Toei Surry Hills — Restaurant in Sydney

Got the $85 pp menu.

The food.

Bread and butter - it was good and warm with good seasoning, great start.

Corn tart- had a great texture, felt like the shell wasn’t just brick pastry and had a great fresh crunch to it, baked well. Corn tart seasoned well, just wasn’t anything crazy standout which is fine, it’s just show casing corn I imagine.

Kingfish & Buchwheat cracker- flavours were good, seasonings were good, presentation good however I didn’t like the texture of the cracker, I felt like the charcoal added nothing but colour.

Raw Beef tartlets - had the flavour of bibim Bap, by far the best course, couldn’t fault it.

Anchovy Churro- it’s a great savoury dish presented in the format as a dessert snack, it’s hard to pull off cause there’s no where to hide when you’re being bold and manipulating desserts with savoury profile. It worked. It tasted amazing, the anchovy seem like it had been washed or something it didn’t have that super strong anchovy taste and came across more as umami saltines, the cream and churrro we’re balancing and everything came together. ( has an aftertaste of battered fish and chips with chicken salt which was pleasant)

Potato Pave- it’s wasn’t actually a pave, it was more of a hash brown , it was grey and Dull, I have spent much time with potatoes and my best guess is either they choose a potato with too much starch or they didn’t remove it, comes down to technique. It was gummy and not crispy. Seems like the potatoe mix oxidised before they could cook it. ( it was also barely warm)

The fried manto was amazing- but the only let down was there was no seasoning in the dough itself which let down the overall taste. Marie Rose sauce was basic and suprisingly it was enough with the freshness of the crustracean.

Skirt Steak - was cooked fine, had a seeet profile to it which I get, but lacked seasoning which would’ve been fine if there was something there with seasoning to complete the main experience but there wasn’t, so it fell flat. It felt like it was trying to hard with the components when they didn’t nail the basics of steak and seasoning.

Raspberry dessert- was too small, had like Rice Bubbles, and the flavours were balanced but it lacked creativity. It was just refreshing and okay.

I left hungry however I do eat a lot.

I wouldn’t come back for a while based on the experience and cost, however the food was reasonably good to an extent.

The fire alarms went off half way through the courses and the fire department came. That’s about as exciting as it got.

Also I got to share the gospel to a new friend and explain Wjy Jesus is the only way that we humans can be saved after death.

Heard other customers chuckle as if I was joking but I was serious about my relationship with God.

Service was pretty standard, from the time of walking in to sitting down, didn’t get a super solid explanation of the menu, but I’m a chef so I know how to order.

The vibe inside and outside was like a nice restaurant trying to be exclusive but just didn’t have the overall special service or details in decor. Toilet is hidden behind a secret curtain where we...

📍Toei Surry Hills

shop 1 & 2/185 Campbell St, Surry Hills NSW 2010

We ordered :

House milk bread | black truffle honey butter - $26

Ankimo parfait | wafer | wildberry gel pistachio - $18

Wagyu rump cap skewer | galbi sauce | sambal matah - $30

Fried mantou | king prawn | shellfish oil | marie rose sauce | finger lime - $28

Kingfish collar | miso glaze | corn dashi - $20

Spanner crab crumpet | Japanese tartar | cured yolk | tarragon | roe - $15

Hokkaido scallop tart | orange kosho | buttermilk | pickled radish | macadamia - $29

Corn tart | sweet corn purée | pickled corn | parmesan - $10

Potato pave | cod cream | soy cured roe furikake - $16

15 days dry aged duck | boysenberry jus | mixed berries - $52

Toei is one of the newer names to appear in Surry Hills, a suburb that has long been at the heart of Sydney’s dining scene. This area has historically been home to an ever-changing lineup of restaurants, cafés, and bakeries, and Toei tries to stand out by presenting itself as a modern Asian-inspired dining spot. Unfortunately, what it delivers feels more like confusion than clarity.

This place would actually work far better as a bakery or cafeteria, where its strengths (such as the bread and lighter bites) could really shine. As a full restaurant and dining destination, however, the experience falls flat.

The taste of each dish was confusing and strange, with little connection to the description on the menu. Rather than elevating the main ingredient, the flavors distracted from it entirely. The corn tart was the biggest disappointment of the night — something that should have been so simple and comforting ended up as a muddled failure. It was hard to even recognize corn in the mix, and the odd flavor combination lingered unpleasantly.

Overall, Toei feels like a restaurant that hasn’t yet found its identity. The execution is unbalanced, and the food does not live up to the creative menu descriptions. As a bakery or casual café, it might thrive, but as a dining restaurant, it misses the mark.

⭐️ Overall: 3/5

⭐️ Food: 4/10 ⭐️ Atmosphere: 6/10 ⭐️ Location: 8/10 ⭐️ Price: 7/10 ⭐️ Likely...

TOEI House Milk Bread with black truffle honey butter, this is one of the best breads I've ever been served at a restaurant. this bread was almost like fairy floss, it was so ridiculously soft and airy it practically melted! and the truffle butter, just wow, I could eat by the spoonful!

Hokkaido Scallop Tart with blood orange kosho, buttermilk, pickled radish and macadamia. the tart shell was so thin and perfect, the balance of everything was amazing.

Baby Cucumber with chickpea miso hummus and wild rice, this one was a bit tricky to eat but refreshing and tasty!

Kingfish Sashimi with pomegranate ponzu and yuzu pickled daikon, well balanced and zesty, really loved the strong yuzu flavour.

Ankimo Parfait Wafer with pistachio and wild berry gel, this was a bit fishy for me and the wafers a little stale, as I was hoping for a more signature crunch

Potato Pave with cold cream, soy cured roe and furikake, this crispy potato was absolutely perfect. gorgeous layers of savory potato, I even finished off my partner's one I loved it that much!

Wagyu Rump Cap Skewer with galbi sauce and sambal matah, was unfortunately a little disappointing as the meat was tough and a little dry. the seasoning and flavours were perfect tho!

Black Angus Skirt Steak with yuzukosho ponzo and gremolata, cooked perfectly medium rare but so yum!

Ox Heart Tomato with sumiso, black goma (sesame), hazelnut, yuzu and Yukari, at first I wasn't overly excited but this dish surprised me, I really liked it! everything worked so well together and it was super refreshing on the palate.

Raspberry Sorbet with milk crumb, buttermilk gel and puffed rice, a very light and tangy finish. love that this wasn't a heavy dessert, and appreciated the lil candle for my early bday celebration 🕯️

Price: $99pp tasting

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