Sakana-Ya, Crows Nest

I was on the lookout for a new Japanese restaurant to try but being Monday night, the options were rather limited. A quick scour of the internet led me to Sakana-Ya in Crows Nest, nestled in the raft of restaurants along Pacific Highway. The interiors are simple and unassuming, and on the night we dined, we were the only non-Japanese customers which is always a good sign when looking for authentic fare. The menu was very quite large for a Japanese restaurant, with the specials alone being two pages long! 

The Beef tongue was thinly sliced and perfectly cooked, and just completely melts in the mouth.

Thinly sliced beef tongue $12

The Japanese style omelette with scallop was very smooth with a distinct sweetness. There were chunky pieces of scallops interspersed within it, making for an excellent, light dish. 

The Grilled black cod was one of the best that I've had, it was incredibly smooth and almost buttery. The flesh was flakey and had a lovely miso flavour that I just wanted more and more of. 

Japanese style omelette with scallop $12.5

Grilled miso black cod $24.5

The Deep fried baby purple eggplants comes dressed with three kinds of miso sauce. There were white miso, red miso and one that I couldn't remember. They were tasty, but a little bit too salty for my liking. I did love the soft and gooey texture. 

Deep fried baby purple eggplants with 3 kinds of miso sauce $12.5

I love salmon belly in sashimi form, and discovered they are just as tasty when simmered in a sweet soy and sake broth. The salmon was incredibly tender and the flavour of the broth was perfect. 

Simmered salmon belly and vegetables in sweet soy sake and soy sauce $19.5

Sakana-Ya is definitely a neighbourhood gem. Some of the fresh seafood dishes seemed a bit on the pricey side but there were lots of well-priced dishes to choose from. The service was friendly and I will definitely be back to try the rest of the menu.