Review at Nakashima (Sydney)

The Rocks at Sydney can be somewhat like Melbourne in two aspects – lots of cafes and hidden gems tucked away in laneways. I felt at ease away from the craziness from the Sydney CBD while walking around the Rocks. Mr. CF brought me to this Japanese restaurant Nakashima which is very easy to miss at first sight! It is a very popular lunchtime spot for the working crowd. Thus, the owners cleverly maximised their own restaurant space by erecting a mini tent to shield the customers from the weather elements.

Unagi bento

The lunch specials are essentially bento sets. Each bento set has three mini sections (sushi/sashimi, main, and entrees), a bowl of rice and miso soup. Mr. CF ordered the chicken teriyaki bento while being the sucker for unagi, I went straight for the unagi (freshwater eel) bento.

Unagi

The unagi was excellent; its smoky flavour really won me over. There wasn’t that many bones which was a pet peeve with many of my friends and my father hates. I just felt there should be more teriyaki sauce to go with the uangi though.

Teriyaki chicken

Imagine juicy chicken breast bursting out with goodness when you try to savour it. This is indeed the star of the meal – Mr. CF shot me an ugly look when I wanted 2nd helpings of the teriyaki chicken.

Agedashi Tofu

The agedashi tofu was really wonderful – crispy on the outside and literally melts in your mouth. The accompanying sauce (tentsuyu) was full of flavour and complimented well with the crispy texture of the tofu cubes.

This is indeed a hidden gem in the Rocks – the teriyaki chicken was absolutely wonderful. On reading reviews like this after the meal, I kicked myself for sticking to the normal dishes off the menu. I would want to go there again for dinner to taste the signature dishes in here again.

Nakashima

7 Cambridge Street
The Rocks
Sydney
02 9241 1364