Tokonoma Cocktail Bar & Lounge

7.4 Recommended

Food  7      Drinks  7      Ambience  8      Service  9      Value  6     

Dined here on the 4th of April at 6.30pm with 3 friends.

The interior is sleek and modern with ambient lighting making it a romantic place to take your partner. The lighting did make it slightly difficult to read what was on the menu, but I was here for the 11 course degustation so that didn’t affect me too much.

Edamane beans with a sprinkle of seasalt was the first dish served, pretty much the same as what you get in other quality jap restaurants.

Next up was Scallops served on a ‘chinese congee spoon’. The scallop was exquisite, the only fault I could find in that dish was that the shallots were slightly overwhelming, however, that can be easily remedied. One of my friends said that this was the dish of the night for her.

Beef Tataki was lovely, the meat felt nice and smooth when I was chewing on it, unlike some places which overcook the tataki resulting in a dry texture. Only fault I could find on this was the large piece of fried shallot they place on top of the beef can overwhelm the subtle flavours of the beef itself. However, that’s just me being finicky, each to their own.

The Tomato Salad was underwhelming! Basically it was several slices of an over-ripe tomato with slices of onion on top, sprinkled with some sesame and drenched in a sweet light soy sauce.

The Mackerel ball, I’m quite sure it was Salmon, however, the waitress insisted that it was Mackerel was good. It consisted of rice rolled up into a ball with a slice of “Mackerel” on top which was then grilled, most likely with one of those mini blow torches. Had a dash of mayo on top and a curl of shallot and a piece of fried shallot. Tasted quite good, similar to the grilled pieces of sushi you get at the sushi trains.

The Snapper sushi had a piece of gelatine placed on the top of it. At first I thought it might have been yuzu mixed with sweet soy, however, the gelatine tasted quite salty. Together it was a good mixture and most importantly the snapper tasted fresh.

The “3 fish sushi” consisted of Salmon, Tuna and Kingfish, wrapped with a thin layer of radish, sprinkled with flying fish roe. The combination of the avocado’s creamy smoothness, radish’s crunchy texture and the bursts of surprise as you bit into the flying fish roe was delightful. It was like a surprise with every bite.

Tempura Crab, the tempura was light and crispy. It tasted like I was eating battered snow, however, the excitement fades after the 2nd or 3rd bite as I could start to taste the oiliness. After getting through the layers of tempura, the crab meat itself was soft and creamy with parts of the outer shell a little chewy.

Next up was the Jalapeno Scallops. It was grilled and garnished with what I believe was citrus infused slices of radish. There was a green sauce surrounding the plate which I presume to have been the jalapeno sauce. I couldn’t taste the spiciness of the dish, the scallop itself was good, however, the outer layer of the scallop was slightly overcooked making it a bit tough.

The Lamp Rump was sliced into several pieces and dressed in a fusion of mustard and miso sauce. Everyone agreed that the sauce was too bland. As we had 4 diners in total we received 2 plates of the dish. The plate I had was chargrilled quite nicely but I did find it a little dry. The Lamp Rump on the 2nd plate was too raw making it extremely difficult to chew, I couldn’t understand why the others were complaining about their Lamp Rump until I tasted it from their dish.

Miso soup tasted slightly less salty than the ones served elsewhere, which is a good thing in my book. It was noted that there was a smoky smell to the soup, a friend suggested that it may have been cooked over a wooden flame, resulting in the smoky aroma/flavour.

Dessert was served in a wooden box filled with shaved ice. They had another block of ice which they placed two scoops of raspberry and white peach gelato. Egg tart with green tea at the bottom and topped with pieces of papaya, mango and passionfruit was average, maybe I’m just not much of a dessert person. There was a piece of watermelon, pineapple, slice of kiwifruit and a few grapes to compliment the dish.

The complimentary wine served was light and fruity. It went down smoothly and did not leave a bitter aftertaste. After a while the wine did start to taste quite sour. That might have been due to the fact that I had a drink after eating the sweet dessert, making the wine taste “sour”.

My partner ordered the Lychee and Grapefruit Mocktail. It was a unanimous decision that there was too much grapefruit and not enough lychee juice, making the drink a bitter disappointment (pun intended).

Staffs were very friendly, accommodating and attentive. It might have been because I dined there on a Wednesday, but they did not mention anything about the two hour seating. I was the one who was worried about overstaying the 2 hour seating, as parking around Surry Hills is mainly for 2 hours only, didn’t want to get fined!

We left the place feeling satisfied, my tummy was about 80% full.

