Shop 3, 447 William Street, Northbridge
Ph: 0432 227 890
www.sumiya-gin.com.au
East meets West for the Best Wagyu in Town
If your recent travels to Japan have you longing for a return to the cosy backstreets of Tokyo where the fragrant aroma of Japanese charcoal-grill barbecue (or yakiniku) wafts through the air, then stop what you are doing. We have found your new crush.
Sumiya Gin has been going strong for ten years now and is tucked away in William Street near Brisbane Street (opposite the popular Wines of While). A blink-and-you’ll-miss-it doorway, you have probably passed it half a dozen times without noticing. But that’s the whole point.
Reimagined with Japan’s retro Shõwa period in mind, Sumiya Gin’s vintage fit-out has all the trappings of that golden age: dark and intimate, with old Geisha posters adorning the walls, and a brooding black ceiling replete with rice paper lanterns. There are also long wooden tables for all the food that’s about to come your way.
Sumiya Gin is best known for its A5 Wagyu beef which has the highest marbling ratio that you can find. Rich, unctuous and creamy, our Wagyu tenderloin from the A5 platter was kissed on the binchotan charcoal grill in front of us first, before sliding down our throats like gossamer silk. It is practically a spiritual experience and we agreed it was hands-down the best beef we had ever eaten (no steak knife required).
Following this, the (meat) hits kept coming. Bone-in Chicken Karage (either spicy or not) had a darkly crisp, crunchy coating flecked with sesame seeds. The chicken itself, served with a side swirl of mayonnaise, was as juicy as it gets and was paired with an excellent cabbage salad.
Wagyu Beef Tartare, mixed with olive oil and a smattering of Parmesan, was scooped into a halved beef marrow bone. The dish was served with pieces of white bread which we were instructed to lightly toast on our grill and top with the rich, buttery tartare mixture. It was sublime.
Next up was a mixed platter of dry-aged steak, half from Australia’s own wagyu producer Stone Axe and half A5 Japanese Wagyu, gently seared, and accompanied by a choice of homemade sauces: steak and onion, and basil and sesame. The generously-sized beef Wagyu burger patty was lightly spiced and surprisingly moist.
Large slabs of A5 sirloin marinated in soy sauce were quickly charred on our grill and dunked into a poached egg broth. Perfect for sukiyaki, it was sweet and smoky. A5 oyster blade and chuck tail flap were also doused in soy sauce before being kissed on the charcoal, offering a spicy kick at the end. A bottle of Hata Ramune Japanese lemonade (complete with marble stopper) and a cup of green tea helped cut through all the protein.
Run by a Japanese father-and-son team (Toshiaki and Atsuto Hirosawa), Sumiya Gin is a clear passion project for the pair, who are so enthusiastic about bringing Wagyu to the people of Perth, that they even own the butcher shop next door. Sumiya Gin are also the only restaurants in WA to have the license to sell Japanese Kobe Wagyu beef.
Open 5:30pm-9pm, Wed to Sat and BYO only. Its sister restaurant, Sumiya Gin on James, is at 101 James Street, Northbridge.
By Jenny Susanto-Lee
