Shira Nui

After two attempted bookings, we were finally there at Shira Nui. Time and time again this little restaurant is overlooked, tucked away on Springvale road. Luxuriously close for all of those in the south eastern burbs, this one hat restaurant is the sushi lovers shangri-la.
This modest 40 seater is buzzing with chatter, despite the acoustics an roseate "Irashaimase!" can still be heard on arrival. Staff looked smart and contemporary in black in contrast to the dated yet cozy ambiance. service was efficient, however sitting at the sushi bar all that was needed came from the two sushi chefs.
There was only one seat that would be suffice for my appetite and that was at the sushi bar. Where else would you want to sit? Once those delicious morsels,carefully crafted by Chef Hiro Nishikura and Yuki Ueno, you want to be the close as you can to the action. Here is the fun part, and the charm that Shira Nui brings to its customers, you submit yourself and your awaiting taste buds to the chefs. For about 80 dollars per head the omakase is a selection of the chefs choice, and for those who love sushi its the mystery that adds to the excitement.
Just like Noah's ark they came by twos, and only stopped once you've surrendered. An array of nigiri sushi right from he chef's hand to your plate. I pride myself on being a sushi heavy weight and i was in it for the long haul! It was either a) i run out of room for these minuscule fruits of the sea or b) they run out of sushi to offer. seeing as this restaurant rates a handsome score of 14.5/20 in the good food guide option a seem the more likely outcome.
After sampling 11 different types of nigiri sushi, each one having its own flavor and integrity and texture. Every piece was different to the other and your nicely advised by the chefs "soy" or "no soy".
After eating twenty two pieces of sushi, four really stood out and grabbed my attention. The ark shell was sweet and slippery on the tongue and a pleasing crunch once bitten into. Perfectly sliced pieces of pike was sprinkled with shichimi and finished off with the blow torch. Turning the peppery shichimi into aromatic charcoal bits, adding smokey flavor to the deliciously gamy pike. The kingfish was simply prepared with lashings of lemon and salt worked graciously, and brought out the sweetness of fish as well and cooking it slightly. the crispy oyster cam out piping hot, biting into resulted in oozing richness. the oyster provided a tiny crunch and got lost amongst the richness of the Japanese mayonnaise.
Filled to the brim it was time to surrender, just when the thought of another bite was tormenting a complimentary piece of sushi was up for the taking. You don't refuse good food no matter what the situation or how full one is. never broken that rule and was certainly not going to on that day either.
Just to keep the smiles rolling for the evening complimentary dessert, the meal ended with a basil sorbet to cleanse and refresh the palette. Ice cold and with a floral like aroma, served its purpose and was light enough to not break the camels back.
For a table of two or in this case two stools, heaven came with a price tag of approx $160.00 so unless your rolling in riches Shira Nui can be enjoyed on the rarer occasions. For those who think 80 dollars is digging a bit deep for sushi, then i dare you to find better sushi at that quality and price within the south eastern neck of the woods..
edibility rating >>8/10<<