Jazushi in Surry Hills

Eating agedashi tofu and sushi while live jazz music plays is a pleasure of mine made possible by the one-of-a-kind Jazushi restaurant in Sydney’s Surry Hills.

The hidden gem, located on Devonshire Street, specialises in traditional Japanese cuisine fused with an exquisite European touch. Think actual mushrooms in your miso soup ($5), grilled eggplant steak with tomato miso and cheese ($11), camembert tempura ($16), fish garnished with balsamic soy sauce ($23), and terriyaki chicken served on a bed of roast potatoes ($21). Is that enough Euro influence for you? Yes, sir!

There’s a choice of three dining room experiences: An intimate, heated oriental styled bamboo terrace with bar upstairs,  a spacious and elegant white room for functions or the sought-after ambient main room down stairs. We were fortunate to get a last-minute table in the latter which offers casual sophisticated dining with live jazz music.

Amelia and I both being avid bean curd eaters were impressed by the green tea noodle addition to the agedashi tofu ($11). The cool thing about this place is the tapas-style menu is designed for sharing among friends. So we ended up sampling an assortment of yummy dishes including the signature tempura sushi rolls ($15); a unique-style deep fried salmon avocado nori roll with caramel soy and wasabi mayo. It had a light crisp exterior bound with mouth-watering flavours.

Sweet choya plum wine ($7.50 glass/$38 bottle) was our drink of choice. We were told it’s a perfect introduction to Japanese wine. Indeed it is! It had an alcoholic bang that was easy to sip. So lovely, we yearned for more.

For dessert, black sesame and green tea ice-cream served with strawberries and crunchy nut cornflakes ($10) complemented our meals. The flakes added a wonderful texture to the mix. Other sweets like the créme brulee ($10) and chocolate platter sounded like musts to try next time.

The bill came to $95 for two. While Jazushi is more expensive than dining at an el cheapo sushi train, it is by all means quality food worth paying for in an atmospheric setting.

The service was impeccable and left us smiling which very few places do these days. If we weren’t sure on something, the staff team were quick to share suggestions and fulfil any need. Our meals were served in a timely succession and plates were cleared just as water was re-filled when required. The staff clearly pride themselves on customer service and confidently provided a feedback form with our account. I will definitely be returning to this hip jazz headquarter.