Yuki in the Hills: A slice of Japan in the Adelaide Hills

Two special guests cast their expert eyes over a Japanese restaurant that is a welcome addition to the Adelaide Hills, writes Simon Wilkinson.

Dalia Jung, owner and chef at Yuki in the Hills, Aldgate. Picture Matt Turner

The house has been more manic than normal over the past week with two exchange students from Japan coming to stay.

There have been extra mouths to feed, added intricacies to the school drop-off routine and frequent communication breakdowns, despite the best intentions of all the young people involved.

For a visit to Japanese restaurant Yuki in the Hills, however, Ichito and Shun are a great source of information. They can tell us that the characters on the wall near the toilets read “happy”. They show us the right way to use chopsticks – and manage (just) to restrain their giggles at our ham-fisted attempts. They introduce us to a lovely roasted tea which they drink throughout (putting the “tea” in teenager?). And, at the end, they provide their own informed appraisal of how the meal measures up compared with what they eat at home.

Eel special roll at Yuki in the Hills

From my point of view, I reckon Yuki is doing a lot of things right. Open for just more than a year across the road from the Aldgate Pump Hotel, this little 50-seater strikes a graceful balance between family friendly dining and a respectful, well-informed reflection of this cuisine. The locals must be delighted.

From the outside, where it is clad in dark planks, the restaurant would look a bit like a mountain hut if not for the lanterns hanging from the veranda. Inside, the walls are lined in more timber, this time in bleached tones, so it can feel like being in an oversized sauna.

At the centre of the room, two kimono-wearing chefs are on show as they prepare sushi and sashimi with quiet concentration at their own station.

Around them, the parry and thrust of restaurant service is at its most calm and efficient, even though, on this Sunday evening, the place is full of kids (with way too many iPads, but that’s another story).

Yuki does a bit of everything. As well as several pages of raw fish and seaweed/rice combinations, an elegant, ring-bound menu with watercolour illustations covers all the favourite snacks, tempura, stir-fries and stand-alone mains such as chicken katsu and teriyaki salmon. We do our best to cover the lot.

Soba tempura at Yuki in the Hills

The pick of the starters, by unanimous vote, is the tempura soft-shelled crab, a gnarly mass of spindly legs, body parts and clumps of sweet white meat coated in a flawless batter. It’s terrific eating, though cutting off portions to share with chopsticks is nigh on impossible.

Wagyu tataki presents slices of raw beef, seared at the edges, a solid, white marbling of fat proudly displayed, and I’m sure a little disconcerting to some. The meat is chilled but in the warmth of the mouth melts and melds with its mustard dressing.

Karaage chicken, on the other hand, is dark and dry like it’s been left out too long in the sun. Skip that and get your junk food quota from okonomiyaki, a mad mess of pudgy pancake loaded with bits and pieces of pork, seafood and veg, blanketed by stripes of mayonnaise, special sauce and shredded shallots.

Our two guests order the same: salmon sashimi and then “Zaru soba” with tempura, a collection of battered prawn, fish, pumpkin and sweet potato, along with a twirled pile of cold buckwheat noodles that they dunk into a bowl of soy and dashi dipping sauce with great dexterity.

A special roll of eel, avocado and mushroom shows the artistry of the sushi chef, the key ingredients laid in a delicate arrangement on top, the rice just right.

“Sakana shioyaki”, traditionally a simple salted and grilled piece of fish, is expanded into a bumper plate of fried snapper fillets and a vividly coloured collection of vegies (including snow peas, capsicum, corn, brussels sprouts and crisp strips of beetroot) that are all in peak condition. Any or all of these can be eaten with a ponzu dressing if desired. The sukiyaki beef, by comparison, looks and tastes a little drab.

Yuki in the Hills

Desserts, only ordered for the purpose of this column, include a torte made up of what looks like layers of green felt, broken only by a jam-style spread about a third of the way up. This matcha and red bean cake, with only a whisper of sweetness and an intriguing firm bite, will not be everyone’s cup of tea – but I enjoy it with a cleansing brew of sencha.

Ichito and Shun, on the other hand, don’t show any interest in having even a taste. As for the rest of the meal, the verdict is delivered with an enthusiastic thumbs up.

YUKI IN THE HILLS

2 Strathalbyn Rd, Aldgate

7226 5767

facebook.com/yukiinthehills

OWNERSMike Oh, Dalia Jung

CHEFS Dalia Jung, Gary Hong

FOODJapanese

STARTERS $5.90-$15.90 SUSHI $4.50-$29.90 MAIN $13.90-$26.90 DESSERT $9.90-$11.90

DRINKSSmall list with imported beers (try the rice lager) and wine including local favourite Tapanappa. BYO $15

OPEN LUNCH Wed-Sun DINNER Daily

SCORE 14/20