(degusted 27/8/2011)
Rating: Nom(x3)
It was only a couple of months ago that we went to IzakayaDen, in Melbourne's CBD, and there we found a haven for Japanese tapas that did three things for us – (i) reinforced the fact that we love living in a diverse foodie's paradise such as Melbourne; (ii) gave us beautiful memories of our all to short time visiting Japan, and (iii) left us up on cloud nine for quite some days afterwards. We were pleased and intrigued therefore when we heard Kumo Izakaya – a Japanese "tapas" style sake bar - was opening its doors out in East Brunswick, and we had been looking for a good excuse to try it out.
That excuse came in the way of a city excursion (and we encourage you all to try it) – starting somewhere for breakfast (in our case, Demitri's Feast), taking in random and as yet unexplored parts of your home city all day long (who knew the "Docklands shopping precint" was a real thing!?), and randomly end up somewhere for dinner.
Deguster N was unaware that Kumo Izakaya had been Deguster S's target all day long...
At first impressions, Kumo's facade is a stand-out for a couple of reasons. First it is a large, somewhat imposing modernist 'cube' that juts out and is certainly unique in this Lygon streetscape (NB: it's NOT in the Carlton end of Lygon st), and the other is that the hard and sharp lines of this cube contrast to the soft and lofty impression that a "cloud" (kumo) would normally be thought to have. Push through the oversized door and you're welcomed by the friendly staff and enter the large wareshouse-esque space. Despite the size of the space, some nice 'cozy' nooks can be found – get a booth along the south wall, sit along the moody bar on the north side, or get upstairs to float above it all. Whatever you do, you'll soon be on your own little cloud of food ecstasy (or woozy from all the sake – whatever is your preference)....
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| Hitachino Nest - red rice beer. |
Sitting at the bar we enjoyed being able to watch the bar staff do their thing with cocktails, sakes and beers – and gave us the opportunity to share a few words and recommendations for dishes with neighbouring couples. This is the kind of atmosphere that works for us – a quasi-communal experience, sharing small plates and a nice drop or three. On the subject of “nice drops” the Hitachino red rice beer was one such drop.
Food. That’s what we’re here for, right?
Nothing much needs to be said about each of the dishes, other than they were all delightful. The pairing of some ingredients was a bit more ‘modern’ than other Japanese restaurants, and this is a good thing.
No complaints about the Tuna yukke with quail egg – this was great, and an edible ‘bowl’! The Snapper sashimi cevice was a light and tasty dish that we both loved - if only the wooden spoon used for disciplining by parents was this small... The wagyu tataki is a delicious indulgence, and very good.
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| Tuna yukke with quail egg |
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| Snapper sashimi cevice |
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| Wagyu tataki |
In true ‘media watch’ style, the more times you say it, the more notice people take – so therefore: The pork belly pie was awesome. The pork belly pie was awesome. The pork belly pie was awesome. Two things “Deguster S” likes disproportionately to all others (and in defiance to health professionals’ warnings) is a good pork belly, and a nice pastry. Combining the two into the pork belly pie was a – “no-brainer, hands-down, let’s roll around in a bed full of money” - type of indulgent food lover’s moment. Please, please, please, Kumo Izakaya, do leave it on the menu. Did I mention the pork belly pie was awesome?
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| Pork belly pie. The food equivalent of rolling around in a bed full of money. |
The duck fillet dish was perhaps our least preferred out of those we tried. The meat was not over done, but had some tough skin and fat that was not rendered away – a bit chewy and not very elegant to eat. Apart from this chewyness, the flavours of the dish were good.
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| Seared & Steamed duck fillet with mustard-infused kumquat sauce |
The scallops were devine. Eating these we were counting the calories, wondering just how many of these one could scoff down and still be able to walk out without too much protest from the belt buckle… Yummo – definitely order these again.
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| Seared scallops w/ butter and soy. YUM |
The Shiso and cheese in pork loin tonkatsu was a surprise standout – not something we’d normally order, but now that we’ve had it, would definitely order it again.
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| Shiso and cheese in pork loin tonkatsu |
The grilled lamb cutlet was also a hit - the salted plum gave it a tangy hit that neither of us was expecting. The meat was just delightful, and should we ever manage to cook lamb at home to a similar standard, we would be very pleased with ourselves. Soft to bite through, perfectly cooked and flavour balance exceptional - that tartiness of the plum cut through the rich lamb meat.. Magnificent.
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| Grilled lamb cutlets with salted plum pepper and panko crumbs |
Consideration of the dessert menu always seems to bring up the whole “wants versus needs” arguments, and ultimately makes us think back to our study of Economics 101. Let us just say that in this micro-economy that is our stomachs, the demand for cheesecake is high, so as the supply increases to meet that demand, the consumers are happy. This was a mildly flavoured cheesecake – not very sweet – so that might just be the perfect excuse to order a second…
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| Japanese-style baked cheesecake with salted caramel sauce |
So what do we have here.. Compared to a previous blog post, a definite condender for the better Izakaya, and food that is a bit more sophisticated, in our opinion. This suits the style of the Kumo, an unashamedly upper-end sake bar (akin to a fancy wine bar), and although sake does not have to be "your thing" in order to enjoy a night at Kumo Izakaya, Kumo certainly caters to those for whom sake is their thing – and does it with aplomb.
A different izakaya, but we're back on cloud nine again.
We're planning our next visit - let us know if you'd like to join us!
Rating: Nom(x3)
Meh It’ll Do Nom(x3) Must go back!
Done and Degusted @ Kumo Izakaya
-Tuna yukke with onsen-poached quail egg
-Snapper sashimi cevice with ume-sake dressing
-Wagyu beef tataki with tosazu
-Braised kurobuta pork belly pie
-Seared & Steamed duck fillet with mustard-infused kumquat sauce
-Seared scallops with butter and soy
-Shiso & Cheese wrapped in kurobuta pork loin tonkatsu
-Grilled lamb cutlets with salted plum pepper and panko crumbs
-Japanese-style baked cheesecake with salted caramel sauce
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