ひと捻りある新ジャパニーズ - Monou (2018年10月号)

数ヶ月前「South Melbourneにちょっと変わった日本料理を出す店ができた」と知人から聞き、気になっていた店がある。それが今回紹介するMonou。どんな「変わった日本食」が出てくるのかワクワクしながら入店した。出迎えてくれたのは、笑顔が素敵なオーナーのスミレさん。店内は天井が高く、「くつろげるよう」にと広めに席の間隔が取ってあり、コンパクトながらもゆったりした空間だ。メニューに目を通すと、居酒屋風のメニューが並ぶが、よく見るとどれも他店では見たことのない和洋折衷になっている。聞けばさまざまな料理を経験した若手シェフが集まりメニューを考えているとのこと。これは期待できると、ほくそ笑んだのは言うまでもない。

Monou

最初は洋風のスターター、Chicken Liver Paste Brulee。今までレバーペーストはいろいろ食べて来たが、パリパリのカラメルがのっているのは初めて。レバー特有の風味は健在だが、どこかクリーミーな味わい。トップのカラメルと一緒に食べると、お菓子を食べているような感覚で、レバーは苦手と思っている人も食べられそうだ。斯く言う私もレバーが苦手だが、バニラの風味が付いていて食べやすく、殆ど1人で食べてしまっ た。

Chicken Liver Paste Brule
Chicken Liver Paste Brulee $10

続いては、色とりどりの野菜が並んだBagna Cauda Salad。バーニャカウダと言えばイタリアンを代表するソース。野菜と合わせることが多いソースなのでサラダに使っていても驚かないが、注目したいのは塩麹と合わせていること。通常のバーニャカウダよりもマイルドになっていて、野菜の味がとても引き立っているのにビックリ。食べ出したら止まらない、魅惑の味わい。

Bagna Cauda Sala
Bagna Cauda Salad $14

見た目は100%和食のさばの塩焼き。しかし、ここのGrilled Mackerelは合わせてあるのが大根おろしではなく、繊細な葉を持つハーブディル。ふっくらとしたさばの身に、玄米茶のあられのポリポリした食感と塩気、更にディルの爽やかな風味が見事に一体となっていて、思わず唸ってしまった。塩さばにハーブを合わせるなんて、目から鱗が落ちたような衝撃だ。

Grilled Mackere
Grilled Mackerel $14

遠目からでもその豪華さが分かるMonou Special Kobore Sushi。日本酒を飲む升に盛られた寿司が、メニュー名に偽りなくこぼれている。分厚く切られた刺身のトロリとした感じや、イクラやトビッコのプチプチ感が楽しい。さり気なく添えられたジャコの塩気がアクセントになっていて、箸が進むこと間違いなし。見た目以上にボリュームがあるし、インスタ映えしそうなので、マストオーダーな一品。

Monou Special Kobore Sush
Monou Special Kobore Sushi $29

また、店ではスミレさんが惚れ込んだお茶も販売している。まずは食事と一緒に試してみて。

Single Origin Gyokuro Organic and Matcha Latte
Single Origin Gyokuro Organic $9 and Matcha Latte $6

女性オーナーらしい心遣いを感じる店。創作性の高い料理がお手頃価格で味わえるので、グループで訪れてあれこれ試してみても。4名以上ならお任せコースもあるので、興味のある人はご相談を。ごちそうさまでした。

 

A New Twist on Japanese Cuisine

Several months ago a friend told me about a new restaurant in South Melbourne serving unusual Japanese cuisine. This month, I finally got to visit Monou, the establishment in question, and was excited to see what kinds of unique cuisine would emerge from the kitchen. Greeting us with a lovely smile was owner Sumire-san. The space inside was compact, but the tall ceilings and wide spaces between the seats meant it all felt nice and relaxed. Perusing the menu, the dishes initially seemed izakaya-esque, but closer inspection revealed they were unique blends of East and West that we hadn’t seen before. We were told the dishes were created by young chefs who had experience with various kinds of cuisine. “This should be good,” I said to myself with a grin. 

First up came the Western-style starter – Chicken Liver Paste Brulee. Until now I’ve tried many different types of liver paste, but one with a crispy caramel layer on top was a first. The usual unique liver taste was still there, but somehow creamy. Eating it with the caramel on top made it feel like you were eating a dessert, so should mean it’s fine for those who normally don’t like liver. I myself don’t like liver, but the vanilla flavours made it easy to eat and so I finished most of the dish by myself, with little left for my dining partner.

Next came the Bagna Cauda Salad, with its array of colourful vegetables. For those who may not know, Bagna Cauda is a famous Italian sauce and often served with vegetables, so its appearance in a salad isn’t a shock, but the really interesting part is how it’s mixed here with Japanese shio koji. This seasoning makes the flavour milder than usual and I was shocked at how much the flavours of the vegetables stood out as a result. It’s a fascinating taste experience, and once you start, you can’t stop. 

We then tried the Grilled Mackerel. In terms of appearance, the fish itself is 100 per cent Japanese, but instead of the traditional grated daikon horseradish that you’d usually get on the side, this version is served with delicate Dill leaves and genmaicha arare salt on top. The plump flesh, crunchy saltiness of the genmaicha and refreshing dill came together so well I couldn’t help but exclaim my pleasure. The very idea you could mix mackerel and herbs was a serious eye-opener, too. 

Our final dish was the Monou Special Kobore Sushi. You can see, even from a distance, that this is something special. Served in a traditional wooden sake cup, the ingredients overflow onto the plate (in Japanese, kobore means to overflow). Whether it’s the succulence of the thick-cut sashimi, or the popping sensation from the salmon and flying fish roe, it’s very pleasurable to eat. The tiny whitebait add a nice salty accent, too, ensuring this is another dish you just can’t stop eating. It’s more voluminous than appearances suggest, too, so combined with its Instagram-ready appearance, it’s definitely a must-order. 

You can actually buy a range of teas here to take home as well, all of which Sumire-san has hand-picked, so we’d suggest trying some out with your meal first to know which you’d like.

Monou is the kind of restaurant where you can definitely feel the care and attention of its female owner in every element. The fact you can enjoy highly creative dishes at reasonable prices means it’s worth going with a group of people and trying lots of different things, too. There’s a banquet course for groups of more than four people, so if you’re interested, don’t hesitate to ask. Gotchisousamadeshita.  

 

Monou
274 Park St, South Melbourne
03 9699 4043
Fri-Sun 12-3pm
Tue-Sun 5:30-10pm
monou.com.au