Sekka Dining — Restaurant in Sydney

My business partner, who is not from Sydney, walked into the restaurant as though she could sit anywhere she wanted. It was an easy mistake to make, considering the doors had literally just opened and we were a little dazed from having sat through back to back meetings.

Nevertheless, the lady at the front desk saw fit to bark at her to come back and wait to be assigned a table.

She sneered at us as though we didn’t belong, as though she was living out a scene from Pretty Woman.

Lady, you are in one of Australia’s business centres. Is this how you talk to your business clientele? How do you justify talking to anyone like this?

A simple “excuse me, can you please wait to be seated?” and a smile (which costs you nothing) would have sufficed.

I used to really love this restaurant, but that woman was so incredibly rude and arrogant that the only rational response was to get up and leave. She has no business working in hospitality. If she isn’t the owner, she should be fired immediately. If she is the owner, then I pity the employees who must surely suffer.

We eventually ate at your neighbour, The Rusty Rabbit, instead. The food is good, the staff are polite and courteous, and (importantly) they were grateful for the business. You should read the review I wrote for them: friendly service goes a very long way. I don’t care how good you think your food is: if you’re rude, at the prices you’re charging, it may as well be garbage.

And please, do argue with me in your response, like you do with everyone else who leaves a negative review. I would love for nothing more. Because it makes you guys look really good to the public.

EDITED IN RESPONSE TO THE MANAGER WHO, AS PREDICTED, CANNOT HELP BUT RESPOND COMBATIVELY.

“Unreasonable”. You say this word quite a lot when characterising any negative criticisms of your restaurant. I don’t think the word means what you think it means.

You see, when something is “reasonable”, it means it is within accepted norms and expectations. So when something is “unreasonable”, it means that it is outside of the accepted norms or expectations.

Now, in your line of business, customers come in all shapes and sizes. They can be polite, they can be boisterous, they can be drunk, they might be dressed in strange clothes, they might be completely distracted by their phones or each other… it’s actually rather difficult to define an “unreasonable” customer considering the aim and first rule of hospitality is to be, well, as hospitable as possible.

And that’s kind of your problem, isn’t it: you’ve completely forgotten the first rule of hospitality. I’m not a model customer, and I dispute the characterisation you’ve given the behaviour of your staff. It’s very possible for both of our accounts to be true, but you’ve left out a critical piece of information: her tone of voice. She barked at us as though we were petulant children. And you, who apparently stood there blithely in silence, just let our money walk out the door. Exactly what kind of manager are you?

You actually believe your customers should all behave as though they’re in a hatted restaurant and prostrating themselves before your greatness.

It’s fair to say you don’t need my business, nor that of anyone who doesn’t behave up to your standard (not to mention anyone who won’t stipulate to your per head minimum, the laughable sum of $45, which is a transparent money-grab, btw).

Believe me, I don’t need your restaurant.

But back to my point, there was nothing “unreasonable” about my conduct. There is nothing “unreasonable” about this review. It is my right and privilege to voice my displeasure here.

The fact that you would waste so much time creating this embarrassing scene on your Google business page instead of seeing the best in your customers, apologising, and coaching your staff on how to manage the situation better tells me all I need to know about you.

I won’t be coming back. I won’t be recommending you to anyone. Every time I’m in North Sydney, I’ll be taking my money to Rengaya, The Rusty Rabbit… just not you.

Have...

Jan 2024 I had such a great dinner at Sekka Dining last year (and I was craving for another bowl of their Hojicha Smoked Duck ramen) so took my colleagues with me and had lunch here. I was super excited to see that the Hojicha Smoked Duck ramen is now in their lunch menu (it was only available in their dinner menu).

