It’s an odd place to find a restaurant. Situated right at the start of the Southern Outlet it’s easily missed but the locals assured me it was fantastic so a visit or two were in order.
An old weatherboard house is adorned with paper lanterns and hand written signage promising cheap takeaways. It’s not a good start. Inside though is a lot more welcoming with polished wooden floors and a clean, contemporary dining area. There’s free parking around the back.
The menu arrives with a thud. It’s an epic volume containing pages of sushi, donburi, salads, sashimi, starters, mains, bento, noodles, desserts and more. On top of this is another folder detailing all the lunch specials and also a separate drinks menu as well. There’s a lot to navigate through and with a menu this large there are always going to be dishes that work better than others.
Age-Dashi Tofu is an exquisite start. The dashi stock and bonito flakes both adding some great flavour to the silky bean curd.
The Gyoza was also fantastic and I’d rate as some of the best dumplings in Hobart. Contrast between the sides was spot on and the pork filling was well seasoned and textured. It’s surprising with dumplings this good that they only have the one type on offer.
A tofu salad was less successful. Missing the advertised avocado (odd when there’s a fruit and vegetable market next door) it was mostly made up of mesclun salad mix. The creamy dressing was wonderful though.
There’s a number of different sashimi combinations on offer but all feature only tuna or salmon. It’s well priced and fresh, though the reliance on mesclun and parsley as garnish becomes increasingly out of place.
There is also, of course, a number of bento on offer. Nice enough but not up to the standard found at Kawasemi or Midori and lacking in value compared to their other dishes I thought.
Beef Yakiniku started well with some tender meat but the sweet sauce became a bit too much by the end of the dish. I enjoyed that this and a number of other plates came served with salad instead of rice, making for a lighter and healthier lunch option.
Service is friendly and professional. The drinks list is limited but with some well chosen sake and plum wines in addition to the usual suspects.
Komatsu has some great dishes but could do well to stick to its strengths instead of spreading itself too thin. Certainly worth a visit though and a great addition to the expanding South Hobart dining scene.
Yippee Pie Yay 