Tetsuya’s namesake restaurant was once listed at number four in the world, and although he’s been setting the world on fire with his Singaporean gastronomic temple Waku Gin, his original restaurant is still a must visit – at least once in your life anyway.

The tranquil homage to contemporary Japanese, tucked away in a Japanese-styled, Zen compound on Kent Street, will transport you to a yesteryear world of silver service, double-white tablecloths and hushed tones. A series of rooms overlook a beautiful Japanese garden complete with pond and bonsai trees, and a throng of waiters deliver dissertations as they drop each dish on the table.

Thankfully the former overbearing 12-course feast has been reduced to eight and it means you don’t leave fuller than the last bus home. Sure it’s still eye-wateringly expensive (and not as inventive as it once was either) but the latter is a positive. Simplicity has entered the frame and a focus on letting the ingredient shine over a display of technique makes it all the more delicious.

The journey starts with lightly cooked scampi with vanilla, before avruga caviar and slivers of kingfish join pickled daikon and ice plant. Of course you can still get the signature confit of ocean trout with apple salad, but to be quite honest the dish is tired, and starting to show its age. Far better are the newer dishes that follow.

Rich chicken wing comes with raw pearl meat and pickled shiitake mushroom, before an absolute knockout Ranger’s Valley wagyu sirloin with king brown mushrooms steals the show.

He may not be the king of sin city anymore, but Tetsuya still knows how to put on a show to make you feel like royalty.

Must eat dish: Wagyu sirloin with king brown mushrooms and kale
Instagram: @tetsuyasydney