Apr 05, 2012 

7.4 Recommended

Food  8      Drinks  7      Ambience  8      Service  8      Value  6     

We went to Tokonoma for a 11 course degustation using a AUD99.00 Spreets voucher and the menu includes the followings:

1. Steamed edamame; (small bowl)
2. Scallop sweet garlic soy with chilli coriander; (2 scallops/ thinly sliced)
3. Beef carpaccio with yuzu koshu dressing; (6 slices)
4. Marinated tomato tosazu; (small bowl)
5. Selection of special nigiri; (4 pieces)
6. Selection of special maki; (4 pieces)
7. Grilled scallop with apple jalapeno; (2 pieces)
8. Miso mustard lamb rump; (6 slices)
9. Tempura softshell crab with spicy chive ponzu; (2 part)
10. Shiro miso soup (2 bowls)
11. Chawanmushi, sorbets and summer fruit (2 sorbet and a 3-4 slices of fruits)

Overall, it was an enjoyable experience, the dishes tasted great and the service was attentive and friendly. However, given the portion size, I don’t think anyone should go with an empty stomach. Having said that, the food is lovely therefore you will be left with wanting more but I will not be paying full price for these though. The full price of this menu (as advertised)will give me a fulfilled dining experience in a 2 chef hat restaurant.

Ambience and décor worked for me, the light is dim and feels romantic. However, the first 4 dishes landed within 10 mins of our seating in a single hit then followed by 2 sushi plates then maybe 10 mins between each dish. Although it is a 2 hour seating but the super fast food service along with the small portions of each plates will ensure us finishing with 45 mins and maybe 1 hour with the bottle of wine. If anything, this is the let down of the evening otherwise it was a good experience.

Apr 02, 2012 

8 Recommended

Food  9      Drinks  8      Ambience  8      Service  10      Value  5     

Dined here last night using the Spreets 11-course degustation voucher.

Food was divine! Each course was beautifully presented and tasted incredible. And a big bonus that they were able to tailor my dishes to gluten free (which is rare to find with Asian set menus). Servings were very small, however, so walked away still a little hungry.

Waitstaff were all very helpful and friendly, which just added to the overall atmosphere. If you don't mind spending the extra money, the food is worth the trip.

Mar 16, 2012 

9.6 Highly Recommended

Food  10      Drinks  9      Ambience  10      Service  10      Value  9     

From the moment we walked in, I was in love with the place. The hostess, Sheba, was a gorgeous woman, both in looks and personality, that made us feel welcome despite the fact we entered the establishment dripping wet from a sudden downpour. Seriously. If I had a restaurant, I'd want her there in charge.

Anyway, we were promptly seated and I have to say, having been many fine restaurants in Japan, that Tokonoma actually has the "vibe" of Tokyo. It's what I'd call gentle-modern, with a bit of retro sci-fi thrown in. Very soothing and relaxing, it is nice enough to impress a date without being overpowering or too "try-hard."

The food was fantastic + very well priced for the quality. The range on the menu was significant and, because we were there on a prix fixe offer, we got to try a good mixture. The scallops were delicate and savoury, the crab tempura was the perfect amount of flaky, and the custard + ice-cream desert was amazing.

Overall, it was a great experience and we will be back.

Mar 05, 2012 

5 Average

Food  6      Drinks  5      Ambience  8      Service  3      Value  3     

Went to Tokonoma on a Thursday night with friends for dinner. Decor was nice and welcoming. Started with Martinis good but expensive.

We ordered five plates of sushi, two plates of sashimi and lamb cuttlets. To our surprise servings were tiny. We ended up with an outrageous bill and still hungry! Service was ok but very slow. Overall a very average experience. Have had much better tasting and better value sushi in Sydney. We won't be going back.

Feb 22, 2012 

6.6 Recommended

Food  6      Drinks  7      Ambience  9      Service  5      Value  6     

Excellent ambience! Food is good however we have had better Japanese for much less. They have one of the largest cocktail and wine/sake list we have seen, however unfortunately our particular waiter was unable to make any suggestions. Other than that was a great night.

Feb 18, 2012 

6.4 Recommended

Food  8      Drinks  6      Ambience  6      Service  7      Value  5     

Came here for dinner with a voucher. Great funky vibe. Service was quick and friendly. It is very dark in there and could use a bit more lighting also if dining with a voucher they seem to put all of you in a row at the back. Not great for an intimate dinner. Cannot fault the food. The scallops were divine. The only thing was portions are tiny and we came away hungry. We went off looking for something to tide us over. Also please take note, some people are allowed to take photos some are not. I don't understand why. Food is food.

Feb 13, 2012 

10 Highly Recommended

Food  10      Drinks  10      Ambience  10      Service  10      Value  10     

My boyfriend and I dined here last night using a Spreets voucher for an eleven course degustation and bottle of wine.

The food was amazing, both in taste and presentation. The wait staff were courteous and attentive. Despite the close positioning of the tables to one another, the ambiance was relaxed and intimate.

I cannot speak highly enough of this restaurant. This was my second visit and I would happily return for a third at full price.

Feb 10, 2012 

7.8 Recommended

Food  9      Drinks  9      Ambience  8      Service  7      Value  6     

Fabulous food and great, well made cocktails in a well designed, atmospheric space - try to get a booth if you can.

You can also now book which makes life much easier and there was no rushing us out of our seats after an hour or two. Good attentive service and beautifully presented food.

Feb 01, 2012 

7.8 Recommended

Food  8      Drinks  8      Ambience  8      Service  8      Value  7     

The decor, the service and food are top notch. The six of us had a great time. The service especially was second to none.

Jan 15, 2012