Sorenzo Japanese Fine Dining Restaurant | Miranda
After successfully gaining our attention from the Zomato Westfield Miranda tour, Sorenzo invited us back to their Miranda restaurant to showcase the other elements of their menu. We gladly accepted the offer because of how much we enjoyed ourselves at the last event. Blue Tuna Belly here we come! (God, Christie has been craving you for the past week!).
We met with Jason, Restaurant Manager of Sorenzo Miranda. Jason hand selected some dishes for us to sample on the night, even taking into consideration Matt's hate for raw seafood and our love for tempura. Throughout the night he catered to our needs and offered great conversation. We felt like royalty, and then we realised that not only our table received this attention, but the other guests did also.
Edamame is best served with a cold beer, while your yakitori is sizzling on the flame grill. We like to call it "interim food" as it is served at the start of your meal and is there until you finish. It is a healthy snack while you wait for your food. This edamame is different to the others we have tried before, it wasn't only coated in salt flakes, but chilli as well to really give your taste buds a kick. We loved it, the flavour and also the fact that it seemed like a bottomless pit no matter how many we ate.
As starters, we were treated to fresh pacific oysters served two way. One we sampled previously, you can read all about it here. The other had a great zingy taste where the oyster is marinated in red wine vinegar. The zing from the red wine vinegar further enhanced the freshness and sweetness from the oyster. I loved how the oyster is served cold as well. Some are served room temperature/not chilled which can have that real slimy texture.
When the selection of raw and grilled sushi arrived at our table, we were amazed by the presentation but at the same time worried that we might offend the chef for not being adventurous enough to finish the plate. That was until the first bite... The Tuna Belly enticed us to try more, to put our brave face on and jump right in. This has opened up a whole new door for us, and quite an expensive one a that because we enjoyed every last bite and could have gone with another plate!
Each piece of sushi was carefully prepared and presented and at the same time, the ingredients were fresh, tasty and beyond our expectations. The chefs at Sorenzo made sure to showcase the taste of each fish, and in doing so no piece tasted the same. The different cut in the fish allowed us to explore different textures. You were able to truly appreciate and taste the difference in texture in the Salmon, Tuna, Kingfish, Salmon Belly, Tuna Belly and Scallop.
Great tempura is hard to find in Sydney, we had recently tried a variety of tempura from another Japanese restaurant and could tell you 100 different ways why we loved it so much. We told Jason this, and how excited we were to be able to compare, so he went back and told the dedicated tempura chef that it had to be perfect and boy... was it perfect indeed! It is worth noting that Sorenzo Miranda is the only store to put on such a spectacle with their tempura. The time and dedication of this chef is remarkable.. we have nothing but compliments for the chefs of Sorenzo.
The combination of great seasoning, drained oil and a thin yet super crispy layer of batter makes for another dish in which Sorenzo has perfected. Surprisingly even though we took millions (maybe just 50) photos of this dish, the tempura was still piping hot and had our names all over it. To compliment the tempura this dish was served with a warm broth as well as two types of condiments, chilli salt and a curry salt. The smallest amount completely changed the taste so it felt like three dishes in one.
I bet you were thinking that the flowers were for decoration only... so did we but in fact they were green tea noodles, fried with beetroot coloured tempura pieces. It is made to resemble cherry blossoms and wow did we enjoy eating this. Not only did it taste naughty, but it was really fun to eat. The sheer excitement factor this dish presented made this dish unforgettable! We encourage you to visit, if nothing but for their tempura set. Tell them you want the one that Snapshots of Food ate :)
The smoked salmon with a bed of vegetables is nothing to joke about either. The salmon is pan fried and then smoked in a wooden chamber to absorb all the smoked flavours we home cooks can never re-create at home. This along with the miso paste really brought a flavour party to your mouth. The miso paste intensified the smoked flavours of the well cooked "pink" salmon.
Did someone say Wagyu beef steak? Nothing excites Matt more, than perhaps the sound of Kobe Beef, or a new Pokemon sighting (damn that game is addictive). The steak was cooked medium, which is more preferred over the normal rare or even blue cuts at other Japanese restaurants. We find that when the steak isn't cooked enough, the centre is always quite watery and has an less favourable texture.. it can also be quite chewy as well. This is yet another example that Sorenzo implores to ensure they are not just cooking like a production line, but rather like a restaurant, only the best quality. This dish was served with two dipping sauces, vegetables and mash which is truly unique for a Japanese restaurant. Normally a western spin on traditional Asian classics don't go too well, however the mash was smooth and light.
The Yuzu sorbet was sour and tangy and surprisingly worked quite well sitting on a bed of chocolate crumble. There were slight hints of salted caramel which was used almost like glue to keep items in place, although we wanted more of that as it just added yet another element to this dessert to salivate over. Then there was the chocolate cake. The mousse on top tasted like it has hazelnut or perhaps even coffee flavouring throughout, which the cake itself was light and full of chocolate bliss. The cake wasn't overly sweet, nor was it bland.. though it was enough work as a balance with the sorbet. This dessert is not available on the menu so please show Sorenzo this photo if you would like to indulge in an amazing dessert selection.
We thoroughly enjoyed dining at Sorenzo and have been quite vocal about it as well. We highly recommend anyone in the area to drop past and visit. This has definitely been a highlight in our week.
Thank you again to Jason and Sorenzo for such pleasant service and quality food. We wish you all the best and hope that more people can experience what Sorenzo dining is like.