Tokyo Mission and Sydney’s Yoshii Omakase

By Martin Rogers

One of the great joys of business is the ritual of a special dinner, sometimes in celebration with your business colleagues. It is without doubt a moment looked forward to.

In early 2013 I was in Tokyo after cementing a deal for a biotech company as a director with an investor and friend, CEO of the biotech and her banker/stockbroker. The celebration dinner was somewhere in Ginza, truth was I had no idea where I was going but the local Japanese VC partner on the other side of the deal was the lead.

Our Japanese guide led us through the glitzier, less skanky side near our hotel across a subway to Ginza. We walked more past enormous Yakuza-run nightclubs, karaoke bars, hostess bars, love hotels and restaurants. It became darker as we walked further and farther from the neon-lit signs. We turned towards a non-descript dimly-lit stairway to a single anime picture of fish, the only indicator of activity.

Japanese Meal Worth It

In almost quietness, not a sound, we entered into a well-lit sushi bar. There was 10-12 seats with two sushi chefs in headbands and chef uniforms. The other end of the sushi bar was a couple of inebriated local businessman with generational younger dates.

Sitting in front of us on ice was an array of fish and shellfish so fresh, so good looking it took our breath away.

What happened next was the most divine meal I had in my life, each tiny morsel was a flavour explosion and unlike nothing ever experienced in my life. With my business colleague we chatted with the sushi chef, took his business card and said he should open up this style of high-end eatery when Crown Casino was going to open in Sydney. Keep in mind this is 2013 and Crown did not open to this year, 2021.

Fast forward to 2021, my business colleague or myself didn’t follow up with any seriousness with the sushi chef, actually his name escapes me, but the dining experience certainly didn’t.

Sydney Surprise

To my flood of enjoyment Crown Casino Sydney announced Yoshii’s Omakase, a 12 seater intimate omakase sushi shop. The chef Ryuichii Yoshii is the best sushi chef in Southern Hemisphere and this is the temple all devotees must make a homage to.

Experience, Experience, Experience

First the greeting through the sliding door. The hostess has a disarming smile in a most pleasant way but you can’t but help notice the subtle tattoos behind her ears. Like a hot towel at the start of a meal a charming welcome puts you in the right mindset for a dining experience.

In the most Australian way; the Japanese experience starts with a beetroot dish, a delicious dashi and caviar bite. This was washed down with a frozen sake, thick, cloudy, bone dry and utterly delicious.

Sake comes out of a mini transparent teapot, I drank more in an intoxicating sip, my colleagues were positioning themselves as group photo was arranged.

The next plate comes out in a flash, chargrilled toro with renkon. Naturally fatty with a slight char infused by the toro over charcoal with the presence of Japanese mustard. The chef standing there while we ate, of course, moans, smiles and looks of gratitude, the chef removed the plates.

In somewhat of magic trick, his hands moved and the master of the craft motions his knife and presents a supreme showcase of technical wizardry in the fresh bounty of sashimi plate. A salmon rose, kingfish, some other delicious cut of tuna, cucumber, crunchy salty mini crab and even a carrot butterfly garnish. Again, the chef watched as we ate, we were a good audience, we closed our eyes and transformed, ourselves even whilst questing eating a whole mini crab.

Now came slow cooked baby abalone with roe and leaf of something, who cares. It was so damm good. The hostess came with pouring of more sake. Bonito fish soup came next in a steaming bowl with a waft to pay attention to but in no way filling.

Oh Yeah! Distinct Flavours and Textures

Next came the best course yet arrived; a grilled toothfish with shitake mushrooms in accompanying wood. It was placed in front of us with flames and still licking smokes in the air. The chef watched us, curious how we would deal with this most different way to accept different from the heat of the grill. The fully cooked flesh had an edge of crispy edges along with a translucent sheen and you couldn’t help but slurp down the gelatinous matter with the mini theatre going on.

Sake was refilled, chef opening smiling now. Were we finished, no way!

More Sashimi, more Sushi

A brief interlude was made with stop to look out the balcony over the setting sun and that was quickly matched with a sake glass filled with a palate cleanser of mango and ginger granita topped with an elidable purple flower for colour.

I didn’t care what they put in front of me anymore, I trusted the smiling chef and his assistant, I was in.

What happened next was somewhat of a blur, the chef joined with assistant now. The nigiri section started. Sprinkled with a touch of salt of crushed fish bones for unami flavour, a single slice of imperador, garfish, kingfish belly with watermelon relish, bonito. That was accomplished by freshly grated wasabi that was so fresh I could taste the ocean water in the back of my mouth.

At this point the tuna arrived all melt in your mouth small portions; Japanese version of French artisan butter and seafood, marinated chutoro, otoro, otoro redux, squid that is cut in florets about to sprout as a single piece of nigiri, swordfish belly with finely chopped chives on top, salmon belly tied in knots and flash grilled, scampi toro uni and scampi caviar followed by anago( saltwater eel).

In a final desert a distinctly Asian dish of bamboo charcoal ice cream touched with gold leaf is just what the doctor ordered.

There was calls of “Arigato goziamishi” as we were ushered out in gratitude to the Sydney Crown foyer, botox, bling and bashful crowd swirling in a bright foyer complex filled with 5 types of marble. A far cry from the back streets of Tokyo.