toriciya japanese

i once considered this place to be a hidden gem. the food was great, the atmosphere cosy and intimate, and best of all it was well hidden and frequented only by regular customers and those with recommendations. however, a recent experience has completely changed my impression of a place i once enjoyed so much.

the customer service attoriciyais without a doubt the worst i have experienced anywhere in sydney. the manager was extremely rude towards our table to the point i was embarrassed to have brought my friends from out of town here for dinner. we were continuously pressured to finish and hand back to table even though it took them an eternity to bring the food out! this is a true reflection of their willingness to sacrifice customer satisfaction for profit.

if you enjoy dining at fast food restaurants, this is the place for you. if you enjoy an authentic yakitori restaurant with great food, atmosphere and great service, head to yakitori yurippi at crows nest.

having been a frequent customer attoriciyaduring the last 8 years, this occasion will be my last!

this restaurant maintains its traditional japanese vibes from its décor to its menu and we cannot fault it! having exclusive opening hours from 6 – 10pm, it is important to plan ahead when visiting this hidden gem! our first dining experience attoriciyawas complimented with their “first timers” degustation menu that consists almost the entire menu with smaller servings (obviously).

to open our palates, baked savoy cabbage was served with truffle oil sauce.  there’s not much to say about this besides that it was beautifully simplistic dish that did just what a starter was meant to do… revving up our appetite!

we were then given the sashimi / sushi set that we couldn’t fault, fish was fresh and they had fresh ground wasabi. this was followed by beautifully crumbed tempura set with mandatory tempura dipping sauce and truffle salt on the side for an extra burst of flavour. the kobe beef steak was cooked medium rare with its distinctive “kobe” flavour oozing out of its fat.

finally the dessert….. it was awesome! since we’ve come back from japan, we have not had the opportunity to indulge in japanese strawberries until now. the mochi / strawberry dessert was a perfect finish to a wonderful dinner amongst friendly staff. definitely will be back!

returned totoriciyalast night for the first time in 2 years - the service and the food as always is fantastic. we loved the char grilled prawns, sashimi mixed plate and the chicken yakitori. the restaurant once had a cozy ambience to hide away from the winter chill, but is now brightly lit. perfectly for instagram but unfortunately has killed the vibe of restaurant.

ah, what is it like to walk through sliding wooden doors and pass a curtain?

feels like omen noodle in kyoto if you ask me, absolutely nostalgia.

now you may all think i am. another one of them yuppies who are die hard fans of japan culture and i may be, but i appreciate service and quality. japanese do it well as they have processes. processes generate consistency and kaizen.

my japanese executives swear by it and so do i when i see an authentic japanese restaurant vs a psuedo japanese one run by a bunch of fdi students (oxidized tuna if not beetroot dyed white fish) or koreans (japanese dont use red garnish).

toriciya is genuinely unique. its cramped like them two seater izakayas in osaka and kyoto laneways but its real.

however, if you were to compare the skewers with jugemu, juges wins hands down. the idea oftoriciyais not so much the food as pure izas go its more about the guzzle. the grog the oh so delicate warm sake and trunks of asahi or sapporo and golden river bottles of 4.5%ers.

the airconditioning at the bar table is a little strong, best to bring a coat, the reservations needless to say for a small alley way sized eatery must be made. the grills are the best and the croquettes the seafood scallops say, are juicy (i bet defrosted hokkaidos) and the dessert, skip it.

ambience is tops, food is... well if you were really japanese, would you come here...? probably but komaru would be better although its just hapu sushi and not yakitori.

so, if you are up for a suburbia kinda chin wager night and you got a bit kaching and bling in the belttoriciyais definitely the place to warm up to the weekend.

toriciya is an incredibly little izakaya well hidden in cammeray, in sydney's lower north shore. the menu is extensive, featuring daily specials and a solid degustation menu. for $60 per head, the degustation is good value for money, providing a varied selection of the highlights of the menu. the kingfish carpaccio with jalapeño and yuzu soy is particularly outstanding and easily beats sake's take on the dish. sushi servings are also generous and wonderfully fresh.

