Head to Surry Hills

“I love Surry Hills” mentions Yuki Ishikawa, former muso and now owner-manager of Jazushi.

Yuki’s musical path was set from an early age, being born into a musical family, complete with a dad that played the banjo and guitar. His first steps into the world of music began at six years old, playing the piano.

He quickly fell in love with jazz after joining a local jazz club orchestra, where he played the saxophone. However, his saxophone playing days were numbered after being captivated by a drummer stealing the show. From that day Yuki became a drummer and toured venues around New South Wales with his band.

“Our band started with swing, then moved into jazz hip hop”. (cont. below) “Before working at Jazushi, I’d come here to listen to jazz, and simply loved this restaurant. I then started working here as a wait staff for two weeks, before becoming manager.” Five years later, Yuki bought the restaurant and continues to manage it today. If you’re lucky enough to catch him, you may even find him drumming out a few beats with the band.

The draw of Jazushi is obvious. Where else can you enjoy the unique combination of live lounge jazz, while tantalising your taste buds with caught-that-day sushi? And it’s not only sushi and sashimi traditionally prepared, there’s experimental Asian fusion cuisine to try. Such as, the grilled snapper and squid tempura with squid ink miso sauce.

This article originally appeared in Urban Village