Tetsuya's, Sydney

Tetsuya's, a Japanese teahouse located in the heart of Sydney's CBD.

Herald rating.. * * * * *

Tetsuya's is not the sort of joint where you rock on up in the Commodore, check if they've got a table for two and ask the waitress for a steak, well-done, with chips.

Tetsuya's is the sort of joint where you rock on up in the Mercedes, wait for the gate to slide open, allow the nice man to take the keys and give them to the other nice man to park the car, and try to pretend you do this every Saturday night as you are escorted to the dining room. Eyes pop at the concept of a Japanese teahouse and garden and waterfall and art serenely secreted among Sydney's skyscrapers. Are those Picassi in the loo?

This is No 4 among the 50 Best Restaurants in the World, according to London's Restaurant magazine. That's No 4 as in Hester Blumenthal's Fat Duck No 1, Ferran Adria's El Bulli No 2, Thomas Keller's French Laundry No 3. Gordon something-or-other comes in at No 5 and that Ducasse geezer, for all his 14 Michelin stars, at No 12.

IT IS also something of a fairy story. Tetsuya Wakuda grew up in the Japanese town of Hamamatsu. At 22, speaking little English but liking what he'd read about Australia (lots of koalas and kangaroos) he bought a ticket to the Lucky Country. (Lucky, indeed. They got him.)

He arrived with one small suitcase in 1982 and hooked a job as a kitchen hand. A year later he met Aussie chef Tony Bilson (at the next table for this lunch), who was looking for someone to make sushi at Kinsela's, his ground-breaking restaurant in an old funeral parlour.

Bilson taught him French classical technique, which "Tets" married to his Japanese sensibility for natural seasonal flavours, attention to detail and presentation.

Charlie Trotter, the American chef, puts it neatly: "His culinary philosophy centres on pure, clean flavours that are decisive, yet completely refined. His amazing technique, Asian heritage, sincere humility, worldwide travels and insatiable curiosity combine to create incredible, soulful dishes that exude passion in every bite."

AS THE waterfall trickles down four storeys through the black oaks and maples to the riverstone pool, the waiters present the first course. You do not order from a menu.

Five nights a week, for guests who book three months in advance, the famously laidback chef offers a degustation of 10 courses, varying by season or whim. For this reception honouring the Michelin Guide director from Paris, he was asked to serve a six-course lunch. He could not help himself. He served 13 courses over three hours.

And what do Tets' guests get for A$180 ($192 including GST) a head? As Mum used to say to the five McDonald kids on tripe night, "You'll eat what's put in front of you - and like it." Ten or 13 courses sounds daunting; most are no more than two or three mouthfuls. Opposite me, the magazine editor gave up at No 8 but she did have a dress fitting that afternoon.

Courses build upon one another. It's not a meal, it's a symphony. The overture is a martini glass of cold corn soup with basil ice cream, seguing into the opening melody: six successive seafood dishes (tuna tartare, marinated tuna with goat curd, a confit of ocean trout, cuttlefish bottargo, before crab ravioli).

The conductor tunes up his carnivore theme (a nibble of quail breast, a morsel of pork belly, a bite of wagyu beef). Each dish has the most minute accompaniment - a smear of tomato and basil vinaigrette, a slice of onion and parsley, a scant teaspoon of mushrooms cut with lime jus.

Desserts are a grand finale. A shock of beetroot and blood orange, a sorbet in a champagne flute. A signature dish, carried across the bridge from his earlier shopfront, blue cheese icecream with sticky rice and dates. To finish, a nod to his guest with the classic floating island.

For this lunch, Tetsuya matched the food with French vintages. You can make your own selection from a great cellar. It is not recommended.

WHICH sums up Tetsuya's. Do not try to make decisions. Put yourself in the hands, pans, ladles, whisks, knives and mind of a master. Lie back and think of ... um, Australia.

* Ewan McDonald travelled to Sydney with assistance from Vittoria Coffee.

Address: 529 Kent St, Sydney
Phone: +61 2 9267 2900
Chef/owner: Tetsuya Wakuda
Open: Dinner Tues-Sat, lunch Sat only.
Bookings: Essential
Cuisine: Unique
Wine: Remarkable
Bottom line: Unique. Remarkable. Essential. 'Nuff said.