Raw Bar

LOCATION
On the corner of Warners and Wairoa Avenues, close to Bondi Beach Primary School and Campbell Parade.

PROFILED BY DE GROOTS MEDIA
When the Raw Bar doors swung open in 1995, sushi was a relatively new concept for the palates of Bondi; fast-forward 17 years and the restaurant has established itself as a leading source of Japanese cuisine, securing the Best Sushi Bar title at the Restaurant and Catering Awards in 2008. Inhabiting a cute corner spot in Bondi Beach, with the blue sea stretching beyond, Raw Bar fills with Bondi locals for lunch and dinner seven days a week. Casual and laidback by day, cosy and candle-lit by night, the interior features gorgeous bamboo floors and wooden stools perfect for perching. Sun-seekers can find a patch outside, or take a seat inside where folding windows open to capture the sea breeze. With a no-bookings policy, you may need to spend a moment or two waiting at the sushi counter, or take your loot away – particularly on weekends when the Sunday market crowd amble over for a nibble.

Raw Bar’s Head Chef, Shintaro Honda, manipulates the day’s catches into delicious works of art. With a menu designed for sharing, order an assemblage of sashimi and sushi rolls – perhaps the spider crab inside-out roll, with its mix of soft shell crab, cucumber, flying fish roe and jalapeno cream, or the salmon hand roll of avocado, cucumber, flying fish roe and Japanese mayonnaise. The indecisive can settle on a sushi and sashimi combo or the popular bento boxes, while others may prefer to choose from the tempura, karaage, teriyaki or udon noodle soups on offer. A tot of chilled sake or sencha green tea is the perfect end to your Japanese feast.

Lauren Barker