Besuto - Omakase Sydney — Restaurant in Sydney

I think Besuto's seafood-only Omakase offering misses the mark in a lot of areas.

The restaurant boasted 20 courses on the night I dined. About four of the early courses were just variations of mixed sashimi with different garnish. Each dish was decent, but I saw no merit in serving such similar courses one after the other. One or two of the courses were over-seasoned.

Because it was a seafood-only menu, there was no wagyu beef course that one would normally expect at an omakase. Instead, the restaurant offered Patagonian toothfish, which was fine, mainly because Patagonian toothfish is naturally succulent and it doesn't take much to bring out its flavour. This is the other issue. None of the courses really showed any innovation or creativity. I feel like you could give all the expensive ingredients Besuto used to any chef from a mid-range Japanese restaurant, and they would produce similar quality dishes but a with a lower price tag.

Next came the nigiri portion of the omakase. This is where a sushi chef's years of experience and pursuit of perfection should shine through. Sushi chefs exhaustively consider every element of the nigiri - fish, rice, soy, wasabi - and combine them in such harmony to leave the diner breathless. I think the chefs (there are two) at Besuto make their nigiri with too little rice. As a result, it felt like I was eating yet another piece of sashimi, after already having close to ten courses of raw and cooked fish.

None of the course really stood out to me, and one expects every course to be exceptional at an omakase.

The chefs seemed to struggle to prepare the next course in time for the twelve diners that were present. Staff encouraged diners to chat with their neighbours, and they themselves mingled with customers well. But it feels like this was an attempt to mask the fact that the chefs couldn't serve the courses at the desired pace. The staff were certainly friendly and attentive, and I enjoyed the more casual atmosphere.

There were also one or two minor issues that I felt simply wouldn't be overlooked by a chef staking their reputation on their restaurant. Things like the ginger being served in chunks rather than thin slices. Instead of cleansing the palate between nigiri pieces, they left an overpowering taste in your mouth. The tamagoyaki (a sweet egg dessert) seemed to be haphazardly cut.

I just can't recommend Besuto to anyone. People who've never been to an omakase will not be getting the full experience, and people who have will leave feeling underwhelmed. Besuto's offering feels more like a seafood tasting menu with a Japanese theme. Inexplicably, they didn't even have a tempura course.

I think Besuto need to reconsider their entire approach, because right now it feels like they don't belong in the same tier as the other omakase...

Everyone goes to restaurant with an expectation, mine was one friend telling me it was the best, the other said the opposite. So my judgement was based on what kind of food compare to its price point. For AUD215 (Jan-23) I expected:

1. wow I never had that before, not just ingredients but the Taste However, only 4 out of 18 dishes did that.
2. chef's interactions with guests, because that's the real difference in Omakase dining. There were almost none... he introduced what each dish is, then that’s about it.
3. head chef is doing the main "cooking", again that's what you would call Omakase. But from what I can see, the head chef was Assembing not cooking.... the chef next to him was the one cooking. The rating of 3 star is because it's An Average on all 3 counts.

Dish that I thought was not meeting stanard in fine dining are: Prawn and artic surf clams salad, you will see in the picture that the prawn' intestine has not been clean properly.

Chawanmushi with sea urchin and mud crab, there shells in mine one.

Sashimi, from memory there was John Dory, whiting, they were all dry and doesn't have much flavours...perhaps its a deliberate choice because they want to Build up the flavours from light to heavey into the main hot dishes. Oh.... and my friend it had fishbone in her piece....

Abalone with abalone source rice, the abalone was dried, although I saw them took it out of a hotpot assuming it has been in broth.

Grill scallops was size of a 5cent piece(extremely small), I was expecting Hokkaido grade or even the ones from cabramatta fish markers are way way way bigger....

Pippi soup was just one pippi and the smallest size... come on... two more wouldn't hurt.

What puzzled me most was Wasabi, I questioned if the wasabi they used was fresh wasabi, fine dining restaurant Should Not use readily made wasabi. The staff assured me it was fresh wasabi, and he shown me the grading tool they used, However, fresh wasabi can only be granted and consume within 5mins, however I did not see them grading it. So i do have my doubts about that claim, also I have had fresh wasabi before and the ones they served was ... different...

Dish that I loved was the flavour of chawanmushi, grill Wagyu beef with foie gras, many restaurant put too much foie gras, and it took away the beef flavours,but this one was just right. Toro was great, the yuzu sorbet was amazing!

Therefore overall just an average for me and I strongly suggest the restaurant review its choice of food supplier, you may have great skills, but japanese food can't hind bad choice of...

True Rating: 6/5 – Transcendent

I feel that there are maybe three restaurants in Sydney that deserve to be judged on a different scale than most.

Besuto is one of them.

Straight away, you can tell that Chef Michiaki Miyazaki was trained in a three-Michelin starred restaurant in Japan.

It is quite simply the best omakase in Australia and easily a contender among the world's finest, without the unnecessary pomp and ceremony that some insist upon.

Having tried three very mediocre versions of omakase that I had been told were excellent, I was sceptical about trying another.

Until the first bite, then I was blown away.

Every single course builds, elevates and surprises in ways I've never experienced elsewhere.

Sakizuke: It opens with a pristine oyster, subtly dressed and chilled just right, showcasing peak-season produce.

Mukōzuke: A sashimi box follows, as elegant in flavour as in form.

Chawanmushi: A luxuriously silky custard laden with the sweetest crab, ikura and truffle; my vote for the best ever served in Sydney.

Yakimono: The black miso cod delivers caramelised edges and buttery flesh. I wish I could eat it every day.

Sumiyaki: The Wagyu at Besuto has restored my faith in this often mishandled cut. Cooked perfectly and paired with fried asparagus, mushrooms and fresh wasabi.

It is a master class in taste and texture.

I never thought I'd say this but even after those beautiful dishes, along comes the nigiri.

No soy or extra wasabi required, just perfectly seasoned rice at the ideal temperature and immaculate cuts.

The salmon and tuna belly were absolute stand outs and a week later, I'm still thinking about them.

A duo of hand rolls, brimming with uni, ikura and finely cut tuna, brings richness and pop, followed by a palate-cleansing hit of yuzu sorbet.

Adding to Besuto's magic is Joel, the host and co owner is an absolute legend in the Sydney dining and Japanese whisky scene.

He somehow manages to run the counter and bar while keeping service seamless and effortlessly enjoyable.

Warm, intuitive and a genius at pairings, he matched a perfect Chablis and impeccable sake to the rhythm of this amazing menu.

Recommendations for anyone reading this:

Opt for sake or wine pairing.

Joel's selections heighten each course without overpowering subtler flavours.

Book well in advance, as the room's intimacy means it fills up quickly.

Arrive on time and hungry as the progression is calibrated to take you from delicate to decadent and missing a course...