DENGON NET

時々、無性に「揚げ物が食べたい! 」と思うことがある。「シャッ」と軽やかな音と共にネタが揚がっていくところを目の前にしながら、熱々の天麩羅を食べられたら幸せ…。そんな願いをかなえてくれる店が、South Melbourne にある天麩羅 一。カウンターの向こうには天麩羅を揚げる鍋。いやが上にも期待が高まる。今回は3つのディナーコースの中から、天麩羅10品&寿司コース（$98）をいただいた。

まずは、濃厚ながらスッキリとした味わいの鶏胸肉の胡麻和え、出汁の旨みが効いたほうれん草の柚子ポン酢あえ、南蛮酢が魚の味をグッと引き立てている鯛の南蛮漬けの前菜三種。どれも上品ながら、食欲の増す味わいになっている。

続いては、サーモンとハマチの刺身。どちらもキュッと身が引き締まっていて、新鮮そのもの。仕入れによって、内容が変わることもあるそう。

そしてお待ちかねの天麩羅。スペースの都合上、写真は盛り合わせのようになっているが、本来は揚げたての天麩羅が一品ずつサーブされる。天麩羅は、海老や白身魚などの定番の他、後味に辛さを感じるズッキーニとスパイシーサーモン、どっしり食べ応えのあるマグロとアボガドの海苔巻、贅沢な組み合わせのホタテとウニのはさみ揚げ、食感の違いが楽しいマッシュルームと海老しんじょう、ジュワッと旨みが広がるナスとチキンのはさみ揚げ、わさびがアクセントの天麩羅など、変わり揚げも多い。どの天麩羅も、衣が薄くサックリしていて軽いので、いくらでも食べられそうだ。聞けば、素材によって衣の厚さや揚げる時間はもちろん、油の温度も調整しているそう。家では真似できないプロの技を舌だけでなく、カウンター越しに目で楽しめるのも、この店の良いところ。ちなみに天麩羅は、塩とレモンジュースか、大根おろし入り天つゆでいただくのだが、毎回どちらにするか真剣に迷ってしまった。

天麩羅を食べている途中で、海藻サラダが登場。コリコリした海藻や、シャキシャキのレタス、さっぱりとしたドレシングが爽やか。

メインの寿司は、マグロやイカ、炙りサーモン、炙りカジキマグロ、和牛など。どれもしゃりが小ぶりなので食べやすい。天麩羅に引けを取らない質の良さ。天麩羅 一の焼き印が押された玉子焼きが見た目にもアクセントになっている。

最後は、ヨーグルトゼリー、マスカットジュースとコアントローがけ。コアントローの風味が効いた大人な装いのゼリーは、アッサリしているので、スルリとお腹に収まるのがうれしい。

特別な日に大切な人と訪れるのにピッタリ。シェフの良原さんが一人で切り盛りしているカウンター12席のこじんまりとした店なので、ディナーは予約が必要だ。予約時にアレルギーの有無や好みを聞き、個別にアレンジしてくれる。また、ランチはコースではないが、友達同士のちょっぴり贅沢なランチに最適。ごちそうさまでした。

Enjoy a Pro's Techniques

There are times when you just want to have some deep-fried food. To feel the happiness only hot tempura, cooked in front of you and sizzling as it emerges from the oil, can bring. Tempura Hajime in South Melbourne can fulfill that desire. Entering and seeing the pan the tempura is cooked in on the far side of the counter, our excitement increased even further. Of the three choices available, we tried the Omakase Tempura & Sushi Course and awaited its arrival.

First up came a selection of three appetisers. There was the rich but light chicken breast with sesame, the spinach with yuzu ponzu, which also came with a good dose of umami from the dashi stock, and the sea bream nanbanzuke, which used the nanban vinegar to really draw out the fish's flavour. Each was elegant, and only served to heighten our expectations. 

Next came the salmon and kingfish sashimi. Both had firm flesh and were the epitome of freshness. Due to this commitment to freshness, these fish varieties can change on the day. 

Then came the much-anticipated tempura. Due to space constraints here, the photo makes it look like it arrives all at once, moriawase-style, but in reality each piece arrives freshly fried. As well as favourites like prawn and white fish, there's also a variety of unique tempura, such as the zucchini and spicy salmon, with its hot aftertaste, the substantial raw tuna and avocado norimaki, the luxurious scallop and sea urchin roe sandwich, the mushroom and prawn mince meatball, with its contrasting textures, the chicken and eggplant sandwich, which bursts with flavour and the eel. Each is coated in a light, crispy batter that makes you feel like you can just keep eating them forever. Upon asking, the chef revealed the batter thickness, cooking time and even oil temperature varies depending on the ingredients. These kind of pro techniques that home cooks can't imitate create dishes that don't just bring joy to the palate, but also the eyes, and is a great aspect of this establishment. As an aside, we should mention the tempura is served with a choice of salt, lemon juice or dipping sauce with grated daikon radish, but we had a lot of trouble deciding which one to use for each dish! 

While eating our tempura, a seaweed salad also appeared. The crunchy seaweed and crisp lettuce, plus light dressing, made for a refreshing dish. 

The sushi main included raw tuna, squid, aburi (seared with a blowtorch) salmon, aburi marlin and even wagyu. Each had a relatively small quantity of rice, so were easy to eat, and the quality meant they were certainly not outdone by the tempura. The fried egg, branded with the Tempura Hajime logo, added an extra bit of visual flair.

Finally, our dessert was a simple yoghurt jelly with Muscat juice and Cointreau. The jelly's Cointreau accent made for a light, adult dessert that went down very easily. 

Tempura Hajime is perfect for a special night out with a special someone. Given it's only got 12 seats along a counter, and chef Yoshihara-san does everything himself, you need to book in advance, but this also means personalised service, with Yoshihara-san asking about allergies and preferences so he can tailor the dishes to you. While the course menus are dinner-only, Tempura Hajime is also perfect for an upscale a la carte lunch with friends. Gotchisousamadeshita.

Tempura Hajime
60 Park St. South Melbourney
03  9696 0051y
Lunch　Tue - Fri 12 - 2pmy
Dinner  Tue - Sat 6pm  - latey
tempurahajime.com.au