Kazan Dining

Overview

The final piece of the puzzle for the food and drinks offering at 25 Martin Place — formerly known as the MLC Building — is Kazan Dining. Kazan invites diners to experience the art and theatre of Japanese cuisine. It's an appropriate theme, with the restaurant sitting within the unique circular space above the Theatre Royal, making it a perfect spot for a pre- or post-show meal.

The slick, big-boned space is inspired by the staging for Japanese Noh, a classical performance style that combines dance and drama. On this type of stage, there is no curtain separating performer and audience, and this element is reflected in Kazan's open-plan space that features minimal barriers between chefs and diners.

Design-wise, both the main dining room and the 10-seat private space feature seamless intermingling of the old and new, with the building's beautifully preserved heritage elements given new life thanks to a number of thoroughly contemporary touches.

The contemporary feel also extends to Kazan's menu, which features a tight selection of sashimi as well as sushi (in both nigiri and maki roll form), robatayaki and share plates. There's also a considered dessert selection featuring a yuzu pavlova and the Kazan fondant served with coffee ice cream and miso caramel.

There are subtly incorporated nods to Nikkei (Japanese-Peruvian) cuisine in signature dishes like confit duck breast with mustard soy, light orange essence and sansho pepper, Saikyoyaki Glacier 51 Patagonian toothfish with corn purée and umeshu kumato tomato, and robata-grilled lamb cutlets with aji amarillo and cucumber yoghurt.

All this culinary performance is overseen by head chef Shinya Nakano, an alum of grand Melbourne fine diners Kisume and Nobu.

Kazan is open five days a week for lunch and dinner, with three-course set lunch ($55), four-course dinner banquet ($95) and two-course pre-theatre ($60) menus also available.

Appears in:

The Best Japanese Restaurants in Sydney