Izakaya is always the perfect choice whenever I miss Japanese food. Izakayas serve a variety of dishes and drinks so you can keep trying things until you discover your favorite. I went to the new opened Grill & Bar Yebisu in Chinatown. It is located right in the center of Chinatown on the corner of Dixon and Little Hay Street. You can easily find it without Google maps.
Ebisu, the Japanese god of wealth, welcomes you as you enter through the door.
There are anime characters and scenery painted all over the restaurant, they’re all very familiar to me including Mt. Fuji, Gogira and Gundam. The atmosphere makes it feel like I’m back in Japan.
It was painted by the store manager, Takuma, here he is standing next to his name on the wall. Try to find his name when you visit!
There is also a counter on the bar, so you can enjoy a drink after work.
The next exciting part is making an order through iPad screens. There are 19 kinds of sake and colourful cocktails too.
There’s also a sake wagon that moves around the restaurant and you can order directly from it. The attractive wagon makes us order some sake. We decided to order a sake called Nanbu Bijin, made in Iwate prefecture in the northern part of Japan.
The waitresses will pour the sake into a small box in front of you after your order.
After you order, all the staff celebrate cheerfully, clapping their hands and ringing a bell.
There is a technique we use so that you don’t spill the sake when you drink it. Start drinking the sake and move your head close to the edge of the glass. Once you’ve drunk some of the sake, take the glass out of the box and tip the corner of the box to pour the excess sake in the glass.
We also ordered a CHOYA Umeshu cocktail with seasonal fruit. It is a great choice to start your meal.
The sashimi is delivered from the fish market so it’s very fresh. I loved the fatty slices of king fish with special soy sauce.
Next was yakitori grilled chicken. They are all grilled by hand after ordering. The taste is different depending on the sauce the chefs select, including curry or miso. As the name is Grill & Bar, yakitori is a must. The absolute must have is the tsukune minced chicken skewer, with bacon wrapped cherry tomatoes.
This is fluffy Japanese omelet with seasoned cod roe. Whenever I go to an izakaya, I order this. Next time, I’d like to try another type of omelet with eel.
The last dish was oyakodon, chicken and egg rice bowl. The size of the bowl made us super full.
For dessert, we ordered Tempura ice cream. Vanilla ice cream is hidden inside. If you are a member of Washoku Lovers, it only costs $2. Don’t miss it, sign up here!
I felt nostalgic while I was there, but there are still so many dishes I want to try. If you want to feel like you’re in Japan in Sydney, I recommend you to go to Grill & Bar Yebisu in Chinatown. Everyone from adults to children can enjoy it.
Bar & Grill Yebisu
– Level 1 / 55 Dixon Street Haymarket NSW 2000
– 02 9211 3038
– Opening Hours –
Sunday to Wednesday : 12PM～11PM
Thursday to Saturday : 12PM～12AM
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