Izakaya Den, Melbourne

(degusted 11th June 2011)

“Seek and you shall find”. 

“Good things come to those who wait”. 

“Izakaya Den is my new favourite Japanese restaurant”..

These might be three commonly uttered phrases for people trying Izakaya Den for the first time.

Before the first attempt to eat here, we read that it was difficult to find – like every good eatery, café or nightspot in Melbourne. How hard could it be? On Russell street, it’s not as obscure as some others in dimly lit, poorly sign-posted laneways that Melbourne is renowned for… but that didn’t stop us getting completely stumped. 

Street view from Google - Izakaya Den is
in through the door with the black ">"

Seek and You Shall Find.  In the basement of the building on the corner of Russell and Little Collins, across the road from Jimmy’s Brewhouse, Izakaya Den has virtually no street presence, and even less when you arrive late on Sunday night, when they are well and truly closed…  Grrr…  So we went back the next Saturday night at around 8PM, and joined the queue of knowing punters who were more than happy to wait their turn. 

Good things come to those who wait. While I’m trying not to spoil the plot early, it is worth saying that the age-old adage is correct, or perhaps a little of an understatement, for it was not just good things, but - in the case of Izakaya Den - awesome things that came to those who waited. Waiting with a number of others in the heated entrance hall downstairs from the street level, it felt like we were waiting to get into a trendy club rather than a restaurant.. Drinks were served to those in line – making the wait so much more bearable. Twenty minutes later we were in, reviewing the menu, then 10 minutes later we were seated at the very long bar which – depending on where you sit – overlooks either the bar or the kitchen staff working swiftly and efficiently (the view of food preparation serves as great inspiration if you’re not sure what you feel like).

Seated at the bar..

Allow me to preface my description of the food by saying that it had been exactly 12 months since I was in Japan and fell in love with the flavours, the food and the people. So it was with much joy that I re-discovered a local eatery that took me back to that time and place… I recall posting an FB update in between courses which read along the lines of “Reminiscing at Izakaya Den… Ahhh Japan, I’ve missed you”.

I will let the pictures do the talking, but my favourites were the Tuna Tataki, the steamed fish with miso mustard, Duck and leek “kushi Yaki”, and to finish the deserts of black sesame brulee with dehydrated orange, and the Tofu mousse.

I expected more heat from the grilled "chilli" peppers, which were in fact quite sweet but beautifully balanced by the charredness, the bonito flakes and saltiness of the soy. The Wagyu was okay, nothing spectacular, but in no way disappointing – same for the sweet corn kaki-age which was perfectly done and apparently something for which Izakaya Den receives numerous glowing reviews, but it’s not something I would sing and dance about. You should try all these items because they are great, but in comparison to the other menu items, there are much better things to try, in my opinion.. Take for example the steamed fish and the exquisite mustard and miso sauce; pure perfection, especially when enjoyed with the subtle flavours of the special black fried rice. The tuna tataki was a delight and rivalled a similar dish that we’ve had at Nobu – proving that simple is beautiful.  On simplicity, the Miso soup with clams sounds underwhelming but perhaps that is the secret – no pretentions, it was just delicious – so much so that I didn’t even manage to get a snap of this dish until it was all but too late…

Too late to get a picture of the miso soup with clams before it was degusted...

Watching the chefs do their thing over on the char grill was mouth-watering, and it is always nice to watch the raw turn into the cooked, and then be promptly presented to you. Such was the case with the Duck and Leek kushi yaki; that perfect blend of char grill on the outside but moist and tender all the way through. I would love to be able to find a recipe for this (and try to do it justice) on the trusty old BBQ at home.

Duck and leek skewers

Admittedly we did this degusting in two waves- the first set of dishes our choice (we thought we did well choosing), and the second round was at the recommendation of the waiter. The waiter was spot-on with his suggestions, with not one being a dud… but then, I’m guessing you’d be safe with anything you ordered from this menu (which apparently does change from time to time).

Tofu mousse, Black sesame brulee. Winners for simplicity,
flavour balance and end-of dinner satisfaction!

Izakaya Den is my new favourite place. Sure is. That’s what I said at the end of the savoury courses, so impressed was I. And then the desserts were delivered to us in the delicate but efficient Japanese style, and took everything up to a new level. Who knew that black sesame + brulee = a new type of nirvana, or that tofu + Yuzu (citrus) + brown sugar = the best use for tofu that you may never have known about before, but wished you always did. Vegans are probably scoffing at me right now, but for someone who is primarily an obligate carnivore, a tofu mousse dessert is radically cool. The best way I can describe it is to say that it’s like a soft cheesecake without the base. Mildly sweet, it was an absolutely delicious way to end the meal, and this Tofu mousse, Yuzu and brown sugar must be on your ‘to try’ list!

Rating:  Must go back!

Meh                      It’ll Do                   Nom(x3)                              Must go back!

Done and Degusted @ Izakaya Den…

Grilled Chilli Peppers with bonito and soy

Sweet corn ‘kaki-age’

Miso soup with Clams
Pork Belly Char Siu

Spicy Tuna Tataki

Wagyu Tataki

Special fried black rice
Steamed ocean trout fillet with miso mustard

Duck and leek “kushi Yaki”

Black sesame Brulee with dehydrated orange

Tofu Mousse, Yuzu and brown sugar

Grilled Chilli Peppers with bonito and soy. A great bunch of balanced flavours, but I expected something a bit hotter
(more chilli).

Sweet corn ‘kaki-age’. Crunchy, sweet, a little chewy.
Excellently done, but not my all-time favourite..

Pork Belly Char Siu. So tender, slippery, tasty.

Spicy Tuna Tataki (awesome) and Wagyu Tataki.

Special fried black rice - delicious, mild flavours.

Steamed ocean trout fillet with miso mustard. The Hero of the night....

PS:

I washed all this fine food down with a Hitachino (white ale).  At $25 a bottle, you might think it’s a bit steep, but the flavours were spot-on, it reinforced my trip down memory lane to Japan, and for a long-neck it is competitive with some of the imported stubbies and wines. Who orders a long-neck these days?? Well I do, and it was perfectly acceptable in this place – mainly because of the cute logo.

Hitachino long neck proved to be a great accompaniment.