Eating Japanese in Melbourne

Going out for a Japanese meal in Melbourne means first choosing which style of the 'Japanese experience' you wish to have; there's more on offer than just sushi, sashimi and tempura. Maybe you have in mind an elegant and sparsely aesthetic dining room with white shoji screens and hand-painted ceramic ware, that will serve a traditional menu of the freshest seasonal ingredients; brought to your table by discrete staff who are wearing either a kimono or an indigo-dyed haori; such as at Kenzan or Diamonji, both in the city; or at Aya, in Armadale.

Or do you want a slightly less formal atmosphere, where the chef offers his - (usually, 'the chef 'in Japan is male) own 'homestyle' dishes as daily specials; earthy, simple food that in Japan would usually be prepared only at home; like nimono dishes of soybeans and sweet potato; or aburage fried with sesame seeds and miso. Even pickles, which are such an integral part of a Japanese meal, have two cultures; the commercial taste; consistent and un-surprising; and the homemade style, which is more tart, subtle and fresh; prepared differently by each person, and often from secretly guarded recipes that have been passed down within each family. Toki, in Carlton, marries the feeling of Japanese high culture with a personal, careful menu. You can even discuss your meal with the chef beforehand if you wish. Hanabishi, in the city, also offers some more unusual dishes, although you might need to ask for a translation of the specials menu as it's not written in English. Some smaller restaurants, such as Kaga in Elsternwick, Oji in Camberwell, and Ocha in Kew, also have their own particular ambience and style of food; you might need to book because of their popularity with 'those in the know'.

Kuni's, in the city, has another style, that is perhaps akin to the Italian 'trattoria'. It is light and clean, with pale wooden furniture and a relaxed but harmonious atmosphere. The menu is simpler, reflecting some of the 'Zen' aspects of Japanese style. At Demorli, in North Melbourne, you can even sit on the floor in a tatami room if you wish.

But Japanese restaurants aren't always purist, nor traditional. Some establishments cater to a discerning clientele who are generally young, varied in their tastes, and often noisy. Izakaya Chuji, in the city, is an example of this 'pub' style. The menu has a strong Korean influence and the customers are mostly hip, young and Asian. Kanpai, in South Yarra; Akita, in North Melbourne; and Akari 177 in Fitzroy all reflect this more casual approach, and Momotaro Rahmen, a tiny noodle cafe in Richmond, goes even further, into the 'hippy' style. If you want more sophistication and refinement there is Kuni Ichikawa's new-wave restaurant in Toorak; Japonica; which uses the best local ingredients and ideas, instead of endless variations of imported, specialised, packaged ingredients from Japan.

So Japanese cuisine is growing and changing as it adapts itself to our Australian environment. This kind of fusion' can sometimes be 'con-fusing'. In Albert Park, at Misuzu's, you might wonder if you're in a Japanese cafe that just happens to serve good strong espresso and 'Tiramizu cake', or in Italian cafe with a slightly wacky Japanese chef in the kitchen! But for the adventure, go further and try the fresh sushi for sale opposite the hot bratwurst shops in the Queen Victoria Market, or head for Wild Rice in St Kilda, a tiny organic vegetarian restaurant that offers many Japanese-inspired dishes. Or be really radical and buy take-away bento boxes and go down to your favourite city beach with a bottle of wine, a friend, and a rug. Feed the seagulls grains of rice, and watch the sun set over Port Phillip Bay.

Don't forget to recycle your chopsticks.

Glossary

shoji: Screens/sliding wall panels made from thick rice paper spread across a frame of light wood. Shoji refers both to the type of screen and also to the paper, which is handmade to a traditional method, and is strong but slightly translucent, thus allowing the light to pass through.

haori: A short kimono-style coat worn by workers, or as an overcoat to protect one's more elaborate kimono, and usually decorated with a deep blue and white dyed design.

nimono: A style of cooking that involves long slow simmering with little additional flavourings other than the main ingredients themselves, thus expressing a deep simple essence of taste.

aburage: Fresh tofu that has been deep-fried twice, similar to the cubes of fried tofu available here, but in Japan it is made in larger, flatter pieces, that when opened are effectively pouches, such as would be used to hold rice in inari-zushi.

bento: Boxes, traditionally made of wood covered with a thick lacquer called urushi, and used to hold prepared meals of rice and other foods. I can also refer to any box that contains food, even a child's school lunch box, and also the kind of meal that is eaten take-away style, from a box. Preparing bento is a matter of popular fashion and style, as the aesthetic appearance of the box and the food it contains is just as important, if not more so, than the actual taste! In some restaurants the idea of bento is a little confused however with that of tei-shoku, which is a set meal, including rice, miso soup and pickles, and served all together on a tray.

Caris McDonald

© Caris McDonald 1999