Lotus Dining’s latest venue, a refined modern Japanese restaurant and bar, opened at The Streets of Barangaroo on Tuesday 21 November. Fujisaki’s executive chef Chui Lee Luk (ex-Claude’s) will deliver her take on Japanese cooking alongside a team that includes sushi chef Ryuichi Yoshii and sommelier Annette Lacey.
An onyx stone raw bar will allow diners to watch as Yoshii cuts, blowtorches and shapes a range of sushi such as konbu marinated red gurnard nigiri sushi, coral trout and chive sashimi. A robtata grill will offer lamb shoulder and young garlic; salted duck and muntries; and fresh water crayfish, tomalley and ginger.
Beyond the raw bar and robata grill, there are appetisers like chicken liver parfait; angus beef tartare; and sea urchin roe, spanner crab and avocado. Larger dishes include wagyu rump in beef cheek broth; Murray cod with abalone sauce; and pumpkin tofu with zucchini flower and tomato miso.
“I thrive on the opportunity to extend my comfort zone,” says Lee Luk. “I am thrilled with the challenge of utilising Japanese cuisine as a new culinary language. For me, the essence of Japanese cooking is the lightness of touch that allows the ingredient to speak for itself. We’ve created a versatile menu and space that welcomes guests to grab some sushi or sashimi and a glass of wine, or indulge in a decadent meal with friends, family or corporate colleagues.”
Dedicated pastry chef, Kumiko Endo, creates three intricate desserts to end the meal. The sweet wasabi is a mix of white-chocolate mousse and mango that’s shaped to resemble a wasabi root sitting on a patch of soil.
Lacey has curated Fujisaki’s 300+ strong list of wines, which are housed in a fully humidified and temperature-controlled wine room. The bespoke wine room is a centrepiece of the dining floor, housing a broad range of vintages leaning towards aromatic whites and lighter reds to match the clean and fresh flavours of the food.
There’s also a large range of sake, whisk(e)y and cocktails featuring seasonal ingredients such as cherry blossom, edamame and shies created by bar manager Charles Zhang. Cocktails will include ‘the yuzu’ with Tanqueray, Cointreau, yuzu, lemon and ‘the miso’ with whiskey, contraband mezcal, dashi, miso and bitters.
The 146-seater restaurant and bar takes advantage of harbour views with indoor and outdoor seating as well as three private dining spaces, including a tatami room, to cater for the local corporate crowd. The fit-out is by creative design agency, Design Clarity, with a colour palette of brown, black, navy and timber with brass trimmings, smoked mirrors and decorative wall lights. The ripple effect of the wall lights against the charred wood (shou sugi ban) restaurant walls stands out alongside the three recessed ceiling skylights.
Fujisaki is open for lunch and dinner Monday to Sunday.