Ainoya — Restaurant in Sydney

Ainoya does a very busy evening trade as it’s the only Japanese restaurant in the area. The sushi and sashimi is very good and the fish selection is A1 quality. Excellent selection of sake and nama (draft) beers, as well as some Japanese non-alcohol option such as Yuzu cordial, Calpis water, etc. If one is in the mood for sharing all dishes, this is entirely possible as the menu contains a lot of izakaya style small dishes such as okonomiyaki (pingpong ball-sized battered chunks of octopus); tempura, gyoza (their version is more oily and soft-skinned than other Japanese restaurants, and resemble more pan fried wontons); karaage (marinated chunks of chicken thigh dusted with potato starch and twice-deep-fried); sashimi; sushi; salads; etc. Bear in mind the restaurant gets very noisy during dinner periods, so not a place to take a romantic date to unless your pure focus is the food and drink. Service is at times brutally efficient, more like a Laminex table Cantonese restaurant than the silky smooth service you may have experienced at other Japanese restaurants in Sydney. But the food is reliable. They’ll waste no time removing a plate that still has one morsel left on it, if it helps nudge you to free up the table for the next sitting, but that is just part of the deal. In terms of value, it’s expensive for what it is, but that’s just the area and captive market (cashed-up local honkies and no competition from any other Japanese restaurants in the area). If you love your sake, expect to be paying around $90-$120 per person for a full and satisfying dinner and enough alcohol to keep the conversation flowing. Not entirely unreasonable, given that’s also what you’d pay at one of the CBD or Neutral Bay...

• It is not really difficult to find since it is close to Woolworth Metro. Walking downhill, pass a street and here it is.

• Booking ahead is highly recommended especially on the weekend. Early weekdays are not as busy as the weekend (of course).

• There are many tables inside which are filled up pretty quickly. They are also separated by wall panels as cubines, which divide into adequate space for number of customers.

• The service is efficient. You don't have to wait too long for food to be served.

• Dishes are served with adequate portions.

• Personally, food tastes quite average. There are some special dish that I found them interesting, but in general, it is average. My favourite dish out of my course is the Grilled Duck with a good sauce.

• Price is quite expensive to me. But I guess with its location, the price can be considered...

This is our local Japanese, and the food is consistently great here. gyoza are perfectly cooked and come with a nice zesty dipping sauce, sushi is always expertly cut with good quality fish. Note it is generally served at room temp, which I prefer, but others here have seemed to complain about.

Other staples from the menu are the delightful agedashi tofu in rich broth, and the crispy, moist karaage chicken. Tempura batter is crisp, flavoursome and not too oily. There's a good selection of beers and sakes, and the serves here is usually friendly and prompt. I just wish they'd bring out tap water without asking.

Ambience is nice, with dimmed lighting, lots of timber and a number of horigotatsu tables (sunken...