Atsu

Level 1/15-17 Lincoln Square S, Carlton

Press PLAY to hear Kara Monssen’s full review

Carlton’s Atsu has perfected panko, and leaves no crumbs.

It may sound like a gimmick, or you’ll be in need of a paper towel pat down after lunch, but the owners of this Japanese restaurant are celebrating popular dishes with grace and good taste.

By day, Atsu is all about donburi: a popular Japanese rice bowl topped with katsu; which is panko-crumbed and fried proteins.

By night, chef Jin Oon (ex-Kisume) leans into kushikatsu which is essentially fried things on sticks. Visiting after the sun goes down allows you to tap into both menus.

Best you start with a few sticks, which cost between $6 to $12 each. The salmon belly nigiri ($12) artfully fries a cube of sushi rice and drapes a rare sheet of salmon belly over top.

The belly is by far the fattiest and tender part of the fish, with the two-biter perfectly balanced out by a pop of chunky wasabi.

The wagyu leek ($12) looks better on paper than it eats in practice. The two-biter skewer was chewy thanks to an unfortunately placed sinew, though the flavour was on point and onion jam delicious. Thankfully the scallop ($8.5) was redeeming with the surprise pop of mascarpone bringing the sweet to the salty in the most glorious of ways.

For the main, I tried the chicken katsu doburni ($25.50); served on a bed of sushi rice, a cafe-perfect scrambled egg patty, a dark and powerful hatcho miso sauce.

The meat was juicy and supple within, carpeted in an evenly fried golden crumb with an off the richter crunch. The katsu was perfectly salted too.

On drinks, highballs are the game here: think tall glass, fizz and booze. They have unique flavours, including the signature lemon and a riff on the martini with fat, briny olives.

You can also get Asahi on tap, sake and basic wines.

As for the space, it’s a cosy 32-seater that lives in the former Leonie Upstairs bar. The room is modern and minimalist, the atmosphere vibey depending on when you dine, with vinyl rnb keeping spirits high. If you want to try Japanese food without the eye-watering price tag, Atsu could be your golden-crumbed, great-value gateway.

Images: Supplied