Geisha Haus

Bar Bar Food Booze Cocktails Eat & Drink

Jackie McMillan
October 21, 2015

Handsome bartenders spent a lot of time at my table, muddling, freezing and whirling smoke through a range of bespoke Japanese-inspired cocktails, when I imbibed, early in the piece, with three food media pals. Frozen using liquid nitrogen, into a pretty pink slushy, Kawaii Kisses ($19) with watermelon, T2 Just Rose tea, Belvedere vodka and sake, could well become the taste of Sydney summer. Another tea-based concoction, Smoking Geisha ($20), featuring T2 Russian Caravan and mezcal tequila, was whirled in a cinnamon smoke-filled decanter (you guessed it) tableside. For faster drinks, the intriguing Kikusui Junmai Daiginjo Kirara-Kikusui Sake ($32/250ml) with notes of honeydew melon makes an affable companion to the dishes of Head Chef Rajendra Kumar Tamang. Chef’s resume includes time at Sokyo, and it shows in modern Japanese-influenced bites like Maguro Hana ($18/4 pieces), tuna ‘flowers’ glued onto tempura rice squares with spicy mayonnaise; and blackened Miso Cod ($24) served à la san choy bau. If you’re staying elegant with drinking snacks, Popcorn Prawns ($24) are tasty and easy to manage with chopsticks; though the Seared Salmon Roll ($22) will fill you up. Pro-tip: don’t breathe out while eating the Haus Cigar ($9) of tuna tartare resting over maltodextrin sesame ash unless you want to stroll through Kings Cross covered in suspicious white powder.