Ocean Room: Fall into the autumn tasting menu

On the brink of winter months in Sydney, an elegant 12-course autumn tasting menu at Circular Quay's Japanese fine diner, Ocean Room, is a perfect way to celebrate the very probable end of stocking-less legs and beanie-less heads.

Seated near the floor-to-ceiling glass doors, the view never gets old, even for a local - there's something romantically patriotic about dining on glistening Sydney harbour with the Opera House in full view.

Ocean Room martini from Ocean Room, Overseas Passenger Terminal, Circular Quay

In addition to head chef Raita Noda's autumn tasting menu, Ocean Room has recently installed a new bar menu chock-full of cocktails featuring Japanese ingredients and modern twists on classics. And if you needed more encouragement, they offer 2-for-1 cocktail specials from 6pm to 7pm nightly.

I started with the Ocean Room martini (technically a vesper) featuring gin, vodka, Lillet Blanc and three condiments in the form of house-made spherified liquid-filled balls.

The cocktail itself wasn't a face-slappingly strong rendition, but went down well with the sweet yuzu lemon and pink grapefruit spheres while the Sicilian green olive sphere seemed a little diluted and artificial in flavour.

Kaki - freshly shucked Sydney rock oyster, Guinness, myoga, Yamazaki silk

It was a delight to start the meal with beautiful specimens of freshly-shucked Sydney rock oysters, of which I could have easily eaten a dozen on their lonesome.

However, Ocean Room’s additions and garnishes made it a genuinely special starter, fancied-up with a Guinness stout dressing, myoga pickled young ginger and a gold-flecked ‘Yamazaki silk’ jelly sheet, subtly flavoured with, presumably, Japanese Yamazaki whisky.

Ochazuke - cold-drip dashi & premium gyokuro green tea, Koshihikari rice crust, flame seared latchet, umeboshi sorbet, wasabi dust

As part of the 12 courses I was treated to my first ever taste of ochazuke, which is quite the traditional Japanese dish of rice with green tea or dashi stock poured over the top; like a deconstructed congee.

Ocean Room’s modern, chilled version featured crisp, puffed Koshihikari rice (the best quality rice for sushi making) rather than the steamed/boiled variety, with a combination of cold-drip dashi stock and premium gyokuro green tea poured at the table.

Ochazuke 

Toppings for the dish included just-seared pieces of fresh latchet, a sorbet of salty umeboshi pickled plum and shallot thins, while the two-part iced vessel was rimmed with a green wasabi dust that added bite.

In all, I think ochazuke is a dish that needs getting used to: the cold temperature of the dish, the liquid and various textures, and the slight bitterness to the green tea were all very new and surprising to my palate.

Maguro - Yellow fin tuna, Sicilian green olive & buffalo mozzarella drops, crystallised yuzu, soy pearls, tomato chips

Spherified ingredients made another appearance in the maguro tuna dish where the green olive sphere was spot on in flavour, as too the buffalo mozzarella one.

The spheres were more of an amusing diversion from the main game of the tuna which was served diced like a tartare with an array of condiments to add as you pleased, along with thin wheels of dehydrated tomato 'chips' acting as a cracker for the tuna.

Shinjo - house-made croquette, tiger prawn & calamari, yuba angel hair

Warm dishes started with the excellently executed and unusually pretty Shinjo croquette of prawn and calamari. In a frilly costume of yuba tofu skin strips, the croquette was deep fried to a golden flaking brown to contrast with the bouncy-textured seafood balls.

With such a memorable appearance and texture complementing the seafood flavours, this was easily one of my favourite dishes of the tasting menu.

Onsen - autumn vegetable collection, yaki-onigiri, black shichimi,
house made anchovy & garlic bath

I adored the concept of the Onsen dish which translates from Japanese as 'hot spring'. A selection of vegetables and a miniature yaki onigiri grilled rice ball were laid around a tealight candle-heated oil bath of anchovy and garlic, ready for a warm dip.

Basically an Italian bagna cauda, the fresh and crisp vegetables were an absolute delight and the hands-on manner of eating mixed up the tasting menu with an element of fun.

Sashimi - daily recommendation, seasonal sashimi selection

We played tabletop Tetris to fit the long individual sashimi platters onto the round group table, with each variety of raw fish looking supremely fresh and enticing.

Firm hairtail came in a bamboo container, served diced with shallots and ginger, while bar cod sashimi with slivers of shiso leaf was a first for me.

Sashimi

And then there was chu-toro medium fatty tuna (although I'm sure we were all hoping for otoro), black kingfish with minced garlic and dainty shallots, and Tasmanian ocean trout with pearls of roe.

Shabu2 - wagyu beef, grilled tofu, seasonal mixed vegetables,
dashi consomme, lime chilli soy

Shabu-shabu is a sure winter winner of thinly sliced wagyu beef, cooked lightly in the hot dashi consommé it's served in.

