Komeyui

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396 Bay Street, Port Melbourne, 9646 2296

My score: 4/5

Just about every shopping strip has a Japanese restaurant but few of them are as welcoming, versatile and delectable as Komeyui. Chef Motomu Kumano opened his small, amiable restaurant nearly three years ago, after six years at Kenzan followed his move to Melbourne in 2005. The heart of Komeyui is rice, cooked in a special cast-iron pot (hagama) that’s been superseded by electric rice cookers in most Japanese kitchens. The old-time technique is trickier than pressing a button but Kumano believes it brings out the true nature of each grain of rice and that the iron vessel conducts health benefits too. I’m no rice-soul-spotter but I can say that this rice is distinct, nutty and lively.

The menu is diverse, with grilled, fried, steamed and hot pot dishes, both traditional and gently tweaked. Sushi and sashimi come a la carte but it’s fun to sit at the bar and let Kumano line up dishes until you beg for mercy. He’s a big fan of Australian seafood and loves to showcase it with handy knifework, a little seasoning, and maybe a brief blast with the blowtorch. Hot dishes can be nostalgic, as with his grandmother’s sticky, starchy pumpkin mochi cakes with the texture of glutinous rice and a dressing of sake and soy. Foil-wrapped salmon bundled with miso butter has a similar comforting sense of old Hokkaido. Pride is obvious in every dish: rich, silky agedashi tofu comes with a bonito flake flash-mob and the onigiri (filled rice balls) form cute, precise triangles. There’s a contemporary edge to other offerings. Surf clams with rice vinegar foam have the oceanic intensity of a dumping wave without the bathers-twisting negatives. Fried duck breast is marinated in a red wine and soy dressing, which I bet grandmother never tried.

Komeyui’s welcome extends to vegetarians (ask for the separate menu), kids (there are high chairs and plentiful indulgent smiles), takeaway lunchers and sake lovers (drink matches punctuate the menu). ‘Kome’ means ‘rice’ and ‘yui’ means ‘knot’, as in unity and togetherness, Motomu Kumano and his team ensure both rice and warm gatherings are easy to enjoy at Komeyui.

See their website.

More in Port Melbourne:

Harry and Frankie, 317 Bay Street, Port Melbourne, 9645 4414
Check in with the crew at this newish wine bar for great drinks to imbibe in house or at home, and stick around for meats, cheese and other wine friendly snacks.

The Graham, 97 Graham Street, Port Melbourne, 9676 2566
The experienced team at this old wharfie hangout is overseeing gentle tweaks to the Victorian building and the modern European menu. Stop by for snacks in the bar or dining room meals such as duck and caramelised onion risotto.

Station Street Trading Company, 166 Station Street, Port Melbourne, 9646 6663
Opposite parkland and with heaps of outdoor seating, this is a great spot for juice, coffee, all-day breakfast or lunch. Try the Cajun chicken sandwich with chipotle aioli.

First published in The Age, April 20, 2014.