If you like Japanese food and are looking for Fine Dining without the pretentious behaviour, then this is the place for you.
Rise is located at 23 Craigend St, Darlinghurst (Near the Coca-Cola billboard) and the first impression of the exterior with it's dim, warm lighting brushing against the windows is something that would suggest a comfortable place to retreat away from a cold and rainy night, which it actually was yesterday! The interior once inside is intimate however I found some of the art deco a little tacky, I'll let you be the judge of that though if you choose to go.
We were greeted by the host in the typical polite, humble Japanese mannerism which reminded me a lot of how people treated me when I went to Japan back in 2008 and I got the gut feeling from that alone that this place was the real deal.
Once seated, we quickly decided that we were going to get the degustation as many of the mains anyway were from the degustation (Omakase 8 course). I was a little surprised there was no option for a matching wine set considering their wine list was fairly broad (If anyone from Rise is reading this, please add a matching wine set for your degustation!). I was surprised to see they were offering Louis Roederer Champagne ($130) and I really wanted my friends to try it as an aperitif (It's amazing fizz with precise and light characteristics), unfortunately there was a couple there that bought it earlier and were seated opposite us. I found it a bit strange they would only keep one bottle on hand of a particular one as the host apologised and said they didn't expect two people to buy the bottle in one night but no matter, we opted for Umeshu by the glass instead;
Umeshu Plum wine "on the rocks". $5 per glass.
Great wine with delicious plum overtones. At first when I read on the menu "on the rocks" I thought it was going to come in a tumbler?
Before we begun the degustation, we got an entree of Ebi (Prawn) Tempura ($13).
This is two plates worth (6 pieces) so it was $26 between three of us. I found the Ebi to be very generous in size and fresh and clean in flavour with the tempura batter very light with not too much coating. It was accompanied with 'special salt' which had a peppery/herbacious flavour to it, went well with the Ebi.
Onto the degustation:
Amuse Bouche.
This is beef tartare in other words. It didn't exactly whet my apetite however I still enjoyed it for its soft, crumbly like texture and juicy beef flavour. Different from usual Amuse I have which is generally more acidic. I'd give it a 7/10.
Cold soup of Cauliflower with Celery Ice-cream and Panko Oyster.
The Cauliflower soup with Celery Ice-cream is amazing! I loved the Ice-cream especially, so much in fact I wish they had take-home buckets of it! It is a crisp and refreshing taste with a sweet finish. My vocabulary fails me to describe it any more better than that however it is a must try. The soup complimented it beautifully, a highlight for me. 9.5/10.
The Panko Oyster was very clean in flavour. I tried it whole with the creamy sour dressing and enjoyed it. Try it with a mouthful of soup. 9/10.
Smoked Ocean Trout Carpaccio with Truffle Soy and Fennel Pickle.
Outstanding presentation when it first arrives as there is a glass cup over the top of the plate and when lifted it lets out smoke. A neat effect. The smoked Trout was outstanding and went beautifully with the plum characteristic of the Umeshu. A 9/10.
Octopus and Tiger Prawn with Mango Granita with Vinegar Dressing.
You know what...this did nothing for me. I felt the flavours did not match one another at all and the Vinegar was overpowering the dish. The combination almost reminded me of the taste of Ash. Please remember I am speaking on behalf of my tastebuds here so you may have a different experience with it. I didn't enjoy it at all. A 4/10.
12 hour Slow-Braised Pork Belly with slow cooked Yolk and Lotus Root.
Wow, after the last dish, this one certainly made up for it! The presentation was unique also for releasing the yolk;
The pork was very tender and had a delicious caramelised coating to it. The sauces which accompanied it were delicious and the Lotus Root worked well with it. Very satisfying though I wish there were some crispy skin to go with it. An 8/10.
Roasted Wagyu Beef with Wasabi Soy Jus, Radish puree, Okura and Fungi Mushroom.
Two of us opted for this while my other friend got the Toothfish (excellent also). I found the presentation superb with the taste equally matching it. Everything worked. The picture says it all I think? A 9/10.
Simply titled 'Todays Dessert' on the menu and I forgot what the host said it was. The flavours of this were creamy, honey-baked characteristics which makes for great comfort food I think. An 8/10.
So, overall a very satisfying experience with friendly and attentive service to boot. How much do you think it was for this experience? The typical $180 price tag per person (not including matching wines)? It was only $68 per person! For this level of quality and in relaxed surrounds that to me is very good value. I was even amazed when the owner came out to talk to us and let us know he was changing the menu (coming up to more Autumn weather as their menu changes seasonally but with the weather lately who can tell?) and therefore was dropping the price further!
We left full and overall happy with our time there. I'd say overall a 8/10.
