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Restaurants

Niji Restaurant & Bar, Double Bay

January 31, 2014
by Corinne Mossati

Niji Restaurant & Bar launched in Double Bay amongst the live carving of an ice sculpture and the traditional breaking of a sake drum. Located along Bay Street, near Pelicano and Mrs Sippy, the sleek venue with dark wood panelling and mood lighting give the izakaya a modern and inviting feel.

Niji Restaurant & Bar, Double Bay
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Niji Restaurant & Bar, Double Bay
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Niji Restaurant & Bar, Double Bay
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Wet Sting, Mezcal, Umeshu & Yuzu
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Niji Restaurant & Bar, Double Bay
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Niji Restaurant & Bar, Double Bay
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Niji Restaurant & Bar, Double Bay
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Niji Restaurant & Bar, Double Bay
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Niji Restaurant & Bar, Double Bay
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Niji Restaurant & Bar, Double Bay
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Niji Restaurant & Bar, Double Bay
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Photography © by Kevin Burke for Gourmantic – Copyright: All rights reserved.

The venue is the younger sibling to Niji Sushi Bar in Kingsford, a more casual restaurant with a sushi train and a robata. Niji means rainbow, and here you won’t find the multi-coloured timbers that define the original venue but the concept translates to the range of colourful dishes and signature plates.

The two level restaurant includes a bar serving a solid range of sake and spirits including Japanese whisky. The cocktail list has been created with the food in mind. The Wet Sting ($19) is a lovely balance of mezcal, yuzu and umeshu with ginger honey syrup and a side of chocolate makes a perfect starter or complements

A dining room upstairs gives a more intimate dining experience while the ground floor offers a choice of table dining or sitting on bar stools where the sushi chef action takes place.

Much like its Kingsford older sibling, the food is where Niji shines. Whether it’s the selection of sushi including the seared salmon roll, the silky wagyu dumplings, the Zuke Salmon, cured in a broth of shiso, coriander and cream, or the addictive popcorn prawns, the dishes are well executed and invite you to return for more. Tempura cigars, fragrant dishes from the robata and to finish, the “Sydney to Tokyo” “croquembouche” choux pastry with pastachio wasabi cream are just to name a few.

If the Kingsford venue didn’t appeal with its casual vibe of university students, Niji at Double Bay ups the ante in décor and ambience while retaining the quality of its food that have given Niji its good reputation.

Niji Restaurant & Bar is featured in our guide to Sydney’s Best Japanese Restaurants and Top 10 Hot Restaurants & Bars in Double Bay.

Niji Restaurant & Bar
21 Bay St
Double Bay, NSW 2028
Phone: (02) 8095 9508
Lunch: Monday to Sunday 12pm to 3pm
Dinner: Monday to Sunday 6pm to 11pm, kitchen closes at 10pm
Bar: Everyday 12pm to 11pm
www.nijisushi.com.au

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About the author

Corinne Mossati

Corinne Mossati is a drinks writer, author of GROW YOUR OWN COCKTAIL GARDEN, SHRUBS & BOTANICAL SODAS and founder/editor of Gourmantic, Cocktails & Bars and The Gourmantic Garden. She has been writing extensively about spirits, cocktails, bars and cocktail gardening in more recent years. She is a spirits and cocktail competition judge, Icons of Whisky Australia nominee, contributor to Diageo Bar Academy, cocktail developer and is named in Australian Bartender Magazine's Top 100 Most Influential List. Her cocktail garden was featured on ABC TV’s Gardening Australia and has won several awards. She is a contributor to Real World Gardener radio program and is featured in several publications including Pip Magazine, Organic Gardener, Australian Bartender and Breathe (UK). Read the full bio here.

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