California Sushi Factory, Wynyard
5 June 2009
18 Comments
Hot dogs, sashimi and rice bowls ?
Update 30/07/2009 : This place has seen been rebranded and the menu has changed completely. It’s still Japanese and the same owners by the looks of it.
The Japanese are very good at being random. What I mean by this is their ability to be entertained by the weirdest things, most of which can be found on Youtube. My two favourites are the silent library and a bunch of guys trying to play soccer with binoculars on.
When I was walking along the road, the first thing that got my attention was that hot dog stand. I look further up and it infact belongs to California Sushi Factory. The first thing that came to my mind was those Youtube clips, absolutely random. Anyway, it turns out that the restaurant has only recently opened and they still don’t offer everything on the menu. We were really hungry and all opted for the rice bowls since we didn’t have much of a choice.
The decor inside is clean and modern with a mix of normal and cushioned seats. There is a glass cabinet for fresh sashimi which we didn’t get to try, for some reason I can’t stomach sashimi if it isn’t during dinner. There is a bit of an american feel to it, the walls are lined with wallpaper which look like bricks. Random cartoon pictures are scattered all over the place, not to mention the hot dog stand which still confuses the hell out of me on why it’s even there. They might make killer hot dogs though, I should go back and try them out.
Pickles
As you can see, the bowls are quite massive. I consider myself to have a pretty big appetite and these bowls left me struggling. Even my dining pals Timbk2, The Pun Man and Special Pants were left feeling as if they needed an afternoon nap after lunch.
The food was generally pretty good, servings were very generous and the sides of pickles and miso soup were a nice touch. The highlight was probably the unagi and kobe steak as the other variations failed to nothing more than what you can find at a Japanese stall in a Chinatown foodcourt. All the rice bowls are served with fresh and crispy tempura which is not overly oily. Prices ranged from $10 to $14 which was great value for this end of town.
Unagi (eel) with tempura
It can be far fetched to find good unagi in Sydney. I had some really good experiences in Tokyo where the outside of the unagi was crispy whilst the inside was tender and still maintaining a strong eel taste. The unagi today is close to that, with a slightly burnt but crispy outside texture. The sauce used to cook the unagi is sweet, whether they cook it from scratch or have it pre-processed remains to be seen.
Spicy chicken with tempura
The chicken is not overly spicy but is tender without the use of bicarbonate soda which seems to what is used at most chinese restaurants. Thankfully, most Japanese restaurants stay clear from this route. I’m not quite sure on the flavour though, I couldn’t quite pick out what it was. Whether or not it is Japanese style or not, I’ll have to find out next time.
Timbk2′s selection turned a few heads when it arrived. A very generous portion of kobe steak was seared to medium rare and lighly sprinkled with some toasted sesame seeds.
The kobe beef steak tasted amazing. The balance of marble to meat was perfect, resulting in a tender piece of meat with a slighty seared exterior.
Thin beef strips with tempura
So there you have it, A new Japanese restaurant which not only sells sashimi and rice bowls but also american style hot dogs with funky decor to boot. When we walk out, we see a sign that thanks us for visiting California. Once again, it just makes me think the Japanese are the most random people in the world. I love it though, I really do. I’m off to Youtube now to watch them play human tetris.
California Sushi Factory
Clarence St, Wynyard
Opposite Officeworks
Sydney, NSW 2000
Thats look like a good find. The massive bowl of kobe beef sure a head turner. I think my fav random jap utube is still the Matrix PingPong.. so good
Hahaha weird combination that is!
But the kobe beef looks really nice – I should go check this place out when I get a chance
Yas’s last blog post..Site: Dinosaur Designs Fungi
Haha I love the randomness! I bet they would make a good hotdog for some reason. And LOL the binocular soccer always cracks me up. The human tetris lost its charm after Channel Nine managed to create an entire appalling television show out of it, fail!
