I like to keep my issues drawn; it's always darkest before the dawn.

“..and pretty much zip [Project Management] experience? Yep, I would have probably put you on a half to one million dollar project to start off with.” (as opposed to the current five million plus project?)

Dining at Azuma's in Chifley Tower is always fantastic. The service is consistently great with their attention to detail which marries well with the same high standard of food each time. This event was no different. Upon arrival, we were offered water and a glass of white or red to be paired with a couple of starter courses to stave off any sugar overloads in launching straight into a sugar hit. The first course was skewered grilled duck breast and chicken meatballs. They went down well.

Attention to detail and consideration for the customer is paramount in coming to an establishment such as Azuma's. The next course was inside out tempura roll and seared salmon sushi paired with a Brown Brothers Cienna Russo. It was approaching dessert wine territory but is light enough to be enjoyed much earlier on it's own as it isn't as syrupy. These starters were delicious in flavours, freshness and textures and it was quickly starting to fill us up like a full dinner.

Now for the main event, the East meets West – Dessert Bento box:

Kawaii Panna Cotta, Home made Yuzu Sorbet, Marble Gateux Cookies, Gateux Chocolate and a sake sample of Plum, Yuzu Nigori or Nigori Sake (if you go to the Sugar Hit, you'll have to pick one of the three). I won't spoil the flavours for you but it's pretty decadent. General consensus on the table loved the pannacotta and my favourite was the yuzu sorbet.

At the event, it was announced that the locations at Regent Place would be closing whilst renegotiation on new leases was in progress. No news yet on what would be opening next and where, only that it'd be dependent on the size of the kitchen. It seems concerning yet another restaurant is closing but to date I have truly enjoyed the Azuma brand and eagerly await their next venture.

“..you know, even though it was hard, one of the great things in that session was the level of support everyone was offering – what can they do to help to get [the project] back on track?”

Standing at the edge of a bridge, will you fall or take a leap?

I have to confess the irony of the day certainly was not lost on me to support Diabetes on the day – attempting to fund raise at work for Diabetes Australia with a cake sale followed by a sugar-hit alongside a steady stream of alcohol, the things one must do!