The things that once made Tetsuya’s such a coveted booking may no longer be as revolutionary for a national palate now more attuned to Japanese flavours, but that doesn’t mean the food is any less alluring. It’s still a thrill to behold the signature confit ocean trout, draped elegantly over matchsticks of green apple and witlof, to feel the pop of the unpasteurised trout roe, to savour the length of flavour in the crumbled kombu coating. Elsewhere, sharp Pacific oysters dressed with soy and rice vinegar might be $12 a pop, but this is a place where classic pleasures (extending to an elegant wine selection, lush carpet, polished service and, yes, valet parking) come first, even if they come at a price. Plates range between raw and poached, sashimi kingfish accented with dashi cream and cucamelon, perhaps, or lamb cooked sous-vide and served with watercress purée and charred leek. Sound, if a little safe. Abalone with oyster dashi and wakame is more like it, nicely to the bite and dressed up with iceplant and seablite. This is cooking rendered with as much attention as the Zen garden that anchors the restaurant. Just imagine if it could train both eyes on the future.
Gourmet Traveller’s restaurant guide gives a yearly snapshot at the best restaurants to eat at right now. The best-rated restaurants, as judged by the reviewers’ first-hand experience, form our national Top 50. The wine star-ratings, which range from zero to three stars are made by wine editor Max Allen on the strength of the quality of the restaurant’s wine list. View our rating key here.
