in the tail, leaving the head for your enjoyment if you're into sucking on prawn heads.

Then, came the "piece-de-resistance" moment of the night for us...with dishes of this extremely high refinement and calibre, you would imagine the dish would have to be exceptional to rise above the other already amazingly delicious dishes but IT WAS. The Wagyu, Satoimo and Peashoot dish had to be my favourite of the night just for the pure heavenly delight it brought the Mrs and I. Each bite made me pause and savour each drop of flavour and each lashing of sauce. I've had a fair few dishes of hanger steak but I can say with certainty that Sydney wide....none have the balance that Sasaki has. The beef was cooked pink end-to-end with a meaty, tender texture and rich, intense flavour. I almost cried....that's how good this dish was.

Whilst we ate the beef, a bowl of the rice of the day (Chicken, Mushroom and Mackerel Dashi) was waiting for us to consume it. We were fortunate enough to be able to capture the moment they opened the pot and mixed the rice just before serving and what a sight to behold...the perfectly cooked grains of rice being separated from the edges....just a hint of charring on the grains closest to the sides of the pot. Upon tasting the rice, I can say that you would not have had rice as good as this unless it was prepared by a seasoned master. You could taste each grain individually with the sweetness of the rice and the savoury flavours of the chicken, mushroom and mackerel permeating your mouth.

To finish our savoury selection, we had the Shiitake Mushrooms with Cheese Sauce. Now, I'm normally very anti-vegetables but I generally make exceptions for fungi. This dish? I will have over steak. Big call....but hear me out. This is the most perfect arrangement of mushrooms I've EVER had...deep fried and crunchy mushrooms coated in a thick, intensely cheesy sauce with an onsen egg hidden at the bottom with a savoury, umami-rich tare. Amazing....just, amazing.

Whilst I would have LOVED to double down on a few of the dishes I had last night, alas, our reservation only covered us up until 7:45 so we had to hustle. We quickly ordered dessert which consisted of three items we found interesting: the Chocolate with Red Miso, Matcha Meringue and the insta-famous Caramel and Nuts Monaka. Now, I told the Mrs that my favourite was the Matcha Meringue but in all honesty? It was definitely the Monaka. Don't get me wrong, like everything else we had last night, the desserts were ALL amazing too, but the Monaka was next level. The toasted flavour of the monaka wafer shell really accentuated the sweetness of the caramel and the nuts.

I hope to....no, I will return to Sasaki many, many times in the future. Sasaki envokes the same emotion in me as Japan does...it's like my spiritual home and by default, Sasaki is one of my favourite restaurants in Sydney right now. Japan is one of the few places on earth that makes me feel like I could stay there forever (others being Hong Kong, Hobart and obviously, Sydney) and Sasaki definitely gives me the same feeling. I truly, truly hope to become a regular at this fine establishment.

We got married!!!

So...I got married?? Yea...the Mrs and I weren't actually previously married but we were engaged to be married. In my mind, she'd always been my soul-mate: always on the same page and always supporting everything I did...she was, for all intents and purposes, my Mrs. Generally speaking, I think I can make the assumption that if you regularly read our blog, you know us personally so this may not be news to you but in the case that you aren't...the Mrs and I finally finished planning our big 'event' and tied the knot early January! We'd been travelling around in Hong Kong and Philippines for our honeymoon so I haven't blogged about it but it was a spectacular success!

This will be a departure from my regular food blogs (when you get married, you don't really pay attention to the food) but instead, it'll be a sort of recap of the day. I'd also like to take this chance to appreciate all those who had contributed to our day. My groomsmen and I got dressed early on in the day and headed out to pick up the Mrs. This was all part of a Chinese custom called  'fetching the bride'. The purpose of this was to officially whisk the bride away and take her back home to perform the 'tea ceremony'. This is a very important ceremony which officially welcomes the bride into the groom's family. Firstly, thank you to all my groomsmen (and especially, my best man Simon) for without any one of you, my day wouldn't have been as successful or as enjoyable. You guys had my back when I get flustered, grumpy, forgetful and most of all, accommodated my every whim without complaint.

Not us two...the Mrs and I!!!

Upon arrival at the first location and before we're able to 'fetch the bride', we're all put through some very gruelling challenges as a part of the 'door games'. These are mini-games (normally very physical) designed to make the groom and groomsmen suffer. This is to make the groom put in the effort and express his appreciation for his to-be-wife. Despite not being Cantonese, the Mrs' Maiden-of-honor did an absolutely excellent job with the challenges! Thank you to my sister-in-law for putting in the hard yards to help plan this! The groomsmen and I ended up doing many burpees, tasting many different flavours (wasabi...) and asking many of the other hotel guests for pieces of marital advice before gaining access to the room....and boy, she was very much worth it.

Thank you to my long-time friend Catherine for designing the tea ceremony dress and the Mrs' wedding dress. Both were magnificent, gorgeous and beautiful in every way...I was encapsulated from the moment I first laid eyes on the Mrs and I didn't look away from her once the whole day. With the bride fetched, we made our way back to my family home where we did the tea ceremony. After Which, it was a mad dash to get the bride back to her hotel room so that she could get ready for the church ceremony. For me and the boys, we made our way as quickly and efficiently to the church.

Obviously, I wasn't able to take any photos during the ceremony (being the groom and all) but if you're interested, take a look on instagram for the tag #mrandmrschopsticks and #mrandmrschopstickswedding for photos of us walking down the aisle (you'll probably need to scroll through our honeymoon photos though). I can honestly say that this was the happiest moment of my entire life...almost 6 years of dating and 2 years worth of planning culminating in the most beautiful woman in the world, saying that she was willing to take an immature, broken and clueless man to be her husband. I couldn't imagine a better location or a more beautiful day to get married to my best friend.

We had our reception at the Epping Club who were spectacular in every way: value for money as almost every major component was taken care of as a part of the package. The reception was full of bittersweet tears, heart-felt speeches and surprises. One such surprise was the special dance I planned for the Mrs! check it out:

A special thank you to my brothers-in-law: Rolf and Rj as well as Brent, Andrew, Terrence for helping me plan this and constantly practicing with me. A very, very special thank you to CeeJay for assisting me with choreographing the whole dance....without your guidance and advice, we would have never been able to pull this off. I have to say, this is one of the proudest moments of my life as I'm prone to extreme stage fright and anxiety when performing in front of others....but we did it!

Finally, thank you again to our parents for helping us with this whole planning process and assisting us with ensuring that this day went smoothly. I couldn't have been more surprised to see my father-in-law, mother-in-law and the Mrs surprise me with a dance. Even more surprising and touching was how emotional my parents got. If you'd had a Chinese upbringing, you'll be familiar with the aspect of your family where the verbal expression of heartfelt emotions is near impossible. This is why I was so ecstatic to see my mother, aunties and uncles up and dancing with me in celebration!





Even after returning from our honeymoon and having (finally) lived with the Mrs for a while, it still hasn't hit me that I'm a married man. I may wear the ring and I may bear the title of Mr but I think it doesn't feel too different...I think that even before we made it official, even without physically having lived with each other, the Mrs and I shared a special bond which made us closer and more connected in our hearts (and bellies). I'm positive that I married the right girl and I'm so excited to share a lifetime of happy times and meals as we are now the official, Mr and Mrs Chopsticks.

Grabbed Laksa from Malay Chinese as our first meal after being married. We were made for each other.