Tempura Hajime

9 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  8      Service  10      Value  9     

The food is sublime and the experience very authentic for a Japanese tempura bar.

Jul 12, 2010 

10 Highly Recommended

Food  10      Ambience  10      Service  10      Value  10     

I am Japanese and can attest that this is excellent authentic tempura and sushi. Preparation, presentation, taste, quality, freshness all authentic Japanese.

The sashimi was beautiful (taste, texture, tempurature, selection of fish, presentation) the tempura light flavourful and crisp (not oily or greasy as true tempura is not oily or greasy), the garnishings delicately prepared and presented. Dessert was skillfully prepared taking the delicate essence of it's core ingredients to the front and eliminating any overpowering characteristics, especially the Cointreau sauce, which was so refreshing and light.

Alcohol selection has been carefully chosen to compliment the menu items. Service was spot on attentive from entry through to walking out the door with a personal thank you and goodbye. I will definitely be back again and again.

Jul 10, 2010 

9.5 Highly Recommended

Food  10      Ambience  8      Service  10      Value  10     

This is such a lovely little restaurant, we've been twice, once with the original chef and again this year with the new chef Shigeo. We tried the combination set menu of sushi/sashimi with the tempura. All was divine, with the standouts being the corn tempura and the mushroom with prawn. It's a lovely place for a special occasion. It's different to the experience you'll have of other Japanese restaurants in Melbourne and well worth it. Shigeo is doing lunches now, not the set menu, a variety of choices. They also do function, I think I might go there for my 50th birthday with 11 friends! It is a treat.

Jul 03, 2010 

9.3 Highly Recommended

Food  10      Ambience  9      Service  9      Value  9     

Easily one of the best Japanese food experiences I've had in Melbourne. Since taking over from chef Daisukesan a few months ago, new chef Shigesan has continued the sumptuous tempura and has also included divine sashimi and sushi in the mix. The age good food guide one chef's hat is still well warranted with a fine combination of tasty morsels that you wish would keep on coming all night.

To start there's a selection of fresh sashimi including kingfish, ocean trout and red garnard. To follow corn, prawn and king george whiting tempura. Next, a cleansing seaweed salad and then more tempura, scallop and sea urchin, and mushroom and prawn mince. Another cleanser, a shot of plum wine and soda. After that a round of sushi including ocean trout, salmon, swordfish and tuna.

Finally, yoghurt panacotta with contreau sauce. Fabulous! The tempura was neither soggy nor greasy and the the sashimi and sushi very fresh. The service is very attentive to compliment the food with expert descriptions to keep you in the know. This is a hidden south Melbourne gem that is well worth the visit.

May 22, 2010 

7.3 Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  5      Service  7      Value  8     

I took my (Japanese) husband here for his birthday. The ambience was...well, almost non-existent, but the food was exquisite. I was worried about the all-tempura menu, but I needn't have. It was neither greasy nor fatty, and although portion size is small, a pet hate of us both, we did feel satiated at the end of the evening. It was fabulous food, but is an 'experience' really. You wouldn't go there weekly!

Apr 17, 2010 

10 Highly Recommended

Food  10      Ambience  10      Service  10      Value  10     

Best Japanese restaurant in Australia.
Are they still there? When I visited in 2008, the owner said he will sell Hajime and go back to Japan. So I thought no longer in Australia.
It is a bit difficult to find Hajime, the entrance doesn’t looks like the restaurant at all, but make you feel more and more special.
You can understand the AGE amazing review of Hajime, “Have you ever tried real taste of prawn?”. Hajime will give you a memorable moment. Food is fantastic, This is real taste of Japanese. Taste is as same as expensive tempra restaurant in Japan!
They have just only 11 seats so you need to book 3 month earlier, but it deserve it to wait! They don’t rush us, you can really enjoy the time and not group sheet so feel more private. They will give you a real Japanese good restaurant experience.
Sashimi is the best, and tempra is the best. This is the best Japanese food in Australia. The chef is very friendly, maybe just because I am Japanese though.
All course menu, but gonna be very full. Great selection of Sake and syochu.
You should try syochu here!

