New and approved is The Spinoff’s series highlighting fresh hospo offerings. This week, Liam Rātana recommends Ebisu, a Japanese stalwart in downtown Auckland that’s had a menu refresh.
What is it?
The minimal signage and unassuming shopfront makes it easy to miss on busy Quay Street, but after 15 years in operation, Ebisu is a bit of an institution in downtown Auckland. On weekdays, it serves as a smart lunch venue for the many corporate types who frequent the country’s largest business precinct, and in the evenings, the ties loosen a little. The food is crowd-pleasing Japanese fare done well with fresh, high-quality ingredients: think teriyaki chicken and bento boxes at lunchtime, sushi and sashimi classics and small plates like gyoza and karaage chicken in the evening, along with larger plates like crispy pork belly with karashi miso and mustard pickles. There’s an extensive sake menu, alongside Japanese-inspired cocktails and a range of local, Japanese and imported beers.
Where is it?
Ebisu occupies a prime spot in downtown Auckland, on the ground floor of the historic Union Fish Company Building in the Britomart precinct.
What’s new about it?
The menu. Not the whole thing, but Ebisu has been trying to get the word out about “the biggest change we’ve made to the food” since opening. Some of the new offerings include wagyu tartare tacos with wasabi mayo and black tobiko (crunchy flying fish roe dyed in squid ink), scampi tempura wrapped in kataifi (fine shredded pastry dough) and wagyu sirloin with soy butter mushrooms, truffle ponzu and fresh wasabi. There are two new sushi and sashimi sharing platters too.
Who’s behind it?
Ebisu is owned by the publicly listed Savor Group, which owns 14 hospitality venues across Auckland, including Azabu, Non Solo Pizza and Amano. The group’s Japanese executive chef Yukio Ozeki manages the culinary direction across Azabu and Ebisu.
What are the vibes?
When we first walked in, I thought to myself, “Sheesh, this place is a bit bougie.” And while it is slightly more upmarket than the group’s other Japanese establishments, Azabu Ponsonby and Azabu Mission Bay, there was still a relaxed vibe to Ebisu.
We dined in the evening and the restaurant was dimly lit, with a clean, pared-back feel and dark natural wood accents. We sat next to a frameless glass walled installation housing a cherry blossom, separating the front part of the restaurant from the bar and other tables.
There were people enjoying a few drinks before the darts tournament happening down the road, friends catching up over drinks and some plates, and even a few families with younger children in tow (there’s a kids’ menu). A couple of drunk patrons stumbled past in costume, but the staff quickly shooed them off.
Despite the restaurant being quite full, we were seated quickly. The staff were attentive – our orders were taken soon after we sat down, drinks arrived not long after, and the food was all served in a reasonable amount of time, despite the waiters apologising to fellow diners for anticipated delays.
Overall, Ebisu felt like a place for those who appreciate relatively simple food done well, using high-quality ingredients, in a relaxed but classy atmosphere.
What should I order?
I accidentally skipped lunch that day, so was quite hungry by the time we arrived. We began with sake, of course. I ordered the Ebisu-exclusive Sanshimai Junmai Ginjō, which was dry and mildly flavoured. The lady had the other Ebisu exclusive, Namazume, which was more fruity in flavour.
To eat, we started with the nine-piece omakase sashimi platter, featuring the most perfectly mild-flavoured, beautifully consistently coloured tuna sashimi I had ever seen. There was also fresh snapper and salmon with just the right amount of oiliness. The fresh wasabi was mild in flavour and soy sauce provided the right amount of cut-through.
We also ordered beef tataki, which came with a deliciously sweet, spicy and umami-packed yuzu sauce, scallions, pickled radish and crispy rice pearls for crunch. Our final starter was the tuna tartare, served with black tobiko, which added a mild smokiness, and prawn crackers.
The vegetable tempura batter was slightly too greasy for my liking, though I did enjoy the lemon pepper mix for dipping. The prawn toast was a highlight – a juicy prawn mixture was breaded and deep-fried until golden and coated in toasted sesame seeds, adding extra umami. The toast was covered with kewpie mayonnaise and tonkatsu sauce, making this a deliciously indulgent dish.
Equally decadent was the roast pork belly, which melted in the mouth and had perfectly crisp crackling. The end pieces were slightly dry, but the rest of the belly was blushing a perfect shade of pink. It sat on top of a mild karashi miso sauce and sansho honey soy sauce, which provided some reprieve from the richness of the pork.
On the side of our mains we had a delicious shredded cabbage salad served with sesame miso dressing, spring onion and crispy shallots and some edamame, which were slightly overdone for my liking.
What’ll it set me back?
We paid $250 all up, with the pork belly and sashimi being the two most expensive items. While it was quite expensive, I appreciated the ingredients being used were not cheap. Unless you’re living large, I would reserve a trip here for special occasions or group dining, where you could split the bill. Overall though, it was a thoroughly enjoyable dining experience and we would happily return.
Ebisu
116-118 Quay Street, Auckland CBD
Monday to Friday 12pm-2pm, 5pm-late
Saturday and Sunday 5pm-late
