Sunset Sabi

Overview

Watching the sun go down over Manly Beach is pretty special. They make postcards about that kind of stuff. And while it's certainly a lovely thing to do when you find yourself in the Northern Beaches, we recommend you stray away from the beachfront and make your way to Pittwater Road for a sundown of a different kind — a sushi sunset.

At Sunset Sabi, food is done in a Japanese izakaya style, but it sure ain't traditional. Ingredients like chilli crunch, roasted peppers, whipped tofu and garlic all make their way into sushi rolls and other bite-sized morsels. It's more of an LA take on Japanese food, if anything — not that that's a bad thing. It just means you get those bold, unabashed flavour clashes alongside fancy cocktails, high bar seating and a wall display of illuminated Japanese advertisements. Instead of being garish, these kitschy cultural tokens give the bar a good glow. The signage is interestingly (if not coincidentally) a little reminiscent of Melbourne's Supernormal.

Try fried potato with whipped karasumi and salmon roe for something unlike anything you've had before, or look towards the traditional dishes like gyoza and edamame. The raw stuff keeps it interesting — think Sydney rock oysters with a cucumber shallot vinaigrette, a sashimi plate with 12 pieces of mixed sashimi and a nigiri plate with salmon aburi, tuna negi and kingfish salsa criolla. 

Sunset Sabi knows exactly what it's doing when it comes to serving up top-notch Japanese eats — there's absolutely no doubt about that.