Sakuratei Japanese Restaurant

For years, I’ve zipped past this restaurant, baffled by the sign outside, and every time I say to myself I will visit one day. Finally, the time has come. The sign is easy to miss as it’s single sided; one side says Sakuratei, but the other say Kabuki Shoroku. If you’re after traditional Japanese with a hint of the modern then be sure to try Sakuratei. There are some great options for both lunch and dinner.

I recently discovered Sakuratei Japanese restaurant for lunch in the CDB. It’s located in a quiet arcade and surprisingly, I have been walking past this great place for many years without even noticing it. The owners are actually Japanese which, in this day and age is rather hard to find with Japanese restaurants.
The focus of their lunch menu is combination lunch sets, which reminds me of Japan. On top of their combination sets, they also have Ramen, Udon, Donburi and 3 different bento boxes. The food is authentic and if you love Katsu curry, you can’t go past the gigantic plate of Katsu curry that they serve here! The food served is just no fuss Japanese and the service is always good.
I did notice that they don’t really do entrees. From memory, they had 2 entrees with one of them being salmon sashimi (5 pieces) at $ 8.50. You are better off having this as part of a combination set. Also, they don’t seem to do sashimi or sushi. Sushi rolls come as part of bento boxes. I guess they want to focus on combinations sets.
Nevertheless, it is definitely a fantastic place for lunch if you want some authentic Japanese. They are also opened for dinner.

I think this must have been one of the best Japanese restaurants I’ve ever been to. It’s up there with Gochi, a Japanese tapas place in Cupertino, California. (Though, it’s possible I just haven’t had this style of Japanese food in the States.)
We came here about a year ago with some friends, for lots of alcohol and lots of small plates. Everything was outstanding, especially the soft-​shelled crab, agedashi tofu, and fish cheeks. The skewers were quite good too (don’t miss the pork belly!).
For our party of 6, we each paid around $ 80 (we ordered a LOT of booze), which I think is pretty reasonable given that it IS Sydney and we ordered a good amount of stuff. Service was very friendly and the décor is nice.
I dream about this place all the time and will be coming back the next time I’m in Sydney. I highly recommend it!