Think about your favourite local restaurants; they may include a Chinese or Italian place, and there’s probably a favourite pub. Chances are that by now you’ll have a favourite Japanese restaurant, too, where you’ll get consistently good food at a price that suits and in an environment you enjoy.
Just three months ago, Hyakumi, on Keilor Road, Niddrie, opened its doors and already it seems to have become a Japanese ‘local’ for many. The hum and bustle of the strip of shops on Keilor Road on a Saturday afternoon is palpable, and the calm of Hyakumi as we entered was immediately soothing. The room is simply decorated, so simple, in fact, that they have tinsel on the walls down one side of the room (of course, it could be a leftover from Christmas). Either way, modern lighting is set against wooden tables simply dressed with chopsticks and napkins, and each with a pretty soy sauce jug.
Service can be a little slow off the mark, but once it warmed up we were well looked after.
The menu is large, and after only three months it’s clear it has good support from the local community — groups and couples chat to the staff like old friends — and the food is beautifully presented and well-priced. The Gyoza is pan-fried dumplings filled with pork and vegetables ($8). These are as good as any we’ve tried, being filled with slightly spiced minced pork and the vegies.
There’s an extensive selection of sushi specials made to order. The unagi sushi (grilled eel sushi, $16) has an unctuous gelatinous quality, the eel being juicy and slightly salty. The classic California Roll ($8) is a textural explosion of salmon, avocado, cucumber and flying fish roe, all very fresh. Heartier, meatier dishes in the main courses may include katsu don ($12), which is crumbed and fried pieces of pork, with egg and onions served over lots of rice, and the chicken teriyaki ($17), which has a generous portion of marinated chicken thigh meat over rice with a salad of pickled vegetables to balance out the sweet teriyaki flavour. Hyakumi isn’t reinventing any Japanese flavours or techniques, but it is producing quality product consistently. To me, that makes it a good ‘local’.
