Azuma

Ph: 9222 9960; Level 1, Chifley Plaza, 2 Chifley Sq, Sydney 2000 www.azuma.com.au

Japanese, $$$, ** for Food
Open Lunch Mon-Fri noon-2.30pm Dinner Mon-Sat 6pm-10pm, Closed Some public holidays; Licensed, BYO dinner only, Corkage $5.50 person; AE DC MC V EFT
Chef (Kimitaka Azuma, 2007-11-3) Owner (Kimitaka & Yuki Azuma, 2007-11-3)

Mietta's Review
A Japanese businessman's restaurant in Sydney. The food is fantastic and the presentation has an almost ritualistic feel. If you can, take someone who speaks and reads Japanese, as many of the specials appear in Japanese characters only. A special night out. There is a large selection of saki and shochus (rice spirit) which are worth a try.

Other published opinions

Gourmet Traveller 2009 Australian Restaurant Guide "Set in a luxe skyscraper- and packed with salarymen from GoldmanDeutsche-BabcockJacques-Merrill Partners, Azuma is the very picture of the modern corporate Japanese restaurant"

Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide 2008 Score: 14.5/20 "The outlook onto a cluster of office towers gives a futuristic metropolis feel as in-theknow salarymen turn the smart, understated dining room into a busy spot for lunch"

Gourmet Traveller 2008 Australian Restaurant Guide "The feel is downtown Shinjuku - from the office-block views and discreet plaza location to the Japanese businessmen swilling sake at the bar"

Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide 2007 Score: 14/20 "Forget California rolls. Kimitaka Azuma will do them at a pinch, but it's better to let his extensive menu take you to e further reaches of Japanese cuisine. With a vista of nothing but high-rise office blocks, you'll feel like you're in Tokyo (or Bladerunner) as you steer a course that might take you from the purist joy of 'unique nigiri' - rice with seared or raw fish served not with soy sauce but with lemon or lime juice - to the richer pleasures of slivers of wagyu beef wrapped around daikon with a citrus sauce."

Gourmet Traveller 2007 Restaurant Guide "Looks like Tokyo, feels likes Tokyo and, most importantly, tastes like Tokyo. Azuma is neatly tucked into a shy corner of the upmarket shopping precinct of Chifley Plaza. A serene interior of blond wood tables is complemented by images of the Japanese countryside, beamed from a plasma screen above the bar."

Sydney Morning Herald Scott Bolles, 27-6-2006 "Azuma's staff ended up being so annoyingly gracious in Japan's defeat and generally affable, I found myself consoling them and berating the rough-arm tactics of those Australian football barbarians. A top Japanese chef tipped me off that he regularly heads to Azuma for a bento (Japanese lunch box)."

Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide 2006 score 13/20 "Kimitaka Azuma may well be one of Sydney's most misunderstood chefs. And that's not just because he speaks scarcely a word of English (despite several years in Australia). Azuma, who leaves the PR (and the local lingo) to his more than capable maitre d' wife, Yuki, is among our most creative Japanese cooks."

Gourmet Traveller 2006 Australian Restaurant Guide * "There is a secret class in Sydney, too loosely defined to be called any sort of society. No, they're united pretty much solely by their willingness to spend their solvency on slices of flesh from around the belly and gill ofthe bluefin tuna. And they flock to Azuma, because they know that ... it'll probably end up here."

SBS Eating Guide to Sydney 2005 "When chef Kimitaki Azuma first started out in smaller premises, he was catering very much to those in the know. Now he's moved to a smart city eatery and offers a range of lunch and dinner menus, with treats like lobster and abalone, beautiful wagyu beef and excellent sashimi and sushi."

SMH Good Food Guide 2005 Score 14/20 "There's attention to aesthetics in this lightly Japanese-themed, rectangular room at the base of the Chifley Tower. It's there in the respectful service, delivered by waiters who move so smoothly they could be on hovercraft."

Gourmet Traveller Australian Restaurant Guide 2005 ** Good Wine List, Good Vegetarian Options "Join the queues at lunchtime for the best bento bones in the CBD at this trusty Japanese restaurant. If you want more choice, there's a menu with 100-plus items, "

Daily Telegraph NSW Restaurant Guide 2004, Best Japanese Restaurant, From the sushi counter to the specialist, rare saki on offer, this is an authentic Japanese dining experience. Owner/chef Kimitaka Azuma usually presides.

SMH GFG 2004, Score 15/20, 1 Hat-consistently very good, And- demure Japanese service,'some of the best Japanese food in the Sydney...it's easy to dine magnificently...range of flavour and craftsmanship of Azuma's cuisine...There are more than 100 dishes on offer, ranging from classic Japanese to Azuma's own interpretations-all with big-hit Japanese flavour.'