Musashi - Sydney CBD, Sydney.

No doubt you've probably heard of Musashi, if not seen the queues that swarms the outside; perhaps you have even tried it? As part of the Masuya Group which boasts names such as Makoto City, Makoto Chatswood and Masuya; Musashi is arguably 'in-between' Makoto and Masuya in terms of price, service and atmosphere.

C and I make plans to head as early as possible (6pm) to avoid the uninviting queue that is present all days of the week; also, bookings are limited with respect to timing: for lunch, bookings are available before 12:15pm; and for dinner, bookings are available before 6:15 pm. Even though we arrive at our organised time, there is still a short 10 minute wait for a table to clear at the already-packed restaurant. Perhaps it was worth booking?

After being seated, I requested to move to the corner table as the lighting for food-shots would much better compared to the darker area we were placed :)

Green Tea Shake ($5.20): a combination of green tea powder and milk, I decided to give this a go after reading a few users comments on eatability and was disappointed as it lacks the creamy flavour and sweetness of vanilla essence that makes me keep going back to Starbucks' Green Tea Frapp.

Here Comes The Food

Musashi Special - Deep Fried Tasmanian Oyster ($15.80): After placing my order for this entree, I can see a few tables around me with the exact order, so I have a feeling that it is a popular dish. When it arrives we are delighted with our order as the oysters are juicy and plump without the over-jarring taste for me when eaten raw. The tartare sauce is a favourite over the vingerette, which heightens the flavour and is a great complement.

BBQ Beef Tongue ($8.80): Kept warm by the hot plate, the beef tongue has been overcooked to a hard elasticity than what I would normally allow in yakiniku circumstances. However, it is still enjoyable with a dousing of lemon juice.

Katsu-don ($14.80): Whilst this is my order, C can't help but to take a few spoonfuls of the rice that has uncooked egg which is still gooey and sticky. Does anybody know the exact way of replicating this? I'd love to try it at home. The pork is tender and wrapped by the blanket of the flakey deep-fried dashi soup stock. It's great and I'd be more than happy to order it the next time, if I don't find anything else that interests me on the menu :)

Yakiniku-Lamb ($19.80): C had a hard pressed when deciding between this dish or the Premium Wagyu Sirloin Steak ($25) but eventually decided on this. I would hazard a guess and say that it was the more rewarding choice as on a previous visit, she had already ordered the wagyu steak. The lamb was in a word - perfect. The yakiniku sauce matched with the lamb. De-boned without effort. Soft. Succulent. I found myself taking more than my usual share of the dish. I recommend it to any of our readers to give a go and let us know what you thought about it.

Dining Bar Musashi 447 Pitt Street(Cnr. Pitt & Campbell Street) Sydney 2000 Australia (on the corner of Capitol Theatre/Square)
Ph: (02) 9280-0377
Monday to Friday(Lunch): 11:45-14:30 (Last Order) Monday to Saturday (Dinner) : 17:30-22:00 (Last Order) Sunday (Dinner) : 17:30-21:30 (Last Order)
Closed: Saturday, Sunday Lunch Only (this is what the website says, can someone confirm this?)

Bookings are only available for following hours.
LUNCH: before 12:15
DINNER: before 18:15

• For small groups.(5 people or more)
On weekends, bookings available between 17:30 to 18:00.
No bookings are necessary for small groups after 21:30.

D