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Thursday May 17, 2012

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Ichi Ni Izakaya

Posted by: Ela Carte | 18 October, 2010 - 2:32 PM

Ichi Ni Izakaya - 12 The Esplanade St Kilda, 9534 1212 www.ichini.com.au

SMELLS LIKE SUMMER!

Over the last few weeks, we’ve had our first hints of summer, some warm afternoons and long evenings, which got me thinking where you head to when the weather finally turns. For me, whether it’s for self-indulgence, or to show off Melbourne, I’m off to Ichi Ni Izakaya, next to St Kilda’s iconic Espy Hotel.

RELATED AUDIO:

Ela Carte reviews Ichi Ni Izakaya on 3AW Breakfast

It really has been the year of the Izakaya (Izakaya Den, En Izakaya, Maedaya), those Japanese pubs that seem to be popping up all over Melbourne, and while this one might be outshone by at least one other in the gastronomic stakes, it really can’t be beaten for location. If it’s warm enough, there’s no beating a table out the front, looking beyond passing trams, straight over the Royal Melbourne Yacht Squadron to Port Phillip Bay.

This is casual dining, and on this sunny Sunday there was no question that I was going to order a beer to go with my tapas-style Japanese dishes. Service is friendly, and knowledgeable and understandably international given the huge backpacker population in St Kilda.

I don’t do it that often, so I’m usually a bit embarrassed at those establishments where I order ‘the same thing every time’. This is one of them. I’m happy to mix up a few dishes, but when I head to Ichi Ni, I order gyoza ($12) and Ebi Mayo ($10) - deep fried tiger prawns in Japanese mayo with a hint of wasabi. The gyozas are just as they should be, light, fresh dumplings with minced pork and a slightly sweet ponzu soy sauce.

On this occasion we matched that with Crumbed Pork belly with Japanese BBQ sauce and mayo (Hitokuchi Katsu $12); I keep trying, but I’m just not that big a fan of crumbed anything. Still as far as crumbed anything goes, this goes alright!

Similarly, wouldn’t usually order a maki sushi roll when out, but the Ichi Ni roll was a risk that paid off, this was divine. Big pieces of lobster-filled maki, avocado, cucumber, flamed salmon on the outside and a touch of Japanese mayo … these were strangely sweet.

The obligatory Sashimi plate as it should be – fresh, raw slices of tuna belly, kingfish, and salmon.

The big surprise, and a reminder of why you really must ask the people who know what you should try, was the yakitori. Looking at the descriptions of the skewers on offer, the one that I would have been least likely to choose was the very one our waitress recommended – the Saborro Toppogi. Out came two sticks separed through gorgeous, sticky little gnocchi-like rice patties, topped with a mound of teriyaki drenched-chicken mince, just glorious!

- If it’s chilly or windy, the kitschy interior is still a great option to sit and eat, and by the window you still get that fabulous view, while the booths up back are great for group dining. You can also sit on benches around the kitchen and get that ever-impressive view of Japanese chefs at work.

The Same old issue of price comes up when you’re eating a range of smaller share dishes, depending on how hungry you are it can really add up, but I’ve often been able to get lunch and a beer for $60 for two people.
Plenty of local and international beers available (including Asahi on tap, and 9 other Japanese beers), Sake, and wines starting at $8 a glass.

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