We (party of four) ordered the following items for lunch: Chef's sashimi selection (8 pcs) - there were 3 slices of Kingfish, 3 slices of John Dory and 2 slices of Salmon

Wagyu Tartare - with fried enoki, potato and truffle mustard (I super love this dish, the fried enoki and truffle mustard really elevated the wagyu tartare in term of taste and texture, another MUST ORDER for for me)

Hokkaido scallops (with soy, chimichurri sauce and chiso)

*Hojicha Smoked Duck(Aged Chicken Chintan Broth, Hojicha smoked duck breast, umami egg, bamboo shoots, shallots, green sansho, coriander) (a MUSt ORDER for me), I loved this even more the second time I had this, so yummy

Tonkotsu classic (park paitan broth, pork belly chachu, umami egg, black fungus, sesame, chives) with black garlic oil. The black garlic oil was SO GOOD (i will have to order my next ramen here with black garlic oil)

Braised wagyu ox tongue lunch set (served with pickles, dashi soup and rice)

Earl Grey tea custard (this was as good as I remembered, another MUST ORDER)

Black Malt beer from the tap

Consistently awesome ramen and snacks, can't wait to be back again :)

July 2023 Hands down the most delicious smoked duck I ever had, it’s sooooo delicious and I can for once taste the tea (Hojicha) and the smokiness of the duck! Highly recommended, it’s a five star dish to me!

The other two dishes that are equally impressive are the Wagyu ox tongue (with shiso, avocado, soy pickled onion) and chicken wing gyoza (truffle & prawn).

The ox tongue: very tender (almost melt in my mouth), nicely flavor especially with the shiso, avocado paste (that combination work together like a charm) then top it off of the soy pickled onion (it’s just magical).

The chicken wing gyoza: I don’t know how they stuff prawn into a chicken wing but it’s also soooooo delicious, and to top it off the truffle complemented the chicken and prawn so much. Love this dish a lot too!

We also ordered the Wagyu Cheek ramen: top quality Wagyu meat for sure, however the carrots were too burnt for my liking. The oxtail chintan broth was nice though (unusual). Out of the two ramens we had, I will recommend having the hojicha smoked duck ramen over the wagyu cheek ramen.

We tried the Earl Grey Tea custard, this is also delicious and was such a wonderful way to finish our meal 😊

Background music was very nice! The dining table for a party of two is a bit crowded (tables were spaced too closely together, thus it felt a bit cramped), though that didn’t takeaway how great the dishes were!

We will be back to try their...

This was my second visit to Sekka, but my first for dinner, and I must say I appreciated the expanded dinner menu. The waitstaff were generally friendly and welcoming, though I did have a less pleasant interaction with the female manager.

Food Highlights:

The Duck Ramen was my favourite, with its delicious flavour, - though I found the soup a bit too peppery for my taste. The Tonkatsu Ramen was outstanding; the rich soup and thick, flavourful pork were highlights. The Ox Tongue was an absolute delight, tender and flavourful. I loved the Wagyu skewers; they struck a perfect balance between meat and fat. The Sashimi was fresh and delightful. The Karaage Chicken was crispy and delicious. The Gyoza had a tasty filling.

Food Critiques:

The Scallop dish had a minor issue with the shell being too hot. A warning would have been appreciated. The Cloudy Apple wasn't as sweet as expected. The Pork Skewers were average and a bit chewy.

Service and Atmosphere:

While the waitstaff were friendly and helpful, the manager could improve her customer service. She initially provided a vague description of the cheesecake, which required further questioning. I also felt rushed when she encouraged us to pre-order dessert. The waitress and chef were friendly and made us feel welcome. The overall atmosphere of the restaurant was pleasant.

Dessert:

I tried the Cheesecake, Green Tea Ice Cream, and Lychee Ice Cream for dessert. I enjoyed the Green Tea Ice Cream for its authentic taste and balanced sweetness. However, I found the cheesecake too buttery and soft for my liking; I prefer a fluffier texture.

Overall Ratings:

Food: 9/10 - The variety and flavours were excellent. Customer Service: 7/10 - Some improvements in communication and attentiveness from the manager would enhance the experience.

Recommendation: I would definitely recommend trying the food at Sekka, as the diverse menu offers some truly delicious options. With a few service improvements, this restaurant could become an even more enjoyable dining experience.

My first time trying this restaurant and I would visit again for it's side dishes because they were the best such as the karage chicken and gyoza! The ramen soup was creamy and tasty but really feeling. The pork in the ramen was thick and soft. The noodles in the chicken ramen was better than the pork ramen because more chewier but the chicken broth was average. The ocean trout was good with the sweet dressing. The beef tartar was ok.

The cloudy apple drink wasn't too sweet so it was good. The rose lemonade was average a bit sour. The customer service was average it was busy so the atmosphere was loud. The seating is comfy. There were not many options during lunch time sadly so next time ill...