Suminoya, Martin Place
We’re here for all you can eat meat
Not Japanese again ? Some of you readers might be getting sick of our Japanese posts but sometimes we just go with the flow with what our friends like to eat. But today we have something a little bit different in the form of all you can eat yakiniku.
Suminoya is part of the IS Holdings group who also have four other restaurants under it’s umbrella. Hidden in an alley outside of Martin Place is Suminoya. Don’t be fooled by it’s location, it has a pretty good reputation of being a half decent yakiniku joint that will have you smelling like a bbq once your done.
We all had cravings for meat and the first place that Minh suggested was Suminoya where yakiniku is their bread and butter. What it involves is grilling your chosen meats, veges and seafood onto a charcoal grill. I love charcoal, it makes the food taste so much better. On Fridays they only have the “premium” menu for $49 per person, pretty good value if you love your meat and sashimi. Once seated, you have 90 minutes to get through your meal. The waiter will come around after 60 minutes asking for your last order, don’t make the mistake I did last time by over ordering. I felt rather guilty, so I had to finish off all the meat and paid the consequences the next day.
Can’t …. breathe ….
I’d hate to come here in summer despite their best attempts at ventilation. To their credit, they do have these things where it attempts to suck up all the charcoal smoke but it can only do so much as there is a man constantly preparing fresh charcoal at the front of the restaurant. Either way, you still end up smelling like charcoal once your done with the meal but it is definately worth it considering how good the food is.
Dipping sauce (soy sauce, lemon & chilli)
Meet the meat
Yukke
This looks intimidating at first but actually tastes fantastic. Raw beef and spring onions are mixed with a raw egg and perhaps some sesame oil. Some people can’t fathom the idea of eating raw beef, but it’s not much different to eating beef tataki or sashimi.
Beef tongue
The beef tongue is probably my favourite meat out of what is available for order. It is succulent, thinly sliced and full of flavour, perfect when cooked over a charcoal grill.
Beef fillet, beef rib, beef tongue, pork rib
No joke, there is just so much meat to order that you would probably struggle to try everything. Once you order, they usually put it all on one plate which makes things easier as table space becomes scarce once you go overboard with the ordering. The meats are all fresh, very tender and some are nicely marinated.
Beef tongue, garlic prawns, scallops
Cooking is quite quick as the charcoals last for well over an hour at a consistent heat.
If you get sick of meat …
Even for myself, the copious amounts of meat can get quite overwhelming. Fortunately, the menu consists of a pretty good variety of non meat options.
Edamame beans
Edamame beans are mandatory whenever I go to a Japanese restaurant, they are so addictive.
Cucumber kimchi
I was expecting the strong pungent taste of normal kimchee, but this is definatel alot milder.
Sashimi (Salmon, kingfish, tuna)
I wasn’t expecting much, but was pleasantly surprised at the freshness of the sashimi. The knifemanship was also pretty good as well. Ever since I came back from Japan and witnessing how they cut their sashimi, I’ve been monitoring the cuts of sashimi. It’s an annoying habit which yields no benefits.
Garlic prawns
These tasted great despite the fact they were frozen prawns. The prawns are drizzled with oil and garlic and topped off with some cracked pepper.
Prawns
Plump and juicy regular prawns are also available. Throw a shrimp on the barbie will ya love ?
Middle : scallops & edamame bean
Leave room for dessert
Coffee jelly
After all the meat, you definately need to balance things out with a few sweet treats. The coffee jelly has a very strong coffee taste but goes well with the lightness and bouncyness of the jelly.
Lemon sorbet
This to me is Suminoya’s version of a pallette cleanser due to it’s sharpness and freshness. This is a must order, it made me feel alot ‘cleaner’ once I cleared my mouth with the lemon sorbet.
Vanilla & green tea ice cream with cornflakes and red bean
The green tea ice cream is rich and creamy, alot better than some of the other green tea versions I have tried.
Suminoya has a nice ambience and feel about it and kinda reminds me of a few yakiniku joints I’ve been to in Japan. The service is quick, food is great and the booth style seats are great for 6 to 8 people. They even have Asahi on tap which is the perfect light and sharp beer for grilled meats. With the colder months approaching, Suminoya and it’s yakiniku style food is perfect for this type of weather.
Suminoya
Booking is recommended
$49 per person for premium menu
Level Ground 1, Hosking Place
Sydney NSW 2000
P: (02) 9231 2177
W : http://www.yakiniku.com.au/suminoya.html
Author
By Howard
We started eatshowandtell in 2008, it was meant to be just a journal of where we ate. The first thing I usually do when I'm looking for a restaurant is check out eatability and the restaurant website. But what is usually missing is pictures of the food, how do I know I'm getting what I expect? This blog hopefully plugs that gap.
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This article was written on 04 May 2009, and is filed under Dinner, Japanese, Sydney, CBD.
