sushi e

High above the city streets is a poised, light-filled, sushi-led Japanese that's stood the test of some considerable time. Buzzing by day with the lunchtime business crowd and some Japanese expats, it works well by night too, adjoining the restrained cool of the Hemmesphere cocktail lounge. Chef Nobuyuki Ura and team wield their knives behind the white marble bar, slicing the freshest of sashimi and sushi. Blow torches give a fabulous smokiness to waygu draped over a sushi roll filled with more waygu, cucumber and baby cress. Scallops get the same treatment beneath spicy mayo on a baby leaf salad, while salmon belly encases pink grapefruit for a hit of salt, sour and spice. Non-sushi orders (such as an over-salted, over-roasted duck) come out of a slower, at times less-expert kitchen back-of-house. Though too-thick panna cotta is complimentary, interesting desserts include crisp sweet potato tempura with brown sugar glaze, caramelised walnuts and vanilla bean ice-cream.