Zushi Surry Hills

Serving up quality Japanese fare at decent prices, this restaurant lives up to the reputation earned by the original, much-loved Zushi in Darlinghurst. But this casual lunch spot (come for the $10 chef’s lunch) is a bustling eatery at night too.

Everything about Zushi is stylish, from the wonderful presentation of the snapper sashimi, which comes arranged in a rosette (almost too pretty to eat), to the dark golden lighting that suffuses the restaurant in the evenings. It’s hard not to be mesmerised by the ceiling, which features suspended slanting wooden planks – somewhat ethnocentrically bringing to mind chopsticks. Sitting upstairs is the perfect choice for people watchers, as it affords a gallery view of the well-dressed patrons below.

Signature menu items are the spider rolls (an inside-out sushi roll with soft shell crab, cucumber, avocado and wasabi mayonnaise) and the whiting tempura. Another dish to try is the Wagyu beef in their special Zushi barbeque sauce. While it is a good rule of thumb to be wary of anything that comes in a ‘special’ sauce, this dish is a worthy exception.