The two focus points behind Sydney's bespoke Japanese restaurant SASAKI, is everyday wares and simple style home cooked meals. Head chef Yu Sasaki creates a selection of elegant dishes that are inspired by the dishes his mother use to cook for him as a child, and it is the relationship between food and fond childhood memories that Yu replicates with his menu. What is in season dictates what dishes are crafted which are mixture of traditional and new world Japanese.
Everyday wares and simple home cooking. It is these two ideas which are central to SASAKI.
SASAKI has opened up in 2017 to introduce customers to a Japanese way of living.The restaurant serves as an homage to owner/head chef, Yu Sasaki’s hometown of Shimane and is a reflection of his memories growing up in the Japanese countryside.
The dishes Yu Sasaki will create seek to emulate the fragmented memories he has of food in Japan. Each dish is inspired by his mother’s style of home cooking - simple and made with love. It was the comfort and love associated with her cooking that was the catalyst for Yu’s passion for food.
When we usually think about home cooking, we usually don’t think much of it. It becomes part of the everyday routine and falls into the trap of becoming the mundane. However once we leave home, we soon begin to miss our mother or father’s style of home cooking for its nostalgic and sentimental value. At SASAKI, we want you to experience the strong love that Yu’s mother had when she created food for her children.
The seasons and the elements play an equally important role in Japanese cuisine. Each ingredient is harvested at its peak to maximise flavour. This isn’t only reflected in ryotei (fine dining), but also in everyday cooking. The food Yu will create for customers follows this exact philosophy: he sources local ingredients for the menu according to the seasons and forms personal connections with farmers and suppliers.
