I could already picture his voice in my head as I walked towards him with an enormous hourglass gourd that was about half the size of me. “Honey meet Hyotan, the bottle gourd” I said to Mr NQN. To his credit he didn’t ask me what on earth I was doing with it but simply smiled and rolled his eyes. I think he realises that I could really just come home from shopping with anything.
We were north side shopping when we decided to stop by the small enclave of predominantly Japanese restaurant on small Wilkes Avenue in Artarmon. We had previously visited Rahmen Genki restaurant there in this mini Little Tokyo and I had heard from a friend that Sushi-Ya was worth a visit too.
We make our way down to the end of the avenue where there is an outdoor section as well as a smaller eat in section. There are plenty of staff all eager to seat us and take orders and we flick through the multi page menu. It’s hard to narrow things down and I smile when I see the “hamburg set” which was one of those things that I recall ordering a bit when I lived in Japan-like a hamburger without the bun but with lots of sauce. Still the name Sushi-Ya prompts us to keep our order mainly sushi based and we finally get our order together.
Salmon lovers roll
Things are modest here, a teapot with green tea is melamine and there are Ikea mugs to drink from. But any reservations are swiftly put away when the plate of sushi arrives. We had chosen the combination set and you can choose from a range of two items from two columns. We had chosen the Salmon lovers roll and the chicken teriyaki as we were told that was a best seller.
The salmon roll comes out as six large inside out rolls filled with crab stick, avocado, egg omelette and topped with masago, salmon pieces and thinly sliced avocado. They’re large and have to be eaten in a few bites where they inevitably fall apart but they’re worth it.
Teriyaki chicken (second half of combination set)
The second half of the combination set arrives and it is the teriyaki chicken. The pieces of chicken come out as small, furled balls of thigh meat and it looks to be lightly coated and then deep fried and then dunked into the sweet teriyaki sauce which makes it that much better with the added crunch. It comes with an undressed cabbage, lettuce and tomato salad. Rice isn’t included in this combination set although miso soup is but rice can be ordered which would be a good idea as the sauce is very good and worth dipping some rice in for.
Salmon belly sashimi $17.90
My order was the salmon belly sashimi. Mr NQN loves tuna but I’m a salmon person and you don’t often get the salmon belly on offer. It’s fattier, as expected, but has a glorious texture to it and melts in the mouth.
Chicken wing karaage $7.90
I love chicken karaage and I love chicken wings so I thought that I’d love these more. I expected something that was deep golden and crunchy like chicken karaage but a wing version. These aren’t bad but they’re just lightly deep fried with a little marinade on them. I suppose they just weren’t what I expected.
As we were dining late, there was no time nor stomach space for dessert although we did spy a taiyaki waffle pancake. I’m not complaining though, from our trip I’ve managed to get myself a full tummy and Hyotan, the bottle gourd!
So tell me Dear Reader, are you a salmon or a tuna sushi lover?
Sushi-Ya
10 Wilkes Avenue, Artarmon
Tel: +61 (02) 9411 1377
Lunch: Tuesday-Sunday
Dinner: Monday-Sunday
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41 Comments | Add your own
I’m definitely a salmon person
Mr Bao like tuna more I think it’s a guy thing hehe ~
Great little place
Ohhh damn you didn’t have dessert hehe I’d love to try some of that salmon belly!
You guys are so lucky in Sydney, there’s definitely more Japanese restaurants hehe
Shame about the chicken wing karaage but crunchy teriyaki chicken would be yummo!
i prefer salmon. tuna just tastes weird… unless it’s tuna belly.
I like both actually, but would probably lean towards the salmon too
Salmon! We often order from Sushi-Ya for our office Friday lunch. Their seafood is always very fresh and well-prepared. For a more upmarket experience with tiny sushi bar, I recommend Ju-Rin in Crows Nest. My fave.
Salmon every time!
Definitely a salmon sushi person! The salmon lovers roll looks so pretty and definitely yummy! Japanese food is one of my fav cuisines to have. And the bonus is that most of their food is healthy too! (:
I love both of them! And is it bad that I can hear this loud Japanese Sumo going SUSHI- YA!!!!!
Yeah this near to my neck of the woods! The teriyaki looks amaze as does that salmon belly!
