Hibachi-grilled pork jowl with preserved plum.
1/3Hibachi-grilled pork jowl with preserved plum.Simon Schluter
The restaurant only seats four at a time.
2/3The restaurant only seats four at a time.Simon Schluter
All the snacks.
3/3All the snacks.Simon Schluter

14.5/20

Contemporary$$$$

Four seats,two hotplates,a hibachi grill,a deep fryer and a chef. That’s it. That’s the whole restaurant.

Concealed behind a velvet curtain at the back of a whisky bar,the room is no larger than a walk-in fridge. It’s bordered by emerald tiles,divided by a Tasmanian beech myrtle bar and bathed in refracted light from a geometric fixture above.

Joel Alderdice balances the roles of host and chef. He fires up the grill to toast shavings of cured pork cheek served under latticed daikon,and pours small-batch local wine to go with it.

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Sweet potato comes encased in brittle batter with grown-up chicken salt made from miso,kombu and shiitake. Koji caramel with shaved macadamia and pillowy cream is matched to a briny yuzushu,a fittingly unexpected pairing for a venue so delightfully niche.

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