First Look: The Japanese-Leaning Fishnets, With Its Star Sushi Chef, Is a Hot Catch for Bronte

When Sokyo’s long-time head sushi chef Sanghyeop Kim was searching for his next kitchen gig, he was after something specific. Somewhere with a neighbourhood feeling to contrast the vibe inside The Star. Somewhere he could concentrate on produce and precision, but with a casual edge. Somewhere he could flex his traditional skills and creativity. It was ding, ding, ding with Fishnets, the restaurant sibling to Table Manners, which opens in Bronte this week.

Inside the 50-seater, head chef Kim is leading a menu that heroes simple, precise “omakase-grade” sushi. The trick? Premium seafood, of course, but also his eye for detail on two ingredients often overlooked.

“I’m using Japanese rice which I think is top-notch – and I blend two kinds of rice, one is from Niigata and one is from Aomori,” Kim says. The two short-grain varieties complement each other texturally: the round Niigata variety is harder, and the sweeter Aomori is slightly soggier. The mix gets the texture just right. Then, there’s the vinegar.

“When you have sushi at some other places, casual places, the sushi vinegar is not sour enough,” Kim says. Not many people are using the special drop he’s chosen, which is an ingredient he picked up while working with Takashi Sano-san (who’s now at Azuma) at Sokyo. It’s made from saké lees, which impart a deep red colour and a deep vinegar flavour. “Everyone has their different recipe, but this one is really premium. These small things really make a big difference, that’s what I believe.”

This attention to detail underpins the nigiri list, which features akami, otoro and cuttlefish, mackerel, paradise prawn and bonito – in a quality usually found in the CBD and the exceptional Japanese restaurants north of the bridge.

Fishnets’ brief isn’t exclusively Japanese, though. It’s a dance between Australia, Japan and Europe – seen clearly in dishes like the tomatoes on the smaller end of the menu. Tomatoes are pickled with yuzu juice, ready to top a creamy scoop made with equal parts tofu, mascarpone and crème fraîche. Underneath it all is crispy sushi rice.

“The flavour of the tofu comes through, and [makes] the texture smoother,” says Kim. “[It also] mellows out the flavour of the yuzu and crème fraîche. When I’m in Bronte, it’s coastal and very local. It’s different to Bondi. I want to put that feeling of Bronte in the dishes.”

The pippies dressed in beurre blanc do this, too. The sweet Aussie shellfish swim in the silky, buttery sauce, spiked with yuzu kosho and Japanese chilli paste. The menu then goes big with a share-ready 500-gram serve of yellowfin tuna katsu. The fish arrives sliced, with tartar and a glossy Japanese demi-glace to dip, and a shredded cabbage salad dressed in sesame oil and finely chopped kombu. There’s a delicately steamed coral trout and a three-part Wagyu menu, too.

The dining room is just as swish as Table Manners. Blainey North designed it to be moodier and “more intimate” after a full-scale renovation. There are curves and warm lighting, with a mural inspired by Japanese folklore by Nix Francia wrapping the walls.

Finish your meal with a delightful shell-shaped ice-cream sandwich, or a scoop of gelato from Mapo.

Fishnets
Shop 1/118 Macpherson Street, Bronte

Hours:
Wed to Fri 5pm–10pm
Sat midday–11pm
Sun midday–11pm

fish-nets.com.au
@fishnetsbronte