Steph’s last blog post..Apple & Sultana Sugar Wheels
The dishes look great! Love the random Japanese
Betty’s last blog post..Alchemy Cafe Restaurant
this place looks coooool and the kobe steak looks so good! I too hate bicarbonate soda-ed chicken, I’d rather it not tender than bicarbonate soda-ed!!
K’s last blog post..Grace Brasserie, Grace Hotel, Sydney
The human tetris really is a weird idea! The decor in this place is really unusual, and it sounds like the food was pretty good. The eel sounds especially well done.
Arwen from Hoglet K’s last blog post..Kammadhenu
looks cool. love the japanese videos too. hehe
Simon Food Favourites’s last blog post..Phamish: Vietnamese, Darlinghurst (4 June 2009)
Haha that is very random indeed! Will save this up for when hubby is hungry from the look of those portion sizes
The wallpaper reminds me of the faux brick wallpaper at Japaz!
The food looks yummy. I cannot wait to try the unagi rice bowl as well as the kobe beef steak
foodie-central’s last blog post..Made In Italy
Random indeed! The bowls of food look massive, and what, you weren’t tempted to try the hotdogs? ;P
Y’s last blog post..Hidden cost
Wondering whether they are open on weekends!
aptronym’s last blog post..aptronym: @mangiatore They are still on my "to buy" list actually….
hhhmm..will definitely be trying this place out if i happen to be in the area of wynyard sometime…
chinesechic’s last blog post..Taipei Holiday ’09 (10 Memorable n Worthwhile Experiences You Must Try Whilst in Taipei Post!)…台北假期‘09年之10个诗意难忘的台北体验……台北の帰り旅’０９(三）
LOL how bizarre and crazily random to have a japanese restaurant that sells hot dogs LOL.. Do you reckon a lot of ppl buy dogz from there? Maybe its special japanese hot dogz with teriyaki sauce LOLLLL
Unagi looks REALLY GOOD! I like it how it has the caramalised crispy look! mmmmmm..
Thanks for pointing out a japanese restaurant. I always want decent lunch on fridays as I like to call it “dirty asian day” LOLL Its the only day during the week where i shove my healthy food aside and go all out on dirty asian food OOOOO YEHH!!!
just never any around martin place end.. At least its not too far.
Leona @ pigged-out’s last blog post..Lens Testing @ Ramen Kan
@Billy : Matrix pingpong is hilarious! I love how youtube has infinite amount of Jap comedy vids.
@Yas : Kobe beef is the higlight, albeit the only highlight.
@Steph : I know right ? all western adaptations of anything Japanese is a fail, look what they did to The ring and other Jap horror movies!
@Betty : They look great and are huge!
@K : Yeah totally agree on the bicarb, it tastes worst the next day too.
@Arwen : It’s weird decor indeed, to go with their weird infatuation with hot dogs.
@Simon : I could spend all day watching Jap vids on youtube too!
@Lorraine : Ah yes, Japaz has it as well. Maybe these 2 stores are related, Japaz has a few random fusion dishes.
@foodie-central : Those 2 are probably the best dishes!
@Y : I’m going back for the hot dogs, one day.
@aptronym : Not sure about weekends, I will check for you the next time I walk past.
@chinesechic : Give it a go indeed, it’s hard to find but look for the hot dog stand.
@Leona : You know what, it might be special hot dogs .. I’m gonna find out. lol ‘dirty asian day’, hunter connection should be your port of call.
oh my goodness, Thanks !!! I definitely go try tomorrow.. at first I was thinking about unagi but when saw the kobe beef.. ok, my tomorrow dinner after school..Not sure it will open around 4-5 pm or not.. or have to wait for dinner time.. can’t !
Ja’s last blog post..I am in SMH Good Living !
hi guys,
where exactly is the shop on Clarence St? I have tried to locate it, however, no luck so far… any help would be greatly appreciated!
AL : I just walked past on the new way to work and it seems that the name has changed! Same restaurant and location, just a different name.
The tony’s special salmon roll here is amazing. have a try next time!
Obesebaby´s last blog ..Le Renaissance Café Patisserie- The Rocks