Ren Ishii has just opened on the ground floor of a boutique apartment building in the leafy backstreets of Sydney’s South. 

The new venue was established by husband and wife team Stephanie Phillips and chef Luke Phillips, who previously owned Cooked and Co cafe in neighbouring suburb, Sans Souci. 

It is no coincidence that Ren Ishii serves Japanese fare. “We were asking people at the cafe what was lacking and what they wanted to see in the area, and Japanese kept coming up,” owner Stephanie Phillips said. 

What sealed the deal was signing of sushi chef Yoshinori Fuchigami, who had previously worked with both Stephanie and Luke at celebrated seaside fine diner Catalina. 

We’re a long way from Rose Bay, but you wouldn’t know it from the nigiri platter. Eight lozenges of warm vinegared rice come topped with super fresh fillets of yellowfin tuna, salmon, hiromasa kingfish and sticky glazed eel, in just the right ratios. It’s the same story with the sashimi – superb fish, expertly sliced by the steady hands of a sushi master. 

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Equally impressive is the gyoza. Six plump pouches are filled with a tangle of pork, ginger and garlic chives, but it’s the umami-rich kombu bonito soy dipping sauce that makes this dish a must order. 

The further down the menu you go, the more creative the dishes become. “The menu includes traditional sushi and nigiri, but you’ll also see some Thai influences on there, as well as Mexican, Italian, and even French,” explains Stephanie. “We wanted to keep it fun, fresh and approachable. Traditional Japanese can be quite polarising so we’ve included some fusion dishes as well for broader appeal.”

The tuna pizza is particularly eye-catching, although we’d rather eat the ruby red tuna slices on their own, rather than on the cornbread crust with jalapeno slices and swirls of anchovy mayo.

What works well, however, is the miso cauliflower tempura, a moreish snack of crunchy fried florets smothered in a roast onion and nori-infused cream. We’re also on board with the wagyu beef noodles, a Japanese-style bolognese of slippery udon noodles coated in a soy and sesame seasoned wagyu ragu.

The new space has been given a jet black makeover, the inky walls offset by oak timber flooring and a soft tuna-coloured banquette. There’s seating inside and out, with a covered terrace perfect for warm days.

At the front of the restaurant, a glowing purple bar hints to some of the retro delights of the cocktail menu. Take a step back in time with the Japanese slipper, a fluorescent green sipper spiked with granny smith apple juice for extra pucker. A Hello Kitty spritz sees the return of lychee liqueur, the sweet floral notes balanced with yuzu citrus and lemon verbena. 

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