This is a review of Sake, but it's also a story about Neil Perry. Perry, the unstoppable whack-a-mole of Australian dining. Perry, who has opened many restaurants in his lifetime, but really only one; in the same way that Springsteen has written many songs, but really only one. Perry, whose unbounded enthusiasm for Australia and its produce has never diminished. Because, as much as he builds things, Perry is a fixer.
You want something fixed, ask Neil Perry. Qantas did, for their on-board catering. David Jones did, for their food halls. And Thomas Pash did, when Quantum Private Equity merged its Urban Purveyor Group (Sake, The Cut, Fratelli Fresh, etc) with the Rockpool Group to form the largest restaurant group in Australia.
On the surface, the vast, split-level room of Sake in The Rocks doesn't need fixing. It pulls in hundreds of diners day and night for its sushi, Nobu-inspired shrimp popcorn, and mind-bending sake list; its booths and bars, wall of sake barrels and spot-lit central raw fish counter.
But sometimes it's the things you can't see – the lines of supply, the quality of the fish, the handling and refrigeration, the precision, the training, the kitchen culture – that need work. I remember the nigiri sushi of a previous visit, served too cold. Now it's not only at the right, hand-tamped temperature, it's immaculate – especially the saiko salmon ($9 for two pieces), sheathed with a fine slice of daikon radish like the Turin shroud.
Back then, the Glacier 51 toothfish came with hot sesame oil, broth and crisp white noodles, a strange dish. Now it's baked in banana leaves with miso butter ($49), the lobes of white flesh swimming in their own hauntingly sweet juices.
There's a brilliant new appetiser on board, too; a jumble of diced tuna and kingfish in a sesame dressing on thick nori and sesame seed crisps like Nordic smorrebrod (four for $24), delivering mouthfuls of rich, sweet, fishy freshness.
And a side dish I just don't get, of cabbage with a salty hot soy dressing loaded with bonito flakes and a soft onsen egg ($16). Smashing the egg and tossing it through doesn't make it any better, either.
Designed for this "we're all about sharing" age, the new Japanese-Korean bo ssam ($46) is a build-it-yourself, eat-in-the-hands ripper of crisp baby cos leaves waiting to be filled with charry, grilled cubes of Cape Grim short rib, spicy ssam sauce (fermented bean paste and chilli), fresh kim chi and mashed confit garlic.
For dessert, Japan attacks France, deconstructing a classic St Honore into profiteroles, caramel, caramelised pastry, green tea ice-cream and a dusting of matcha powder. Sounds messy, tastes good.
The team has freshened up the contemporary, free-ranging wine list but the breadth and depth of quality sake needed no fixing, especially the fresh, fungal, 2010 Akishika Shuzo Okushika Junmai Ginjo Yamahai ($24 glass, $96 carafe).
What with all the cocktails, sakes, seafood and wagyu – and more bright young things per square metre on the floor than most CBD diners – you'll still need to be cashed-up to have fun here.
But that's probably not something that can, or will be, fixed.
Sake
Address 12 Argyle Street, The Rocks
Phone 02 9259 5656 sakerestaurant.com.au
Open Lunch daily noon-3pm; Dinner Mon-Sat from 5.30pm; Sun from 5pm
Cost About $170 for two, plus drinks
Score 14.5/20
The low-down
Best bit: Raw fish in all its forms
Worst bit: The doof doof music
Go-to dish: Cape Grim short rib bo ssam with baby gem lettuce, pickles, confit garlic, ssam sauce $46
Terry Durack is chief restaurant critic for The Sydney Morning Herald and senior reviewer for the Good Food Guide. This rating is based on the Good Food Guide scoring system.