Neat as nigiri, Japanese omakase restaurant Izy.Aki fits perfectly between the brick and sandstone walls of its cosy Paddington pad to create a wonderfully romantic dining experience in Sydney’s east.
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Creating delicious works of edible genius from Izy.Aki’s diminutive kitchen, owner Darren Templeman and head chef Bonnie Yu have levelled up Sydney’s omakase scene.
This is omakase, but not as Australia’s seen before.
As we sit down at the counter that takes up most of the narrow restaurant — very much like the izakayas of backstreet Kyoto — Christina and I ponder how this instantly feels different to other omakase experiences we’ve had.
Far less formal and a more relaxed pace, Izy.Aki is more about enjoying the atmosphere, chatting to the staff and taking your time over a dish.
Not only is this more conducive to a romantic dinner, it also allows you to appreciate the sheer attention to detail. Here, the experience is all about you and your evening.
This is kappo yakiniku omakase.
What is kappo yakiniku omakase?
The Japanese trend of omakase dining has taken Australia by storm, pushing the popular degustation dinners of the 2010s out of the way with a sumo shove.
Born in the 1980s when businessmen had neither time nor inclination to choose their meals, Tokyo C-suiters would task the chef with omakase — ‘I leave it up to you’. The kitchen would then present what they had on hand to the busy diner.
Sydney has since adopted this style of eating with vigour, but Izy.Aki is taking things to the next step.
If you haven’t heard of kappo yakiniku omakase before, don’t worry; this is a first for Australia.
Kappo means ‘to cut and cook’ and yakiniku refers to the charcoal grill used in particular restaurants. So instead of being primarily sushi and sashimi focused, kappo yakiniku is also about grilled meats and personal service.
Izy.Aki owner Darren Templeman delivers each dish of our superb dinner personally
Our 10-Course Omakase at Izy.Aki
We slip into our seats at the long white marble bar that stretches out to the back of the room and squeezes everyone in at the elbow.
From here, we can see everything going on; every cocktail stirred and sake poured, and the parade of dishes prepped, plated and presented along the bar.
We love this kind of dining.
Beginning with a couple of superbly crafted house cocktails (Christina has an Izy-groni and I’ve gone for a Nip on Molasses), we settle in and watch the show.
It’s important to note that Darren and Bonnie change their menu all the time so expect different things than we’re detailing here. Regardless, you’re still guaranteed a spectacular dinner.
Dish 1: bluefin tuna tartare
Soon, our first dish — the first of 10 — arrives, and it’s clear that although the atmosphere and service is relaxed here, the menu takes itself pretty seriously.
There’s no such thing as scrimping or sub-standard ingredients. The food focuses on finest form and best quality, and in this there is no compromise.
The mound of jiggly red and orange cubes turns out to be bluefin tuna tartare and dashi jelly, and the snow on top is none other than shavings of pate de foie gras. Flavours are intense and almost peppery, with delicate textures of tuna that become even more tender when we get to the jelly.
Dish 2: The Egg
Izy.Aki’s signature dish and a real wow moment of the meal.
This is a free range hen’s egg that has been emptied then refilled with a wonderful array of flavours. Smoked eel, more foie gras and golden trout roe create a dish of incredible depth of flavour; rich, salty, packed with umami, yet light as air with the occasional pop and bite from the roe.
The shell has been perfectly scalped using a weighted cutter that head chef Bonnie enthusiastically shows off to us.
It’s little wonder why this dish has made such waves on the internet.
Dish 3: Sashimi time!
Plated with infinite delicacy, these three perfect tokens of wild kingfish from Ulladulla come with a salad of okame seaweed, edible flowers and red salmon roe. Dotted on each of them is an emulsion of house-fermented black garlic.
This isn’t as zesty or fresh as I was expecting after the opulence of The Egg. Instead, the silky richness and umami from the exquisite combination of flavours keeps the savoury ball rolling.