Nice looking food! I prefer tuna and regret on occasion that I am just too high in the mountains of Mexico to really get good sushi.
I’ve never seen chicken karaage look quite like that, but I sort of like the modern take on it.
love them both!
BUt hey – I just love sushi in general!!
Salmon all the way!
I love salmon sashimi, that belly salmon looked wonderful. So tell me what ar you going to do with Hyotan the bottle gourd? GG
Hi Lorraine, like both but prefer tuna. There are a couple of little Japanese grocery stores there as well, not sure if you have been but they are worth a visit.
Nothing fussy, nothing fancy but very pleasant at reasonable prices! Would love to reach into the screen and usurp that salmon belly
! Love, love, love any form of sushi, but guess it is salmon over tuna for me also! And the teriyaki chicken looks moreish! And I shan’t ask you what happened to Hyotan 
!
I’m a tuna
I prefer tuna if it’s good and fresh. Quite often you get ordinary chewy fishy tuna and then I’d prefer salmon any day. But when the tuna is fresh and soft, tuna all the way!!!
Definitely salmon! The food looked oishi. Must visit the area when next in Sydney.
We’ve been to Sushi-Ya in Glebe, I wonder if they’re related? We’ve only ever been there for lunch, but it was very pleasant..
Salmon sushi fan from long ago, TRUE!
Something about EACH new bite brings back VERY fond memories too!
Your photos of the salmon lovers roll DEFINITELY does invite!
They look (and bet the taste) were an absolute delight!
I am salivating over the teriyaki chicken, but when it comes to sushi, I am with you – I like the salmon.
It’s a very long time since I ate out in Artarmon. There used to be a great Italian restaurant there called La Stazione and we’d go there all the time. Naturally, it was just across the road from, ‘The Station’. I agree with you re those chicken wings. I would have been disappointed to – they should be more golden. But the teriyaki chicken looks great xx
Wow, it looks fabulous. I love Japanese food. And your blog is great reading for us foodies – thank you.
Salmon- I can eat salmon every day. Also been to Sushi Ya- I liked it. Cheers
Definitely salmon and my two kids got my gene of a salmon & ikura lover. I like oyakodon with salmon & ikura and I’d be happy very much. Interesting that rice doesn’t come with the meal but miso soup does. I still don’t get used to having miso soup first before meals without meal and rice in the US. Does Australia serve miso soup before meals come too??
I actually prefer white fish sashimi, like kingfish. And, well, really I get excited when a sashimi platter comes with octopus and roe
I thought Hyotan was an actual hourglass, and I got all excited about how you could stand before it proclaiming solemnly “Like sands through an hourglass, these are the days of our lives…”
I never used to eat sashimi and I’m so glad I do now.. and mmm especially salmon belly!!!
This was a regular haunt for us when we were still in Sydney, a 5 min walk from home. They sometimes do a yabbie miso which is to die for.
I can eat salmon until it comes out my ears, but give me a piece of toro and I will melt for you!
Wow, the food presents so beautifully. I love both but salmon more so.
I used to be a salmon lover, but time spent in Tokyo has convinced me that tuna is the way to go. Having said that, that salmon belly sashimi might just change my mind again! It looks amazing.
I’m definitely a tuna girl but to be honest I’ll take both! It really annoys me when sushi is bigger than one bite as it’s so messy, but it does look delicious
I’m not really a fan of either one. I’m still learning to eat raw fish. One day…
Sensational looking sushi. Thanks for this recommendation. I’m looking forward to dropping by.
everything looks very fresh !!pierre
Omg I wish I could have the Salmon lovers roll right now! The picture is killing me. O.O
I love salmon best, and salmon belly even more so! I can get it at our local fish market and its so juicy- Yumm
Those chicken wings are a bit ordinary, but the salmon roll surely makes up for it!
Every time I move away fro ma suburb, they get an awesome new pladce to eat lol. Looks fab
I absolutely love sushi. Too bad there isn’t a sushi restaurant where I live. I am definitely more of a salmon person, than tuna. I just prefer it, but I wouldn’t tuna as well
salmon for sure! the salmon belly looks awesome.
I love tuna, so lovely. The food looks mostly nice. It seems malamine ,Ikea and enamel plates are all the rage, but I dont approve of any of them
OK, I’m a bit clueless, but what is a bottle gourd? And how did you cook it?
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