TURNING TO JAPANESE

SUMINATO 2B/48 King St, Sandy Bay Phone 0420 228 520. Licensed and BYO Open noon–3pm and 5–9.30pm, Tuesday– Sunday, and until 10pm Friday–Saturday H as anyone else noticed the tsunami of Japanese restaurants sweeping across Hobart? They seem to be popping up all over town.

There’s Kobe, on Harrington St, a cheap and cheerful eatery that does a very good ramen; Komatsu in a converted cottage near the Southern Outlet on Davey St, which falls into a similar category; and, of course, Bar Wa Izakaya, on Elizabeth St, the Japanese version of a gastropub offering delicious food with a fun and funky vibe.

And let’s not forget Kosaten, in historic sandstone surrounds on Castray Esplanade – an up-market sushi train affair that carries a particularly more-ish soba noodle salad. It’s about to open another station on Launceston’s Charles St restaurant strip.

Another new player is Osaka Izakaya in the former Mako fish shop on Elizabeth St. It suffered a few early hiccups – opening briefly, shutting and then reopening late last year – but it remains near the top of my must-do list.

Meanwhile, Suminato quietly appeared just before Christmas in a space that was formerly home to chain fashion store Witchery on King St, Sandy Bay.

Sandwiched between the Sandy Mart Asian grocer and Australia Post, it underwent a major refit and may well be the most intriguing thing to happen at the busy King St/Sandy Bay Rd intersection since someone pinched the enormous “O” from the Country Road sign.

Solid Tasmanian oak tables and timber detailing lighten Suminato’s otherwise dark interior, with five booths lining one wall and a separate screened dining area at the rear. A print of one of Japan’s most recognisable artworks, The Great Wave off Kanagawa by Ukiyo-e artist Hokusai, hangs on the charcoal grey wall right opposite our table, adding a splash of colour.

When we arrive early on a Wednesday evening, Suminato is already buzzing. A blackclad waiter shows us to our booth, which easily fits our party of five. Still hungry despite inhaling a choc top during a late arvo screening of Swinging Safari at The State, I quickly order a few dishes from the tapas section of the menu: edamame (salted soy beans served warm in their pods), followed by pork gyoza.

Next comes the nasu (eggplant) and agedashi tofu in a soy and mushroom broth. As the final square of lightly fried tofu disappears, I share spoonfuls of the salty broth with my friend across the table because it’s simply too good to waste.

Undeterred by my other half’s disdain for all things aubergine, I also order the nasu dengaku – deep-fried eggplant topped with sweet white miso and sesame seeds. He avoids what he calls “the slimy vegetable”, content to crunch on renkon (lotus root) crisps dipped in a tangy mayo.

For the final wave we order a few larger dishes, also to share. The pick is the grilled beef steak, served blushing pink with baby carrots, cocktail onion and radish. But it appears to be lacking the promised potatoes, bar one small cube of starchy goodness.

We clash chopsticks over buta shogayaki, or finely sliced pork belly in soy and ginger sauce, and finish with some tempura prawns, which materialise only after a reminder.

I end the outing with black sesame panna cotta. Livened up with orange segments, an apple fan and edible petals, it tastes much better than its rather grey appearance on the plate would suggest.

A nearby table of women is heading for the door just as we ask for the bill. I note, to my amusement, that four out of five are wearing puffer jackets. Just a few days earlier I was battling sunburn. I also notice the said bill is printed on a register roll bearing the Witchery logo on the flip side. Sayonara frock shop. I much prefer the latest incarnation.