Izakaya Masuya

In a heritage-listed basement under bustling O’Connell Street in the CBD, Masuya is the kind of seafood sanctuary you’d find in Tokyo’s Ginza district. Brilliant ingredients, supplied by rockstar Japanese fishmonger Narito Ishii of Wellstone Seafood, are treated with utmost respect by sushi chef Toshi Oi, whose knack for unusual seafood is a treat. Call early to get seats at the sushi counter, and ask chef Toshi for his omakase, the chef’s selections. You might get tuna eye or fermented squid guts between cracking nigiri, in which you can taste each grain of rice. If you buy Toshi a beer—Asahi Super Dry is on tap—you’ll have a friend for life.