This was comfort in a bowl with exceptional flavours in the broth flavouring the delicate grilled tofu and an array of seasonal vegetables; while the lime chilli soy sauce ably lifted the flavours from the rich, tender wagyu beef slices.

Miso cod - signature grilled sweet miso cod fillet, ginger risotto, orange miso

It seems every modern Japanese eatery can’t help but do their own versions of miso cod; a dish made famous at the Nobu chain of high-end Japanese restaurants.

Also a signature at Ocean Room, the small cod fillet was perfectly coloured and flavoured with a sweet miso paste and then char grilled to a firmly flaking texture with the caramelised surfaces being the ultimate highlight.

The ginger-scented risotto was a gorgeously appropriate accompaniment; bulking up a light but luxurious dish, while the squiggles of orange miso sauce seemed somewhat superfluous with the perfectly cooked fish.

Butabara - simmered pork belly, melting tofu, yuzu chilli ponzu

A cellophane-wrapped ‘gift’ arrived as the next course, served with a test tube of yuzu chilli ponzu sauce. The clear package was cut open at the table to reveal a fragrant, soupy pork belly dish with a block of silken tofu, mushrooms, carrot and cabbage in a creamy, white broth.

Butabara

It was impossible to stop after the first mouthful: the full-flavoured tonkotsu-like pork bone broth and fatty pork belly were perfect for wintry weather while the tofu, vegetables and tangy ponzu sauce lightened the load of porkiness.

Sansui - wagyu flat iron steak, Tasmanian pepper jus, quinoa crusted king prawn, Americaine cream, agedashi taro potato

I had reached exploding point at this tenth course; probably one of the heavier ones too featuring a luxe Japanese take on surf and turf. I was drawn to the large quinoa crusted king prawn, deep fried to a seductively golden hue although the quinoa grains were a little hard rather than crunchy.

The wagyu flank steak was a bit more of a challenge to a (over)full stomach. With a bit of chew, the flank was full-flavoured with buttery wagyu richness paired with a unique taro potato, shaped and deep fried like a potato gem.

Edo-mae sushi - three authentic Tokyo style nigiri sushi, chef’s daily recommendation

The savoury courses ended with sushi, which is typically meant to fill up the stomach at the end - a task completed on me a few courses ago.

Ocean Room do a petite Edo-Mae style nigiri sushi which I learnt about on a previous visit. The rice plays an important part in the delicate sushi while the daily fish selection included tuna, salmon and imperador – the latter of which I would describe as a sweeter, firmer white fish than kingfish.

Amaguri - Amaguri chestnut mont blanc, green tea angel cake, spiced ice cream, chestnut puree, cognac persimmon

While the entire degustation was undeniably seasonal, dessert was autumn on a plate. A mont blanc featuring my favourite chestnuts - very much in season in Sydney's autumn - sat alongside a wedge of brightly-hued persimmon lightly soaked in cognac.

It was a subtle and not-too-sweet pairing with a Japanese touch in the green tea angel cake enclosed within the nutty threads of the mont blanc.

Twelve exquisite courses (with that winning view) for $120 is serious value at this fine end of town. Chef Noda's autumn tasting menu has redefined the idea that Japanese cuisine isn't warming, comforting, cool-weather food - and it's one that will probably have diners falling over themselves to try in the cooler months.

Food, booze and shoes dined as a guest of Ocean Room, with thanks to Wasamedia.

Talking fish, sushi and sashimi at Ocean Room

It would be safe to say that the majority of Sydney-siders are familiar with sushi and sashimi, if not fans of one or both. Lots of young children are even comfortable with maki sushi rolls, with nori seaweed and all.

So with the awareness and popularity boxes ticked, I got to delve a little deeper in a brief sushi and sashimi masterclass with Ocean Room executive chef Raita Noda earlier this year at his waterside contemporary Japanese restaurant.

Executive chef Raita Noda,for sushi and sashimi masterclass at Ocean Room,
Circular Quay

The restaurant interior is about as stunning as the quintessential Sydney view outside, but with a large collection of fresh fish on display for the class, Noda had our complete attention.

Sushi as we know it today, especially the nigiri style where there's a fish or other topping pressed onto an elongated ball of sushi rice, originated from traditional edomae zushi from the Edo period in Japan. The focus is on the neta topping, while the seasoned rice is designed to carry and enhance the flavours of the fish.

There's also a delicacy to edomae style sushi. For example, nigiri sushi pieces are often tailored to be smaller mouthfuls for female eaters, with Noda laughing that he doesn't want to see ladies open their mouths too wide.

Narito Ishii of Wellstone Seafoods

Joining Noda for the masterclass was his seafood supplier, Wellstone Seafoods, represented by general manager - and long-time friend of Noda - Narito Ishii.

Ishii's specialised knowledge of the Japanese approach to fish, and his unwavering demands for quality and freshness, gives Wellstone the impressive claim of supplying pretty much all the high-end Japanese restaurants in Sydney with local and imported seafood.

