Ging Sushi Cafe

6.5 Recommended

Food  7      Ambience  7      Service  3      Value  9     

The food is great but the service is well below average.
We've tried Terriyaki Salmon, Soft Shell crab entree, Beef sizzling plate and sushi.
I would definitely recommend this restaurant but don't expect good service.

Feb 27, 2012 

6.5 Recommended

Food  7      Ambience  6      Service  7      Value  6     

I would recommend this restaurant. I have been at least eight times now and I can say that the service is consistently friendly and yet never overbearing.
Even when packed out to capacity, service to tables has always been instant and arrival of dishes has always been prompt.

Perhaps, other people's experience with non-Japanese staff has been an unlucky one-off, as I have not yet experienced this. Staff have always been attentive and polite. Decor is very comfortable, just about formal enough for a more refined evening out. Tables are a dark solid wood, a Japanese kimono adorns the wall and the lighting is not the usual stark bright of many Japanese/sushi places these days.

Although, if you're reading this Ging Sushi, it must be said, the flatscreen TV on the wall is definitely a downer and an ambience-killer! Not needed! Ging Sushi is certainly above the current standard of restaurants on the main road in Dee Why and would be perfectly at home amongst the nicer places by the beach on The Strand, if that's any guide.

Every dish I've ever tried here has been excellent. Salmon Carpaccio is tender melt-in-your-mouth slivers dressed in a light Japanese dressing. Gyoza is not just your usual pork variety but also comes as a prawn option and is ever-so-slightly crisp, not soggy. Teriyaki salmon is beautiful: plump, piping hot, perfectly cooked and served on a sizzling hotplate with capsicum, onions and plenty of sauce.

We always order a mixed sushi and sashimi plate and the quality is absolutely consistent and the serving size is satisfactory. I stand by the quality and presentation of the food here, delicious. I think they are doing things right here. Overall, recommended.

Jul 01, 2011 

9 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  8      Service  10      Value  9     

This restaurant is a gem on the northern beaches. Every dish was beautifully presented and delicious. The staff are very polite and the food arrives promptly.

May 22, 2011 

1.3 Not Recommended

Food  2      Ambience  1      Service  1      Value  1     

I agree with both reviews below. Way too expensive for what they try to pass as japanese. The softshell crab was oily and tiny. the beef was so bland it tasted like warm rubber with unwashed mushroom. Even the green tea served might as well been lipton tea. Disgrace.

Some waitress smiled, some would slam the dishes. No consistency in customer service. Also I can not eat off a small tea dish. Please use plates. We had four people and they gave us two spoons, or sometimes one fork (even though it was obvious we were sharing). Overall I won't be returning.

May 13, 2011 

8.8 Highly Recommended

Food  10      Ambience  5      Service  10      Value  10     

Ging is a small Japanese restaurant in the not so great location of Pittwater Road but forget the beach front this is by far my favourite restaurant in Dee Why (with Wildwater Grill a close second).

The food is excellent and I have not eaten better Japanese food anywhere in Australia. The food is always fresh and delicious and the staff offer excellent service and are always friendly.

I completely disagree with the negative feedback given by Pretendchef every single person at Ging Sushi is Japanese with no exception I would be surprised if Pretendchef had ever eaten there before and am wondering which other Japanese restaurant he has shares in. The hundreds of people who pack Ging Sushi from

Monday to Saturday cannot be wrong especially when come Friday and Saturday it is essential to book a table. I would say the only way to know is try it for yourself you absolutely won't be disappointed.

Amy x

Mar 26, 2011 

2 Not Recommended

Food  2      Ambience  2      Service  1      Value  3     

A lot of aspects of this restaurant are a bit odd.
* Lighting is powerful and direct. Depending on where you sit you may feel like you are sitting under a heat lamp / solarium light. Half as much lighting would be enough in the restaurant to improve the atmosphere and save them money.
* If you are going to call yourself a Japanese restaurant, when clearly you do not originate from that country, at least research the dishes and try to perfect them instead of approximated asian interpretations.
* Common to some asian establishments, partial plate clearing is often performed mid meal where left over sauces and even some vegetables may have been useful in finishing the meal. Not cool.
* we understand the kitchen closes at 9pm, but please, if we arrived at 7:30 and have worked our way to desert at 8:59pm, please do not withhold the menu to prevent ordering.
* cleaning of the restaurant had started at 8:50pm while some tables were still eating and it was obvious from the staff faces that they wanted people to leave!
* the menu was a little difficult to interpret which in some restaurants adds to charm, but in this case just made it difficult. Desserts are indeed in the drinks section.
* there are so many great japanese restaurants, there is really no need to consider coming here.

Feb 22, 2011 

4.5 Below Average

Food  6      Ambience  5      Service  3      Value  4     

This restaurant still has a long way to go before it can be considered a Japanese sushi cafe.

To start off with, the menu is a shamble to read with too many confusing offerings listed e.g. green tea ice cream is listed under drinks. The mini gyoza, though quite tasty on its own, resembled nothing more than Korean dumplings. I suspect these were not made on site either. The yakitori my BF and I ordered did not resemble what we had come to expect of a standard Japanese yakitori.

The dish came out as skewered tender white chicken flesh covered in a thick BBQ-like sauce with some salad garnish. No signs of the chicken meat having gone through a grilling process at all!

Service by the cafe's owner was generally adequate, although other staff members could do with some training in customer service. No offers of drinks were made, and service was rudely rushed towards the end of the night. Travel a bit further north or south of Dee Why and you might be rewarded with other better Japanese restaurants.

Feb 04, 2011