Jackie M.
Google
Darkened under moonlike stretched canvas lights, Âpé Chilean Nikkei Restaurant is an eating theatre. Guests are arranged down a restaurant-length banquette. Those on the comfy side get a view into the glass box kitchen where chefs minister to yakitori skewers. The wagyu rib fingers ($9.50/each) painted with tare (soy sauce, sake and mirin) are Binnie Beef from Mirannie. They’re good, but not as good as the wagyu picanha ($10/each) where the cap of the rump is skewered with eggplant and roasted over charcoal before being dusted with crisp kale.
The restaurant, which is part of Newcastle’s waterfront eating strip, Honeysuckle Drive, also has outdoor seating. With the weather on the turn, we cozied up inside with a bottle of the Shichida junmai ginjo ($129/720ml). This sake is soft and ricey with a whisker of white peach sweetness and faint acetone intrigue. While it felt like a big spend on booze, the markup was reasonable, and I enjoyed every cup.
Your first Sydney rock oyster ($36/6) might come as a surprise here. Served warm from the charcoal grill, they’re soaked in chicken skin oil spiked with salsa criolla and smoked chilli garlic confit. It plays to the meaty character of the oyster rather than brine. Receiving three rice crackers for two diners sharing the beef crudo ($26) is a hill my dining companion is willing to die on. Why not four? While the kitchen did send out an additional wafer, it could have been done without a Dutton-esque alternative truth that most eat the dish solo, especially as the crudo was listed under “Share”. Abrolhos octopus ($36), plucked from the same section, is made substantial with a thick puddle of daikon potato cream. Charred seasonal beans ($12) and a gluggy king mushroom garlic rice ($22) helped make our selections a filling and balanced meal.
