‘Dine like a celebrity’: High prices at revamped A-list hotspot on James St
It’s the restaurant loved by celebrities, with a price tag to match, but we’ve found the ultimate hack to eat at this James St venue for less.
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How deep are your pockets? If the answer is shallower than the kiddies’ pool at South Bank, you may want to skip this review.
I’m at Sushi Room in Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley. The luxury Japanese fine diner from restaurateur Simon Gloftis (Hellenika, SK Steak & Oyster, Sunshine) has just undergone a dramatic expansion and mini makeover.
Taking over a tenancy next door, the former 60-seater at the base of The Calile Hotel has expanded to 100 seats, including the addition of a striking bar, a small lounge, footpath seating on Doggett St and a new entrance to the tweaked dining room through noren curtains.
Designed by leading architects Richards and Spence, the extra 20sq m is a stark and steely mix of grey and white marble, with the same stone used on the floors, bar, DJ booth, table tops and behind the cushion-clad banquettes.
The result is a space designed for walk-ins and casual dining that feels as cold as the chill in the wintry air.
But warming things up are the gracious and engaging staff, who are quick to offer blankets and provide advice on how to navigate that ultra pricey menu. Our waitress recommends the Sushi Room lunch set for $65pp, which she says is “extremely good value”.
On the a la carte menu, a single piece of nigiri starts at $7 and goes up to $33 for lobster or Kagoshima sirloin; sushi rolls range from $12 to $35 and tempura runs from $15 for a serve of broccoli to $180 for lobster. The lunch special includes the chef’s choice of three pieces of sashimi and six pieces of nigiri, your choice of wagyu steak or king salmon, plus a mixed leaf salad and miso soup. I opt for it as the only way to keep my anonymous review on budget, but then I’m accidentally stung by the wine list.
The offering features a “by the glass” selection, with a range of food-friendly drops from around the world, including many popular Australian labels and plenty under Coravin.
I fail to notice, however, that there’s a 75ml pour and a 150ml pour and while I think I’m ordering a 150ml glass of French chablis for $16, that’s actually the price for the smaller glass, with mine coming in at $32. With a bottle of this wine retailing at $50, that’s a 220 per cent mark-up on the 75ml pour. Other wines have similar mark-ups, but there are full-size glasses starting at just $15. There are also Japanese and Aussie beers, sake, umeshu, shochu, Japanese whisky, spirits, teas, cocktails and mocktails.
The first dish of our special is the sashimi, elegantly presented on ice with garnishes aplenty (it’s easy to see why the prices are usually so high). Our chef’s selection is snapper, bonito and tuna – all fresher than Will Smith in his ’90s sitcom and sliced with precision. The same can be said of the fish crowning the nigiri – king salmon, Japanese fatty tuna, snapper, alfonsino, kingfish and scorpionfish. They’re complemented by well-seasoned rice and a perfectly measured hit of wasabi.
The plate also features a bonus two pieces of possibly the best tamago I’ve ever eaten. The lunch special allows you to order extra dishes and we’re advised the signature spicy tuna crispy rice ($28 for four pieces) is unmissable. That’s certainly the case, with this version easily one of the best you’ll find.
The second course of the lunch set includes a sesame-glazed mixed leaf salad, miso soup, my medium-rare wagyu steak and a very good piece of miso-glazed New Zealand king salmon for my guest. If we had ordered off the a la carte, we’d be paying much more, making this lunch deal by far the best way to eat at Sushi Room.
Desserts are more affordable, with white sesame brulee ($10), strawberry or black sesame monaka ice cream sandwiches ($12), and a scoffable vanilla mousse with yuzu curd ($16).
While Sushi Room’s prices can be high, a lunchtime visit will enable you to dine like the venue’s celebrity guests (Vince Vaughn, Nigella Lawson) without breaking the bank.
SUSHI ROOM
48 James St, Fortitude Valley
3741 5976
st-albans.com.au/venues/sushi-room
Open
Tue-Thu 5.30pm-late, Fri-Sat noon-2.30pm and 5.30pm-late
Must try
The $65pp lunch special
Verdict
Food 4
Service 4.5
Ambience 3.5
Value 3.5
Overall 4
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