WAQU - when East meet West

Continuing on the birthday theme from the previous few posts, two years ago, for the second year in a row, I went to one of my all time favourites to celebrate my birthday with my family. It was the first time in at least a decade that I got to celebrate my birthday with my entire family - Mum and Dad flew into Sydney from Auckland, and my sister K and brother in law J flew in from Taiwan. Also with us was my sister M and Mr M's family (who always warmly looked after me during Mr M's time in Japan). I was so touched!! 

WAQU is the perfect restaurant if you’re looking for somewhere semi-casual, with a “value for money” price tag, serving exquisite and delicious food. Waqu serves modern Japanese cuisine which fuses the best of “East and West” in a stylish intimate setting. Their tasting menu changes seasonally every three months, with a choice for entrée and mains. 

L Loves… Course 1. amuse

(clockwise from the left) Spicy soft shell crab taco,‘renkon’ chips, crystal bay prawn, peach, chorizo, cauliflower puree and tomato essence, creamy corn soup,  fresh tofu, sweet miso and soy flavoured ground beef 

This platter of bite size amuse was incredibly flavoursome and marked a wonderful start to the meal.

Course 2. sashimi

Ocean trout tartare, wasabi cream sauce

L Loves… Entree option #1: CALAMARI + ABALONE + RISOTTO
Lightly fried ground calamari cake, abalone and squid ink risotto. 

This was such a heavenly dish – it was sooooo creamy and the calamari was lightly battered and fried - the Japanese are real masters when it comes to deep frying!!

L Loves… Course 3. entree option #2: RACK OF LAMB

‘Panko’ and herb crusted rack of lamb, dry miso, ‘tamari’ garlic sauce
The lamb was so tasty, perfectly cooked and crispy on the outside.

Course 4. Main option #1: QUAIL

Roasted quail, ‘yuzu’ butter sauce, hoba leaf, ‘satsuma’ potato

A closer look at the quail

Main option #2: BEEF TENDERLOIN STEAK

Red wine sauce, ‘satoimo’ potato, baby carrot, ‘eringi’ mushroom

Course 5. dessert

Vanilla ice cream, glass tiramisu, green tea crème caramel 

Worthy to note the vanilla ice cream was hand-made with real vanilla bean pod. The Green tea crème caramel was my favourite dessert of the night – it was mellow, creamy and had a great green tea taste. Yummm!


Overall, this was one of the most memorable dinners I've had. Not only was the food fantastic, but having my whole family there meant the world to me!   

L's Verdict:

• Taste: 9.5/10 (everything I had was fabulously delicious!)
•  Ambience: 4/5
•  Value: 4/5
•  Service: 3.5/5 (not professional, but at least friendly)
• Creativity and other WOW factors: 3/5  

Overall rating: 24/30

WAQU

308 Pacific Highway

Crows Nest NSW 2065

Ph: (02) 9906 7736

Dinner only: Tuesday-Sunday from 6pm

Visited May 2009

Friendly advice: I had some difficulty in getting the waitress to understand I wanted my dressing on the side. So best to bring a Japanese speaking friend along, or speak s-l-o-w-l-y, or perhaps employ some Japanese accent Engrish if you have any special dietary requirements.