TasWeekend Indulge: Japanese food with a colourful twist arrives at Kingston Beach
From fish and chips to Japanese tapas, Kingston Beach’s newest eatery is something different, writes LIBBY SUTHERLAND.
Taste Tasmania
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FUSION fish and chippery by day and Japanese tapas, or japas, by night – the newest kid on Kingston Beach’s culinary block has made quite a splash since opening about eight months ago.
Panko Chan is the latest in a wave of good eateries well south of the Salamanca and Sandy Bay border, including the Scandi-styled Fika cafe and the Salty Dog pub.
Owner Scott Allen is part-owner of Kinoko Deli in Trafalgar on Collins in the CBD, and started Sush about 15 years ago, but has since sold the Bank Arcade business.
He says the changing scene means Kingborough folk no longer need to travel to the city when looking for somewhere to dine.
“I just felt Kingston was missing something,” he says.
“We resisted going for a stock-standard Japanese restaurant. It’s about trying to create a point of difference.”
We take a drive south to Kingston on an equally rainy, cloudy, blue-sky day at the end of the Easter/Anzac Day break. The poplars lining the nether regions of the Southern Outlet are changing colour amid the sudden assault of unsettled autumn weather.
When we arrive at Panko Chan, it’s just after midday. I remember it well as the site of Citrus Moon cafe, which operated in days long past in rustic weatherboard surrounds that have been replaced by a much more modern structure.
It’s like stepping inside a fisherman’s grotto, with distressed timber tables, dark timber lining and light fittings made from authentic Japanese fishing nets.
A glass buoy dangles over the main counter, which is adorned with colourful Japanese fishing crates. The side wall is devoted to playful prints of Panko Chan’s trademark fish-loving cat enjoying traditional Japanese sights — a temple gate and a snow-capped mountain among them.
Above us, a large school of fish made from acoustic batts swims across the ceiling — a clever decorative tool that also diffuses sound when the venue is busy. The soundtrack is a sixties and seventies heaven — think Roberta Flack, Steely Dan and Simon and Garfunkel.
I go for the Hawaiian-inspired poke bowl with tuna, adding an onsen soft egg for good measure. Unable to resist aubergine on any menu, I also order the panko-coated eggplant with cheese miso.
I note the eggplant is also on the japas menu, along with a range of raw, deep-fried and grilled fish dishes, and Japanese staples including karaage chicken and agedashi tofu.
My companion selects fish and chips. Given a choice of fish du jour dory or premium flathead, he goes for the latter and a mixed selection of chips — potato, sweet potato and lotus root — and Japanese mayo.
Bypassing the sake, fruit wine and beer lists, I also order a Ramune Japanese lemonade — mainly because it comes “in a unique bottle with a marble on top”. The waitress delivers it to the table, pressing said marble into the bottle with a nifty plastic widget.
The poke bowl is not far behind. Served in a rustic enamel bowl, it’s a riot of colour, tastes and textures. Drizzled with a creamy sesame dressing, it’s crammed with raw tuna, crunchy pickled carrot, cucumber and cauli, soy beans, alfalfa sprouts, red cabbage, rice and nori paste. When poked with a chopstick, the onsen egg slowly releases its golden goodness over the top.
The flathead, in a nori and wasabi goma panko crumb, is certainly a welcome change to regular fried fruits de mer. My Panko-going partner enjoys his three large flathead fillets, still moist and flaky within a crispy, wasabi-pea-flecked crumb. But he is unable to get through the well-seasoned selection of fries, despite his and my own best efforts.
I can also manage only one of the two large rounds of eggplant, taking the second portion home in a small cardboard box. After the freshness of the poke bowl, the melted cheese over deep-fried panko crumb defeats me.
Heading home to Hobart, I take a drive along the esplanade and notice a new Italian joint is fast taking shape next to the Salty Dog.
Allen, it seems, is dead right when he says: “Things are starting to change quite quickly around here.”
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