Robata

3 December 2021, 5.30pm

With Australia gradually reopening, we decided to dabble in some interstate travel and take a trip to Melbourne for the weekend. There is of course no shortage of amazing restaurants here, but we hope to assist your decision-making by highly recommending a visit to Robata, a groovy Japanese grill in the CBD.

We arrived for our 5.30pm reservation to an infectious buzz (it was a sunny Friday evening, after all) and a simply breathtaking layout. Think a light and airy room with high ceilings and windows for walls, adorned with Ginza-inspired design features and brightly coloured oriental flowers splaying out of statement vases.

We booked early so as to make it to a show at the Regent Theatre by 7.30pm. We let the friendly team know this on arrival, and very much appreciated them accommodating our timeframe. We wish we hadn’t had to rush though – we easily could have stayed all night ordering more and more (and more) yakitori.

To drink, we each had a cocktail – myself the Yuzu Bellini and the other of us a Sake Martini. Both were excellent, delicately fragrant rather than sweet from the hints of yuzu and pickled mandarin respectively. To eat, we enjoyed a beautifully presented feast of Japanese dishes and flavours, as vibrant and enticing as the restaurant itself.

First up was the Kingfish Hiramasa with dashi ponzu & shungiku. We felt that the kingfish was a touch tough and could have been served colder, but it was fresh and tasty and paired well with the dashi ponzu, a gentle citrus-based stock that ensured the perfect seafood to acid ratio and a decent kick of salt as well. The shungiku brought lovely herbaceous things to the palette, being edible chrysanthemum leaves popular in Japanese cuisine.

Next were the Chargrilled leeks with shio kombu butter & teriyaki sauce. Our waiter advised that this dish is often overlooked by diners, but if you’ve read our review of Ursula’s in Sydney and the kombu butter sauce served there, you’ll know there was no way we weren’t ordering this. The leeks were absolutely delicious – charred on the outside, squidgy on the inside, and their sweet, mild onion flavour standing up confidently to the glossy, brackish teriyaki sauce. The kombu butter was of course dreamy in its funky richness, and the pea shoots helped to balance everything out.

We then moved to the Yakitori and Kushiyaki – a special experience that showcased the epitome of Robata’s cooking style. Yakitori is grilled chicken and kushiyaki is, well, grilled everything else. 

We started with the Pork belly, which was luscious and smoky, with just the right amount of fattiness and salt. Next, we had the Chicken thigh and spring onion, where the scorched scallion complemented the succulent meat in the way only a Japanese grill can truly accomplish. Finally came the Meatball with tare & cured yolk. This was incredible – the meatball was light but juicy, with an unadulterated poultry flavour supercharged by careful charring. We couldn’t get enough of the tare (a salty sweet combo of soy, mirin and sugar), especially when mixed with the jammy egg yolk that emulsified it to a very decadent dipping sauce indeed.

For main, we chose the Fried Borrowdale pork scotch with cabbage, mustard and red miso sauce. This was textbook Tonkatsu. The topping was crackled and crispy, adorned with salt flakes, and the meat was expertly cooked, blushing pink with traces of fatty goodness. The red miso was a clever accompaniment, offering smoke and earth, while the wasabi mayo was nothing short of joyous, bringing heat and creaminess (we needed more, though!)

As a side, we ordered the Daikon radish salad with plum dressing and tuna flake. The matchstick-sliced daikon was crunchy like an apple, with a fresh peppery taste, and the sweet and sour plum dressing was a festive addition. While we enjoyed the fishy pop of the tuna floss in moderation, there was a lot of it and so we felt it overpowered an otherwise refreshing salad.

We couldn’t resist but order two desserts, the Black sesame and green tea parfait (yes that’s a candle you see – it was my birthday!) and the Kabosu curd with strawberry and meringue. 

The parfait texture was sublime – light and creamy like ice cream, but chewy like taffy. The classic coupling of black sesame and green tea did not disappoint – we loved its minimal sweetness, focusing instead on the floral notes and nutty richness of the ingredients. The sesame snaps were next level – the biscuit super crunchy, the topping delectably sticky.

Kabosu is a Japanese citrus – to lime what yuzu is to lemon (we think so anyway). The curd was divine – tart and only subtly sweet (similar to melon) and the clever pairing with fresh strawberry and airy shards of meringue brought balance. The result was a gorgeously tropical dessert.

Lasting impressions, you ask?

Robata may be relatively new to the Melbourne foodie scene, but it has come in flaming hot with its glorious interpretation of traditional Japanese grill. The funky, vibey setting and scrumptious food transport you straight to the streets of Tokyo. We know there’s a million good restaurants in Melbourne, but we can’t wait to return to this particular one next time we’re there. Suggest you do the same!