So trusted is Ishii that Noda's evening fish orders to him could read like the following: "Two white fish, two silver fish, and two of something interesting and unique" - the latter which are normally competitively priced.

Sashimi platter

Imperador is certainly one of the unique for me - it's a species I've not heard of before. The red-skinned fish is surprisingly sweet and delicate done sashimi style, and one of my favourites of the elaborate sashimi platter that Noda presents to us.

The contemporary style of Ocean Room means that sashimi is served with extras on top of soy sauce and wasabi. Indeed, almost every fish featured its own flavour addition - chives with the trevally or minced ginger on the whiting - elevating the experience to much more than a plate of raw fish.

Lightly seared scallops are always a winner, while I've been liking rich mackerel since my Japan trip. There was also john dory formed into a stunning rose, swordfish lightly seared, ocean trout (many Japanese chefs' preference over salmon) and kingfish.

Bluefin tuna

But there's always a star of the show and this time it was a portion of bluefin tuna, caught off Nelson Bay in NSW.

There is serious contention around the threatened status of southern bluefin tuna. It is legal to catch bluefin tuna in Australia but there are conservation measures in place.

Ishii said there were plenty of the impressively large fish about this year, likely because of the reduction in allowable catch numbers in Australia since 2010.

The bulk of tuna fished from Australian waters is exported to Japan, although the rising appreciation of sashimi tuna in Australia means that more high quality tuna are being sold, and valued, in the local market.

Executive chef Raita Noda,with one of his two sashimi knives

This tuna was one of the last of the bluefin tuna of the season (back in August), according to Ishii, and we were very privileged to have it in our class under the trained care of chef Noda.

Noda uses two sashimi knives at Ocean Room: one each of Tokyo and Osaka styles which have slightly different, flexible blades.

Bluefin tuna belly

He divided the tuna into its deep red akami lean flesh from the side of the fish, and the toro belly that's lined with highly desirable streaks of fat.

Noda likened tuna to beef steak that needs time to age after killing for flavours to come out. This portion of tuna had been aged for a few days ahead of our class

O-toro tuna belly nigiri sushi

The plate of o-toro nigiri sushi was an absolute treat featuring the fattiest, most prized part of the belly. This was probably my third experience of o-toro, simply brushed with soy sauce on sushi rice seasoned to Ocean Room's own recipe.

O-toro tuna belly

Sliced and draped across the rice, the o-toro has a vague resemblance to raw wagyu beef. It was definitely rich, fatty and full of luxurious flavour, but I seemed to have scored a piece that, like some of even the best steaks, had some sinewy sections that needed serious chewing.

Chu-toro tuna nigiri sushi

Noda prepared chu-toro tuna belly next - the part of the fish essentially between the o-toro and the lean akami. While still boasting a rich creaminess from the fat, there's a bit more of a sea taste to the chu-toro and a pleasingly soft texture.

Imperador nigiri sushi

Returning to the imperador, which Noda had now blowtorched the skin of, this nigiri style was topped with finely sliced green shiso leaf, which I find to have strong anise flavours and don't always love.

With just a sprinkle of sea salt in place of soy sauce, the "interesting and unique" fish were kicking goals.

Cuttlefish nigiri sushi

Cuttlefish, the lesser known cousin to squid, made an appearance as nigiri sushi too, with each piece finely and artfully scored.

Creamy is probably the last word you'd think to use to describe raw cuttlefish, but it's exactly that, with a bit of bounce to its chew and perhaps more sweetness than raw squid.

Latchet nigiri sushi

One of the funny looking, also red-skinned, fish from the display was latchet which Ishii said was from Bermagui down the southern NSW coast.

The soft white flesh made for an appropriate backdrop to the almost Chinese accompaniments of minced ginger, chives and soy sauce.

Akami tuna nigiri sushi

Finally, a dramatic plate of akami tuna nigiri sushi hit the table. Having been marinated briefly in soy sauce, the already deep red flesh takes on a jewel-like translucency and deeper colouring, contrasting ever so much with white sesame seeds and citrus peel.

The firmer lean tuna flesh is able to stand up to the big soy sauce flavour, making for a completely different eating experience to either of the toro options.

Narito Ishii of Wellstone Seaafoods (left) and Raita Noda, executive chef
at Ocean Room (right)

With ice cold sake and expert fish and sushi advice on stand by, the Ocean Room masterclass was a process of learning and being more conscious of the sushi and sashimi we eat.

The topic of sustainability came up, not only in relation to the bluefin tuna, but overall commerical fishing methods.

Is trawler and net fishing sustainable when small fish or unwanted varieties also make the catch? What does the demand for 'standard' tuna and salmon sashimi do for sustainability of these and other species? And what about the environmental sustainability of wild-caught fish versus farmed fish, and indeed, versus farmed land animals?

It seems there's plenty to talk about when it comes to fish, sushi and sashimi, See more photos from the Ocean Room masterclass on my Facebook page.

Food, booze and shoes attended the sushi and sashimi masterclass as a guest of Ocean Room, with thanks to Wasamedia.