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Bansho

Stylish amalgam of two cuisines.

Diners at Bansho.
1 / 8Diners at Bansho.Jana Langhorst
French and Japanese cuisine meet.
2 / 8French and Japanese cuisine meet.Supplied
Chicken breast roulade.
3 / 8Chicken breast roulade.Bonnie Savage
Inside Bansho.
4 / 8Inside Bansho.Jana Longhorst
Duck marinated in koji fungus.
5 / 8Duck marinated in koji fungus.Bonnie Savage
King prawn liver tomalley.
6 / 8King prawn liver tomalley.Bonnie Savage
Salmon tartare.
7 / 8Salmon tartare.Bonnie Savage
Sushi platter.
8 / 8Sushi platter.Bonnie Savage

Good Food hat15/20

Japanese$$$

The words “fusion food” can cause alarm, but dishes at Bansho are thoughtful and accomplished enough to quell any ensuing panic.

Take the salmon tartare, a jaunty but luxurious handheld snack. The fatty, finely chopped fish reads French, but seasonings of ginger oil and pickled plum nod to Japan. Chicken mousseline roulade is tempura-fried, served atop kombu-dashi bechamel. Chawanmushi is studded with spanner crab and finished with celeriac vichyssoise, the variations in silky savouriness like gentle but persistent ripples.

The curved lines, booths and brass railings of the welcoming room seem a little art deco, but there’s also Japanese print wallpaper, natural stone and a counter for exquisite sushi (including vegan versions). Bansho goes to show that fusion isn’t always a dirty word, particularly when it’s done with sensitivity and purpose.

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Original URL: https://www.theage.com.au/goodfood/vic-good-food-guide/bansho-20241113-p5kqao.html