Review: Fine dining at Melbourne izakaya Ototo
| Address | 349-351 Flinders Ln View map | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Opening hours | Tue-Sunday Dinner | ||
| Feature | Accept reservations, Bars, Licensed, Events | ||
| Price | Medium ($20-$40 electricity) | ||
| Payment | eftpos, Visa, Mastercard | ||
| Phone | 03 9620 1343 | ||
Before we ordered drinks or looked at the menu or even sat down, we had been told our time was limited. “You have an hour and a half,” said the hostess in a tone between apologies and accusations. It’s not the most welcoming way to greet people, but I’m not sure that welcome is a top priority at Ototo, a new, mixed-use izakaya in the basement of Flinders Lane.
Ototo is an extension of Akaiito, a more formal Japanese restaurant that occupies the ground floor.
Continue down to find this sleek dark room with rows of semicircular cubicles, the ceiling of which is decorated with lighting installations like wavy red ribbons.
Main course: Sashimi plate. Photo: Bonnie Savage
As a former hostess, I understand the anxiety around turning the tables, especially on busy weekend nights. Managing such a task is an underrated art form. Even more difficult to understand is the urge to transfer this anxiety to the customer, especially if you are then going to leave that customer without a menu for 20 minutes.
No need to worry. Meanwhile, there will be cocktails – one of them is burnt, the other lists shrimp as an ingredient. The fiery one, Daimyo’s Revenge ($32), “flavor”, quotes Ralph Wiggum from Simpsons, “like on fire”. Hotto Ototo ($25), does have a dry shrimp mix, while its mysterious liquid component is decidedly savory, but with a cloying undertone that reminds me of almond extract.
Once we managed to order our food, the plates started to arrive quickly: the sashimi plate ($28) with a satisfying fresh fish, including sweet and tender tuna, salmon, kingfish and raw prawns; Korean steak tartare ($24) served with prawn crackers, the flesh is savory with the sweetness of diced small pears.
Korean style steak tartare with prawn crackers. Photo: Bonnie Savage
Fusion, in the sense of the word bad old days, is most evident here with something that seems to be inspired by noodles and and – if the dish lost its entire identity at the drug binge in Italy. The only noodles involved are made from cucumbers which, smothered in peanut butter and Sichuan spices, surround an entire burrata ball ($23).
Does this creamy, milky, peanut butter amalgam taste good? Of course. But also, why? The smartest fusion plays out ideas that make sense, culturally or otherwise. You substitute one material for another that is similar; You see the dish through the lens of tradition not his. I’m not sure this qualifies, though maybe I’m missing something.
There is no doubt that the people in the kitchen, led by executive chef Winston Zhang, can cook. This is most evident when serving the black angus short rib ($42), which is large in portion size, very tender, and comes with a small ramekin of kimchi, some pickles, and exactly four lettuce leaves for wrapping. Unfortunately, this is barely enough to cut through the richness and give a fresh foil to the fatty meat platter. Why skimp on lettuce, of all things? I sense a talented kitchen thwarted by something. His own penchant for new things? Misguided directives from someone in charge?
Black angus short ribs. Photo: Bonnie Savage
As the server cleared our plates, I asked for the check, realizing the hour was drawing near where I would turn into a pumpkin. He said “Of course”, before disappearing for a quarter of an hour. When he came back he got a message – but not my bill. “I don’t mean to be rude,” he said, “but you have to leave in five minutes.” No problem. If only you would allow me to pay.
Melbourne is full of new Japanese offerings, and the marketing language used to promote them makes it difficult to decide which ones are worth your time and hard-earned money. They are all lean, they all serve “Asian inspired small plates”, they all want to wow you with their creative cocktails and various raw fish preparations. It is because of this superficial similarity that the details become more important.
The details at Ototo are impressive at times – great raw prawns, tender ribs – but more than anything, I will remember how strange the drink was, how focused the staff were when I left, and how unsupportive they were. ensure that much-talked-about departures occur on time.
The rooms are cool, the food is great, the atmosphere is exactly what you want from a sexy basement bar. But things need to be fixed before I spend another hour and a half on this particular experience.
Atmosphere: Dark, sexy, clubby
Main dish: Sashimi plate
Drink: Good sake list, very ambitious cocktails that fail sometimes, small wine selection?
Cost: Around $150 for two, not including drinks
This review was originally published in Good Weekend magazine
https://www.ototo.com.au/
#Review #Fine #dining #Melbourne #izakaya #Ototo
Comments
Post a Comment