PROFILED BY DE GROOTS MEDIAThis Japanese restaurant on Military Road has been known as Twenty-Double-Eight (a nod to the local Mosman postcode) for the past three years, but keep your eyes peeled for a change, at least in name only. Serving modern Japanese fusion food, the menu at Sake Fusion Restaurant blends Japanese techniques and ingredients with the best of European flavours and styles. If you’re not familiar with Japanese fusion cuisine it might seem somewhat odd to be ordering wagyu beef carpaccio in a Japanese restaurant but when you add ponzu citrus sauce, for example, it all begins to come together.
The chef and owner of Sake Fusion is a charismatic little livewire named Shuey Sugiura who can often be found milling about the softly lit restaurant happily chatting with diners. The dining room has Sugiura’s sense of style stamped all over it, from the handcrafted wooden tables engraved with his favourite Japanese characters to the artwork on the walls. The menu draws the concept of Japanese fusion cuisine together with style; begin with the spring rolls stuffed with prawns, asparagus and cream cheese or opt for the tuna steak with avocado, wilted spinach and sweet ginger sauce. A main of toro presents as top grade tuna, which is pink in colour and served three ways with organic pink salt or go with the dramatically named “Octagon”, a dish of slow cooked pork marinated in star anise. The weeknight special of three-courses for $19.90 is an ideal way to dip your toe into the tastes of the Japanese fusion pool. BYO wine also makes for a cheap night out, though the wine list is reasonably priced and the sake list is second to none.
Amy Looker