Sokyo — Restaurant in Sydney

Sokyo is a modern Japanese restaurant located within The Star Sydney, on of the most iconic Japanese "fine dining" restaurant in Sydney with a spectacular beverage list hence the 3-glass. With that level of prestige, it comes with a quite hefty price tag.

I came here on NYE dinner booking at 9:30, its a minimum $200 per head for the event, it is quite a steal compare to most restaurant that has a little bit of view to the firework. As I enter, the restaurant is indeed packed, like almost every night, to show how high in demand Sokyo is even within all of The Star's food and beverage venues. The first bad impression was already at the door when I walked in, 2 people were at the front desk, literally 1 head turn away from seeing us, but they were BOTH busy looking at their screen rather than scope around to see if anyone was at the door, after 5 minutes, they finally recognised my presence and took me to my table. This has come to my attention, this is the 2nd time this has happened to me as well when my table was not properly prepared before they sat me in the chair, still food crumbs on table, mise en place not properly set, our candle light was not lit however there was an empty table just next to us with everything all set up correctly so I have no idea what is the issue. Despite that situation bring some bad taste in my mouth, the food never fails to impress me. Sashimi platter and oysters: Great selection of sashimi from salmon, trout, kingfish, tuna, scallops and an extra order of the oysters (must add), comes with a show of smoking liquid nitrogen, highly recommend this course however the price can be quite steep at $85 for the platter and $7 each for oysters. Bay bug tempura: The most disappointing dish of the whole night, lightly battered bay bug tempura with spicy mayo sauce, hardly taste the bug, the batter took up all the flavour, the only thing nice about this dish is the spicy mayo, and I dont usually pay $31 for only the sauce being good. Wollemi Duck Breast: This dish is magnificent, the juiciest and most tender duck breast with a slightly crunchy skin, combine with foie gras, the richest and most flavourful dish has been created. Ranger’s Valley Scotch Fillet: Decent MBS of 5+, what makes this plate worth $120 is the cooking style. The steak is bincho-grilled, a Japanese cooking style involves grilling the meat on skewers and over oak-based coal, give the steak a nice charred on the outside and a perfect juicy medium rare in the middle Spicy Nabe Seafood Hotpot: Nothing too special, a great addition to a rich meal, the broth is incredibly rich and flavourful, consists of barramundi, salmon, mussels, clams, enoki mushrooms, tofu and cabbage. Last but not least, the drinks. I went for a cocktail, which is one of the most advertised on their social media, Ocean's 15, the drinks has the taste, nothing too mind blowing, however, with the audacity to charge $25-30 per cocktail which is about $10 higher than any restaurant within the area and also the CBD, a little bit of presentation would not be too much to ask. Overall, in my opinion Sokyo has fell off a bit, as a restaurateur, I completely understand the situation of every business going in and out of Covid, no matter how large the operation. Food are always to die for, however service standard and employee's knowledge and professionalism needs a bit of a twist. Would always recommend Sokyo and will definitely come back for and hope for a...

We had been hearing many good things for a long time about Sokyo at the Star, not only their Japanese dinner, but also their buffet breakfast. As we began 2018, we decided it was finally time to visit. Do make sure you book ahead of time as it can be hard to secure a spot.

In attendance were our insta foodie friends and contributor Sakinav and one of the best food bloggers in Sydney: Spooning Australia, as acclaimed by the Good Food Guide. We all met at Sokyo, a modern restaurant with floral displays, neatly set tables and an inviting buffet. The place very much had a hotel feel.

We are all seated, scoped out the offerings on display at the buffet and also perused the menu. We were in two minds regarding out choice for the menu and whether to get al a carte or buffet. $22.50 for a la carte or $28 for buffet. From the ala carte menu are a range of Japanese inspired dishes. However, you can also go for the $38 for an a la carte option, buffet, tea and coffee, that is the choice! What could be better?

All of us ordered something different from the al a carte menu. Whilst we wait for the ala carte dish, we start a conga line back and forth from the buffet, shuffling around like busy little worker ants. Everyone has a hand in arranging food at the table. You’d have think there was a small army eating, not just 5.

The coffee then arrived at the table, however, with so many good boutique coffees out there, it was a little bit of a let down that they were using a large commercial brand, but I guess it will appeal to the masses. Be mindful though, some of the drinks cost extra, like the matcha or turmeric lattes.

The buffet was quite simple with a range of cakes some with a hint of Japanese flavour including yuzu or matcha. All very nice and beautifully prepared. There was fruit and yogurt as well as an allotment of beautiful cheese and meat. In typical Asian buffet style, somethings that we always love like some soba noodles, with your choice of toppings. There was also the congee, a savoury rice pudding. With this pudding, were an array of savoury condiments to add flavour, be it fried challots, spring onion, soy sauce, ginger battons or pickled plum.

The buffet was nice but paled in comparison to the a la carte menu. When the food we ordered started to arrive at the table there was much food envy. The match lamington, very Japanese was nicely presented with a yuzu curd and red bean inside. It was extremely beautiful and overall a lovely dish, despite the cake being a little dense.

The Sokyo seafood bowl was not your typical Austalian breakfast. A bowl of rice topped with an assortment of fresh seafood and an onsen egg. It started out a little standard and improved ten fold once all mixed together and flavours combining them together.

The taditional choushoku breakfast was impressive a set including miso soup, rice, fish of the day, edamame, nori, Japanese pickle and onsen tomago.

The star of the day, at the Star on this occasion appeared to be the spicy salmon udon ordered by Spooning.

As a whole, the breakfast at Sokyo was very enjoyable. The price is reasonable and the service is very good. Combining the a la carte and buffet options together is thoroughly...

Located just outside the main area for the Star, it was a bit difficult to find the entrance for Sokyo. I was greeted by the staff and seated at the bar while I waited for the table to be prepared. The bartender was quite friendly and quick to attend to me.

The restaurant itself was aesthetic and nicely decorated, without feeling too exclusive or elitist. The staff member who took care of us was very attentive and friendly.

The food all came well presented (other than the edamame lol), with a lot of thought put into the placement of different elements, and the types of plates used. The food was mostly quite nice, but definitely more pricey than it probably should be: sashimi platter (+ caviar) - the sashimi was all very fresh and high quality. There were three different sauces provided, and the caviar sat in a small dish on the side. I’d definitely recommend the sashimi, but not really big on caviar (don’t really know what it’s supposed to add to the dish) “crab sando” - this was one of the specials. I remember thinking that these were TINY when I saw them. Literally bite sized, like canapés. I think they were $13 each. I’ve gotta admit, they were really nice; good texture and taste that leaves you wanting more… but for the price, it’s a little wild the scallop ravioli - I really liked this but again, it’s a small dish with a hefty price tag. The foam on top is a cool addition and the texture of the ravioli was very nice. Just wish there was more :’) wagyu steak - the sauce was nice and the beef was cooked well; tender and not chewy Queensland roll - a unique “sushi roll”. Try this if you are a bit more adventurous. The texture is interesting and I’m not too sure what the aim was. I don’t regret it but not sure if I’d order it again.

Overall, a decent experience - the food was definitely high quality and had a lot of effort put into the execution, but I think I’m personally more interested in simple food. I’d recommend it for a special event but if you’re just after some hearty, authentic Japanese food, head to your local sushi restaurant instead! I think it’s really the company that makes or breaks places...