Sushi DEN Dining

8 Reviews on “Sushi DEN Dining”

• Artforartssake

  FOOD TYPEJapaneseFOOD QUALITYMy wife and I dined here on the last night of summer. We started with a refreshing bottle of Asahi ($8) and a small bottle of Brute sparkling white wine ($10). For entrees, we ordered our favourite spicy edamame beans ($7) and vegetarian dumplings ($10). The beans were fresh and chewy. The dumplings were a nice contrast: quite small and just a tad burned on the outside, but with a soft outer coating and a nice smooth veg filling. For mains, I had the teriyaki chicken with rice ($19) and my wife had the karaage chicken ($11), and that was it for us. Both chicken dishes were tasty and fresh. My teriyaki chicken was tender and succulent and cut into small, thin slices. The karaage chicken had a crunchy batter and was served with lettuce, mayonnaise and lemon. Everything is freshly prepared and brought out to the table piping hot, in stylish white or colourful crockery. ATMOSPHEREThis is a fairly basic suburban eatery with a brown colour scheme. But the honey coloured timber floors, exposed brick walls and dim lighting give it a pleasant and relaxed ambience. In addition to the main dining area, theres also an overflow space outside at the back under cover, with another six or seven tables, but a bit too near the kitchen and the toilets, so we sat upfront near the door. This place is clearly popular with the locals, as there was a decent turnout on a Wednesday night. Given the small catchment around here and the upmarket clientele, its quite an achievement to even half fill a restaurant midweek, so clearly these guys are doing something right.SERVICEThere are about three or four staff on duty, so things hummed along very smoothly. Orders were smartly taken and dishes came out quickly and in the correct order. All the staff are polite and courteous. One waitress seemed a bit hesitant in English, but she made up for it by being patient and helpful. If I do have one complaint about the service, it was that they seemed a bit slow in tidying up and resetting the tables after guests had left. Chairs were left half in, half out, tables dirty and thats never a good look.COMFORTWe were perfectly comfortable at our table for four, even though there were only two of us, so were easily able to fit all the dishes. Plastic upholstered chairs were firm and comfy and the temp was just right, although it was the ideal time of the year, being the last day of summer, so not too hot or too cold. MENUThere are quite a few menus here, with lots of colourful pics so it can be a bit confusing. Theres a specials menu, a regular menu and a drinks menu. Theyre enclosed in plastic sheets but I still found them a tad grubby through so much use, so maybe its time to refresh them.TOILETSTheres a unisex toilet out at the back past the kitchen. Its well provisioned with adequate soap, hand towels and toilet paper, but, like the restaurant, some attention mid-evening to keep it clean wouldnt go astray. ACOUSTICSThis can be a noisy venue with lots of wood and concrete and not a sound absorber in sight. We were unlucky enough to dine on the same night as a bunch of six very loud, boozy guys, who made a helluva racket which just reverberated around the restaurant. Thankfully, they didnt stay long, and once theyd left, it was fairly peaceful and we were able to converse without a problem.COSTWe paid a reasonable $65 for a single beer, a bottle of sparkling wine, beans, dumplings, two chicken dishes and a single rice. Its not super cheap, but given the high quality of the food and the efficient service and pleasing ambience, it does represent fair value for money.BOOKINGNot necessary for weekday dining but probably advisable for weekend dining. There is an absolute dearth of decent restaurants in this area, and this place is one of the few, hence its popularity.PARKING/ACCESSLiving nearby, we walked, but street parking shouldnt be too much of a problem.SUMMARYWe had a pleasant evening here. Food is of a high quality and served in moderate portions. Service is polite and efficient and the ambience is casual and laid back. Its a great location in upmarket Vaucluse with easy parking nearby. Prices are fair for what you get. Well definitely be back.MEMODont confuse this place with another Japanese restaurant with a very similar name, at 639B New South Head Rd, on the corner of OSullivan Rd in Rose Bay. That one is called Den Sushi Dining.

  June 16, 2020, 4:22 am

  Log in to Reply