Umi Kaizen-Zushi

The perfect solution to deciding where to eat... the Sydney Entertainment book.

What is the Entertainment book???

"The Entertainment™ Book is a local restaurant and activity guide that provides valuable 25% to 50% off and 2-for-1 offers from many of the finest restaurants, activities and hotels throughout Australia and New Zealand."

Source: http://www.entertainmentbook.com.au/

That pretty much sums it up... and the plus point is, the proceeds of the book go to charity. Win-Win!

So, we flipped through the book and decided on Umi Kaizen-Zushi, a sushi place located near capital square in Haymarket, under the popular yumcha restaurant, Zilver.

I remember trying out this place when it first opened a few years ago but somehow I was never tempted to come back.

When we walked in, we were greeted by the usual "irashaimase!" by the staff. A waitress seats us at the sushi train which overlooks the centerpiece of the restaurant, their fishtank. Umi means sea in Japanese, hence the giant fish tank with assorted tropical fish in it.

#1 - Giant fish tank

#2 Head Chef, Yasu searing salmon with his blowtorch (?)

#3 Deep fried bonito flakes on tofu. - wonderfully crispy, a great take on the traditional favourite, agedashi tofu

#4 Salmon tobiko - the combination of roe + raw salmon + mayo makes it a must-have at any sushi place

#6 inside out soft shell crab roll - the chilli flakes aded an extra kick to the otherwise bland roll

#6 seared salmon sushi

#8 mango topped salmon roll - was very intriguing on the sushi train but i personally felt it tasted really strange.

#9 smoked salmon inside out roll

#10 unagi (eel) nigiri sushi

By then, we were rather uninspired by the sushi selection so we decided to order something off the menu...

#11 wagyu beef shabu shabu $16.80 -

This came with ponzu and sesame seed/peanut condiments - I cannot stress how much I loved the sesame seed/peanut sauce!

#12 perfectly pink beef

#13 sushi prices

#14 25% off total bill

Personally, I feel that the prices are a tad steep for a very basic sushi selection. Would much prefer my usual sushi haunt, Takumi @ market city. Would return to try out more of their menu items.

My rating:

Food: 7/10

Ambience: 8/10

Service: 8/10

Value: 5/10

Umi Kaizen-Zushi,

Shop 1, Lower Ground Floor,

Sydney Central, 477 Pitt St

Sydny NSW 2000

(Cnr Hay&Parker St)

Phone: 02 9281 2006