in terms of drinks,toriciyahas an impressive range of sakes to choose from, and the menu is particularly adept at describing the different types on offer. sake generally comes in 180ml to 1800mls, with the latter giving you the luxury of choosing your own cup. beers and soft drinks are also on offer.

the restaurant itself has a wonderful vibe - decked out in a traditional izakaya style with lovely trinkets and art works spread throughout. the service is attentive and very friendly indeed, which only makes the food even better. this place gives many upmarket, established japanese restaurants a solid run for their money.

this place is well worth the visit - be sure to make a booking and be mindful of the $50 minimum spend per person.

our first post for 2015 is about a little local gem we discovered recently when our friends came to visit from hk.  toriciya is a small, traditional looking sake and yakitori restaurant nestled in a quiet suburban street in cammeray.  unassuming and cosy, the restaurant surprises you with its high quality food and attentive service.

its wednesday night, the weather is gloomy, what to do  i like the sound of a cosy japanese restaurant drinking copious amounts of warm miso soup (or sake if you will).  i had read countless fantastic reviews ontoriciyawhich is typically somewhat promising. does anyone else base their restaurant selection around reviews? i know, i know, it’s such a bad habit of mine! regardless of sydney's current weather, lets kick the night off with one of my favourite beers!  kir

nestled away from the main strip of cammeray’s shops is a little japanese eatery by the name of toriciya. although it’s off the beaten track,toriciyaseems to have built up quite a following, as the small space eventually gets packed out on a wednesday night. toriciya’s offering is a simple, homely affair – the basic wooden decor with japanese art on the wall hints at the authenticity of its dishes and you can see the chefs busily at work in the cosy open kitchen where they’re grilling a variety of skewers. they’re also known for their sake, so we order a small jug of warm cloudy sake to try and find that it’s quite strong, but with interesting undertones of rice. cloudy sake, $15 for 180ml we start with a couple of their specials from their handwritten menu – the popcorn lobster is a deluxe hit of succulent lobster bits encased in a light batter and paired with an addictive smoky chilli aioli that was quite unexpected in such a traditional looking japanese restaurant. popcorn lobster

came here on a sunday evening without a reservation, and we were lucky to get a table at the bar immediately. the restaurant is very small, so reservations are recommended.
one of the best japanese restaurants in sydney. the sushi was probably some of the freshest i've had the opportunity to have in my entire life. the yakitori were amazingly flavoursome, tender and cooked to perfection. the other dishes i tried included kingfish jalapeno carpaccio, baked cabbage with truffle oil sauce, tasmanian freshwater eel skewer and chicken cartillage. chicken cartillage was probably the most average dish of all, nothing special, but everything else was great.
the decor is very traditional and the service is good. overall i really enjoyed dining attoriciyaand will definitely be back to try other things on their menu.

located amongst a small strip of restaurants in cammeray,toriciyais a hidden gem hidden behind an unassuming facade... overall we had a flawless night at toriciya, filled with authentic well-cooked dishes. the highlights from the night though would have to be the sashimi, quail eggs, kingfish wing and the oven baked cabbage. we did not have a chance to try out their sake menu that night, but will have to go back to try and pair some of their extensive sake options with their yakitori menu.

this is undoubtedly one of our favourite restaurants serving an incredible range of sake and shochu, with the most authentic japanese food you will find in sydney.toriciyais an izakaya style restaurant which is best described as a japanese tapas bar, whereby the menu revolves around enhancing and complimenting the vast varieties of sake and shochu on offer.

the first thing you notice abouttoriciyais the entrance. it's not the physical facade -- spanish villa arches in a cafe latte brown--but the act of entering the door itself. a heavy glass-paneled sliding door utters a quiet shuuushhh as you slide it ope