Dish 4: Chawanmushi
Chawanmushi is a kind of savoury egg custard and is traditional for kaiseki ryori (a multi-dish meal). However, Izy.Aki has pushed back against convention a little, serving theirs cool or at room temperature rather than piping hot, making this dish quite refreshing.
The dollop of real oscietra caviar on top is only just the start of the lavishness of this dish. Below, bathing in the silken custard and seafood dashi are pieces of pomelo, scallion and shredded Alaskan crab.
The ensemble brings sweetness, savoury notes and sharpness under the banner of the velvety custard.
Dish 5: Seafood Soup
With a base of seafood dashi — a great start to any aqueous dish — the luxury of abalone, octopus from Fremantle, Patagonian prawns and fresh lotus root make this so much more than a mere soup.
Dish 6: Lobster Tail
The extravagance keeps on coming as Darren brings us each a whole lobster tail from WA and Misty Valley mushrooms.
You’d expect the mushrooms to play second fiddle to the lobster, but not here. Having said that, the lobster is superb; tender, sweet, flavourful and perfectly cooked.
Keeping everything together though is the rich unctuous sauce made with house-fermented chilli butter. If this had been at home, I’d have licked my plate.
Dish 7: Beef Brisket
Somehow, Darren and Bonnie upstage the previous dish yet again with a monster of flavour: this 12-hours slow-cooked beef brisket that’s been finished on the yakiniku grill is so tender you can pull it apart with your fork.
The fat that rendered from the beef has been used to cook the delicate green cauliflower blossoms, and the rocher of mushroom miso butter creates such a range of profoundly deep flavours it’s almost overwhelming.
Dish 8: Wagyu Sirloin
Just when we think we’ve reached the deepest depth of flavour, Izy.Aki takes us to the Mariana Trench of umami with a beautifully grilled black opal wagyu sirloin (MB9+) from Victoria. The yakiniku grill has worked its magic again with this cut, creating the perfect Maillard crust on the outside while keeping the middle pink and tender.
With the steak comes a range of condiments — two types of freshly grated wasabi, a sour tamarind sauce and a fermented soy bean chilli, which I could just spoon up on its own. As a side (because we need more food!) is a bowl of house-fermented white kimchee and saffron fronds.
As Darren explains, this is a kind of choose-your-own-adventure thing, where you can pick how your steak tastes with each of the delectable condiments. This is a real wow dish.
Dish 9: Dessert #1
At first sight, we think this could be the one that kills us: a big scoop of rich dark chocolate cremeux, yoghurt sorbet and crunchy puffed rice.
However, this is a well-balanced dessert that’s surprisingly fresh and zesty. It somehow scratches the sweet itch after all these super savoury dishes, but is also far less filling than it looks.
Dish 10: Soufflé
The final dish is a real centrepiece. Rising high about its ornate pot, the Hokkaido matcha and raspberry cheesecake soufflé is really something to behold.
Freshly baked and puffy, the top hides a secret stash of gooey cheesecake and raspberries at the bottom, so it’s important to push your spoon all the way down.
This dish has changed my mind about matcha, which I never really held in high regard before. The creamy quenelle of mascarpone ice cream adds texture and a lovely hot-cold contrast to the soufflé.
Sake at Izy.Aki
I think it’s important to point out the bar here at Izy.Aki is not only packed with some outstanding spirits (there’s even a bottle of Sullivan’s Cove here), but its sake options are almost endless.
We finish with some junmai ginjo sake, which is earthy and funky, yet still fresh and clean. The sake is decanted into a silver vessel then poured into silver cups. The bottoms of the cups are smelted into the zodiac signs of the Lunar Calendar, which is a fun touch.
I must say, I do love the artistry and pageantry of omakase.
Along with the convivial service of a restaurant that leans halfway towards a Kyoto izakaya and halfway towards slick Paddo experiential dining, Izy.Aki’s omakase does all the thinking for you, bringing you a meal you never thought you needed.
The only problem now is all we can think about is going back for more!
