Nakashima
7 Cambridge St
The Rocks, NSW 2000

I’ve been wanting to check out Nakashima since I saw the rave reviews on Eatability, not to mention it’s pretty close to the office. So 7 of us trooped there for lunch, which turned out to be quite a hassle since we couldn’t find the damn place! Tucked between 2 parallel streets, it’s literally hidden from public view and we had to climb a tiny set of stairs to get into this “invisible street” just to get there.. it was like Platform 3/4 in Harry Potter books 😉

Bizzarely, despite being so hidden, the place is always packed during lunch and dinner – it’s a bit of a lost cause if you don’t make a reservation (I subsequently went with Chris for dinner and had to wait 20mins for a table). I guess it goes to show the power of word-of-mouth..! It’s run by Japanese and is a casual cafe, 2/3 of which is situated outdoors. Fantastic on a warm sunny afternoon, which it was.

Food didn’t take long to arrive, considering we ordered ~10 dishes amongst us. The food is delicious! But I think the most enticing part is the price. All of it cost us $20pp, which is great value considering it’s smack right in The (expensive) Rocks area. A great way to have a cheap meal if you don’t feel like paying $$$$ for other restaurants in the area.

Pretty girl friends

Sushi and sashimi platter. So fresh!

Crab balls. They look unappetizing but were so moist and yum!

Unagi (eel) on rice. A generous portion but didn’t like
this as the bones were big/sharp :X

Pork Katsu. Amazing, my favourite dish! The pork was so plump and juicy :)~

Dumplings. Didn’t have any ‘cos they didn’t look interesting..
(and I’m always scared of the blimmin’ veggies that lurk sneakily inside)

Tempura. Nice!

Beef Tataki. Really tough and awful. Will never order again.

Deep-fried Eggplant. My 2nd fave dish, surprisingly considering it’s veggies!
It was crisp on the outside but all soft on the inside. Mmmmmmmmmmmmm :)~

Pork Maki. Super tasty and delicious.