This pint-sized, chef-run venue isn’t quite a portal to Shibuya, but as you push aside ochre-hued noren curtains and slide back the glass door, you certainly leave the Gold Coast behind. Interiors are distinctive, with dark walls, blond timbers and bent cane; tables capped with freeform bluestone slabs. A daily changing menu showcases an equally winning blend of Australian and Japanese sensibility, with local bounty centreplate. Silken chawanmushi might arrive topped with salmon pearls, sweetcorn and briny swimmer crab. Lightly torched strips of Watson’s leaping bonito also shine paired with a citrus-forward house ponzu, smoky yuzu kosho and crimson rosella petals. Crisp school prawns crown a claypot of rice and mushrooms, zingy with sansho seasoning. The hits continue to dessert: yuzu-coconut ice-cream and pineapple cake providing an elegant finish. Bustling staff are clued-up about everything, from the sake and small-scale wines through to ingredient provenance. Tiny yet mighty.
This review was written independently for the Gourmet Traveller Restaurant Guide. The guide’s reviewers visit unannounced and pay their way. To learn more about the process, head over here.
