Sabu

Hmmm. I guess we found Parramatta’s answer to Japanese finer dining or at least the most appropriate contender. You’ll have to venture past the busier eateries on Parra’s Church St restaurant strip to find this place. And make a reservation at least, just in case, you know, they’re busy. I was expecting a mind blowing replacement for my preferential Japanese restaurant in the city but experienced a bleaker version instead. Ahh well. If they halved the cost at this place, I would call it worth it. But we found some ups and downs. Ups: beef robata, tempura and service. Downs: sushi nigiri (honestly how do they let this happen.), carpaccio and cost. We sought out this place to enjoy decent sushi but it was average at best. Only lucky that there were other choices on the menu to off set the disappointment. I mean we ordered as mixture of nigiri selection but they were so dry and unfresh I had to perform the subtle «spit back into napkin» manœuvre than swallow that ungodliness. I’m not saying the overall quality of this restaurant was bad because it wasn’t, it was good enough. I’m just saying the fish, compared to my usual experiences at various other Japanese restaurants, sucked in comparison. Perhaps we caught them on a bad day eh. Who knows. The beef robata and tempura are worth returning for and maybe I’ll hazard into mains territory next time too. But just. not in a hurry to return. Hmmm.

Pricey «Fine Dining» Japanese food near the river in Church St, Parramatta.
This is the best quality Japanese food in Parramatta, but the competition isn’t strong and you pay a lot for the quality! Share plates of sushi, sashimi and cooked dishes cost anywhere from $ 15 up to $ 40 for the more meaty ones.
Portion sizes are pretty small but the quality is really nice. The Sashimi was really nice, sushi rolls a bit plain but tasty. «Sabu Cigars with Bloody Mary Shot» was a unique dish, crispy rolls filled with tuna, fish roe and spicy mayo, and a sake bloody mary. Unusual flavours!
The drinks menu is pretty comprehensive, a nice variety of sake, umeshu, cocktails, beers and wine. Atmosphere pleasant, staff very friendly. We’ll be saving this one for special occasions though, the prices are too high for a regular visit.