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Mmmm I absolutely adore yukke and their beef tongue here is very good. But I agree, this place is terrible for ventilation and clean air! *cough cough* I always walk out feeling dirty in the face lol.
Karen’s last blog post..Cupcakes on Pitt – Parramatta
Looks great, though I am not sure that I can be trusted with all you can eat meat. My eyes are way bigger than my stomach, and I cannot bear to waste food. I’d likely have to roll home.
lili – pikeletandpie’s last blog post..Chicken Larp
Suminoya is a great place with good food but I’m not big on the time limit. Eating to the clock for me can be somewhat stressful.
Great selection of food. Lurve the yukke! Nice work with the artistic presentation of the scallop & edamame. Looks like a cactus pot plant growing out of a rock
What a fantastic review!! This is something that I most definitely have to try and with friends visiting this weekend it sounds like the perfect opportunity.
Megan {Feasting on Art}’s last blog post..O’Keefe’s Apple Crisp with Caramel Sauce
i’ve walked past this place once and always wondered what it’s like and now i know with your great review.
Simon Food Favourites’s last blog post..Oporto, Kings Cross (2 May 2009)
ahhh! i love me some barbecue! (except i tend to get carried away with conversation and forget i am cooking and then oh poor burnt meat. boo!)
charcoal gives such a great aroma to the meat doesn’t it?
shez’s last blog post..date & ricotta scrolls
Yum, thanks for telling us about this place and whetting our appetites. It looks ideal for a spot of meat-eating frenzy!
Belle’s last blog post..A Piece or Two of Deliciousness
It’s so easy to go overboard with the ordering at Suminoya! I remember last time I went there, we ordered so much, it was insane!
I hate the time limit though, it’s so stressful… and also coming out smelling like BBQ!
Betty’s last blog post..Marigold Restaurant
Ahhhh Suminoya… still good but they gotta stop creeping up the price haha. Yukke and Beef Rib Finger (best meat they have) ftw! Yeah try and get downstairs table since it is less smokier (they open the door and higher ceiling) but they can’t replace the ventilation system as it is hooked up to the whole building or something :S
FFichiban’s last blog post..Lindt Concept Cafe – Cockle Bay Wharf, Sydney (2)
Sounds like the food was good enough to be worth smelling of bbq. I’m interested in the mild kimchi – I’d like to try it. Is Japanese kimchi normally milder than Korean?
Arwen from Hoglet K’s last blog post..MuMu Grill
Ahh… I called it the Gas Chamber… the Eau de Grease is not something you want to wear to cinema or dance party afterwards.
billy@ATFT’s last blog post..http://www.atablefortwo.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/ikea_tasteof_sweden1.jpg
Ahh I totally agree with the smokiness there – the last time I visited there was a group of people from management discussing solutions. (and no I wasn’t eavesdropping!)
A waitress asked, “You, want, desserts, one each for everyone. is that right?”
You got that right, now bring them! (I like their coffee jelly!)
Yas’s last blog post..Oh spam filter that was.
Karen : Yukke just tastes so right, I mean it doesn’t even taste raw!
Lili : Rolling home is exactly what we did. After the first order it’s usually easy to control the second order, but we still over order.
Simon : I understand the reason for the time limits, it’s good and bad I guess. The only down side is you can’t stay too long and chillax over a good meal.
Megan : Yep definately give it a go, perfect for the cold weather too!
Simon Food Fav : You should visit if you ever need a meat fix!
Shez : Charcoal makes everything taste good, I havn’t used a gas bbq for yonks!
Belle : Meat is the name of the game here, but atleast they have a few salads to balance things out.
Betty : Yeah sometimes it’s hard to gauge how much to order, especially with noobies around!
FFichiban : lol has the price increased ? I saw the downstairs part, but I kinda like the lounges upstairs better!
Arwen : The cucumber kimchi was definately milder, whether or not this is reflective of how they prepare it normally I’m not too sure though.
Billy : Gas chamber lol! Yeah the smell is shocking, it’s very hard to get rid of.
Yas : lol solutions on the ventilation ? For the dessert, we just said ” we want all 3 for everyone!! “
Great pictures and detail in the review. I look forward to eating there when in Sydney.
Love your site
Thanks for dropping by Alex, Iya Valley was a special place!
This place is very stingy you pay for all you can eat and from the word go they will restrict the amount of food that will come to your table. The waitresses are rude and the portions will get less after your first plate and they will slow service to your table to a snail pace. They will give you a time limit of 90mins but will snatch the menus from you after 50mins. I don’t recommend this place unless you are a light eater and don’t value good customer service. When I complained to the supervisor he blamed the management saying it was there fault and they had been told to do these things. Not good enough and I will not be going back
@ Matt : That is unfortunate, looks like things have changed since the last time I went. Maybe if enough people complain, the Management will pull their socks up.
[...] sucking up all the smokiness from the grill with efficiency. I can’t help but compare Iwa to Suminoya. The vents there were weak at best and by the end of our session, our clothes smelt like barbecue [...]