Kanzo Fresh Sushi is a small Japanese restaurant with space only for about 15 customers, but even in the middle of the week, it’s never empty. It’s run by Korean people but you wouldn’t be able to tell from the food or decor – only the staff speaking to each other gave it away.
2015
D and I share the Salmon Lover Party Platter ($49.00). (Yes, two’s a party.) There’s salmon sushi of every kind: nigiri (fresh and seared), hoso maki, futo maki, chu maki.
The salmon was deliciously fresh and generous in every sushi. The rice was vinegared just right (usually this is where Korean run sushi places fall short). The avocado was very creamy as well – and while I would’ve preferred the freshness of cucumber, the avocado would’ve been just right if D and I were eating smaller portions (i.e. not half the platter).
On the back of such a promising first visit, we returned a short time later. I have to preface this visit by saying that I really had no appetite when we ate this (a ridiculously thick thickshake on an empty stomach does that to you).
Not being ravenously hungry this time, I go for the Sashimi Bento ($16.00), which came with rice and miso soup. The undressed sashimi was fresh with good bite. I was surprised and disappointed, though, at the thinness of the tuna sashimi and the dressing drowning five pieces of sashimi. I do not enjoy dressing at all! The rice was also dry and would’ve complemented the sashimi better had it been vinegared, like sushi rice.
Even with my lack of appetite, though, D’s takoyaki was very tasty! While not piping hot like our favourite takoyaki, its innards had a good semi-mushy texture that’s very much unlike the plastic-texture of fish balls. The flavour was spot on and the octopus inside was tasty.
Kanzo Fresh Sushi is a promising spot for Japanese food in Western Sydney. Next time, I’ll stick to sushi and sashimi, and avoid bowls of rice and salads.
2017
With Japanese food being our favourite cuisine, it’s fantastic having a place like Kanzo Fresh Sushi conveniently located. It’s run by Koreans, but you won’t see any fusion happening here, and the prices are reasonable for tasty food. They recently renovated, with the original store serving mostly take away.
We start by revisiting the Salmon Lover Platter ($49.00) with 12 pieces of nigiri, 8 pieces of sashimi, 8 large rolls and 12 baby rolls.
The salmon is fresh and generously sliced. While the rice could’ve used more vinegar, we particularly enjoyed the variation in the rolls using avocado and cucumber. I’m not sure why there are wedges of lemon.
For some variety, we also try the Family Assorted Sushi ($49.00) with 29 pieces of nigiri and 8 mini rolls.
The tuna is so fresh that there’s none of that meaty flavour I usually expect, while the seaweed and ikura added great textural and flavour variations. D particularly enjoyed the seared salmon with its characteristic smoky flavour, while N was pleasantly surprised by the cooked tuna, even if it was a bit oily.
Kanzo Fresh Sushi is located at 6/55-67 George St, Parramatta NSW 2150.