Address: 116-118 Quay St
Phone: (09) 300 5271
Website: ebisu.co.nz
Cuisine: Contemporary Japanese
Rating: 8.5/10
In Japan, Ebisu is the god of food and fishermen. In Auckland, Ebisu is one of the finest restaurants to open here in recent times; it certainly delivers on the food aspect of its Japanese namesake and gives local fishermen a good plug too.
It is is the latest eatery by Brendan Turner (ex-Dizengoff, dine and Bellota), a man doing great things for Auckland diners at the Britomart Precinct, and offers superb contemporary Japanese cuisine in a sophisticated setting that feels truly international.
Housed in the former Union Fish Company Building, Turner has kept much of the space's original character intact, with its exposed brick walls and raw timber columns.
He has added soft leather booths, black wood panelling and a glassed-off indoor terrace with doors opening out to the street. Tables are well-spaced, and flickering candles create a warm and inviting dining room.
The best way to eat here is by ordering dishes to share. That way you get to try as much from the menu as possible, and the servings are, for the most part, not huge. The twice-cooked Harmony Farm pork belly with its soy miso glaze and the small sashimi platter were the first dishes to arrive at our table.
The melt-in-your-mouth pork belly was divine, while the beautifully presented sashimi was so fresh it almost leaped off the plate. Next came the Spider maki - soft-shell crab sushi served with upright chives and tobiko (fish roe) - and the grilled eggplant with its sweet miso glaze.
The sushi was up there with the best we've ever had, but the eggplant was a little sweet and messy for our tastes. Everything else we ordered was superb - including tempura black tiger prawns and vegetables and pork belly buns - but the best was yet to come. The tender Wakanui scotch fillet with its three dipping sauces (wasabi ponzu, sesame soy and wafu sauce) was delicious.
We finished off our foray to food heaven with a shared dessert - spiced ginger and apple doughnuts with a bitter chocolate ganache and a scoop of creme fraiche and plum wine gelato. Ebisu - the god of food indeed.
From the menu: Edamame $6.50, Tempura no moriawase, maccha-shio $16.50, Ebisu no nikuman (pork buns) $16, Buta no kakuni (pork belly) $26.50, Wakanui no steak ($29), Spider maki (sushi) $16.50; Sashimi no moriawase (small) $21.50, Dengaku nasu (eggplant) $12.50, Creme fraiche and plum wine gelato (one ball) $5.50, Shoga to ringo no doughnut, $10.50.
Drinks: Fully licensed.