Feb 25, 2010 

5 Average

Food  4      Ambience  4      Service  8      Value  4     

An expensive fried food shop. If you like battered and deep fried food you will love this, if not move on. Don’t worry about the type of batter, which oils are used for frying, the temperature of the oil, the phase of the moon, if you’re not into fried food, steer clear.

This place has had its fair share of glowing reviews and blog mentions, but it did nothing for me. The room is a Spartan affair, facing the cook as he prepares the food. Zero ambience. Service is attentive, as it should be with 12 diners staggered through the night and with 2-3 staff. I resent having sake/wine topped up constantly, as one almost senses being rushed as a result. The sake list is very basic. The wine list well chosen and well priced.

The initial ocean trout, salmon and kingfish sashimi was unimpressive. A little too firm, and I don’t like chewing raw fish. The accompaniment of fresh wasabi was good. Later a miso and sesame dipping sauce was ok. The minced chicken was far too tough, served with shredded cucumber.

Next came a procession of tempura. Corn shaved off the cob as a piece was the best, followed by a prawn which was just pink. Oyster was advertised but instead we got eel, which was also good. Sea urchin wrapped in nori and scallop was a rare surprise, but the sweet potato, the tuna and avocado wrapped in nori served with Japanese mayonnaise and teriyaki sauce, the hapuka, the minced prawn stuffed into a mushroom, and the minced chicken stuffed in eggplant were all just too oily.

The promised asparagus didn’t arrive. A small salad was thankfully provided as a respite to the grease. Lastly a small patty of vegetable tempura, akin to bhaji, is served as donburi. More oil. Some sweet sake, and then dessert, yoghurt panna cotta drizzled with Cointreau and served with a few grapes.

Watching stilted Westerners bow to the cook every time a small morsel is placed in front of them was hilarious. As the restaurant has been sold, they must be laughing all the way to the bank. Strictly for the KFC crowd.

Feb 07, 2010 

9.5 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  10      Service  10      Value  9     

Seating only 12 guests in two sessions each night, it's no surprise I had to book 3 months in advance for this little hideaway! I was glad I read The Age article before coming here, otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to find the place, situated in a quiet residential-apartment street.

We were warmly greeted by the hostess and waitress and taken to our seats. A couple mouthfuls of ocha later, the chef makes his appearance from behind the noren curtains to fire up the oil and greet us with a humble hello. He disappears (presumably to prepare the food) and the waitresses begin their routine of serving some sashimi starters (I've never tried ocean trout sashimi, it was awesome!).

Brandishing a large pair of chopsticks the chef returns and begins to systematically dip small bits of vegetables or meat (or a handmade-combination of both) into some batter and then into the oil. Every 5-10 minutes, he gently sets the next tempura course on our plates, each time replacing the oil-absorbent paper.

He takes great care into preparing each course, the fluffy batter has a light crisp before it fully melts in your mouth, slowly unveiling the full flavours of the filling inside. The batter doesn't drip with oil, and the filling, be it prawn or oyster or sea urchin, still maintains its integrity, an evident sign of the chef's tempura experience.

Exclusive, romantic, tantalising to the taste-buds.

Mar 25, 2009 

8.8 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  7      Service  10      Value  9     

You need to see it for yourself. The most unique restaurant in Melbourne. Great food and service.

Feb 24, 2009 

9 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  9      Service  10      Value  8     

Amazing experience; food is (naturally) mostly tempura, but not the soggy, oily kind; each delicate servings of fine morsels are served straight after they are cooked in fresh oil. Full flavours of each ingredients are brought forward by crunchy, light batter that is frankly the best I have tasted. Sashimi and hors d'oeuvre were also delectable, as was the near perfect panna cotta dessert.

Little touches such as palate-cleanser of apple sake was lovely. Seating only 12, ambience was homely and service top notch. Moreover, there was a real personal feel as each of us customers interacted with the chef and waitresses. A special dining experience not to be missed by any lovers of Japanese food.

Jul 01, 2008