Experience a tranquil Japanese winter with Ishizuka’s new menu. This two-hatted Melbourne restaurant, hidden beneath Bourke Street, offers a fine dining adventure that unites Japanese and Australian flavours. Head Chef Shin Kato curates the exquisite journey, priced at $315 per person, with optional alcoholic or non-alcoholic pairings.
The Kaiseki Art Form
Ishizuka’s menu pays tribute to Kaiseki, a traditional Japanese dining art that honours fresh, quality ingredients. Each course reflects different aspects of winter, creating an immersive and nostalgic narrative. The journey begins with Tsukidashi, featuring three small plates. Highlights include quail soup with grilled quail, kombu, saikyo miso, and Kujo Negi oil.
Seasonal Delicacies
The second Tsukidashi showcases braised abalone, scampi, and seasonal vegetables. This dish, translating to ‘treasure and fun,’ emulates Japan’s snowy mountains. The final Tsukidashi champions grilled eel Shirayaki, balanced by tangy pickled myoga and the pepperiness of rhubarb wasabi.
Fresh and Vibrant Courses
The rich Otsukuri course follows, featuring toro, akami, aori-ika (calamari), uni, prawn, and market white fish on a bed of kombu. Yuzu and white soy jelly provide bright citrusy notes, while daikon, wasabi, micro shiso, and chive add botanical accents.
Yakimono, the third course, showcases King George Whiting in an Australian rendition of Shiso Maki. Partially chargrilled, the whiting retains its moisture and is wrapped in a shiso leaf, embracing the flavours of sesame, sake, mirin, and Awase miso.
Warm and Comforting
Wan, a broth of oyster, bonito, and kombu with braised turnip, brings warmth to the menu. Topped with sweet snow crab and vibrant ribbons of lemon zest, daikon, carrot, and beetroot, it offers bursts of citrus and sea upon the palate. Nakazara, the middle course, presents four unique bites to highlight the distinctive qualities of winter produce, including soft lotus root tofu and quail tsukune.
Light and Savoury
A light Agemono (tempura course) follows, offering relief from the richness of previous courses. Earthy shiitake, leek, Jerusalem artichoke, and luxurious lobster are lightly fried, with slivers of ginger, oyster sauce, and shishito pepper for heat. Sunomono (vinegar dish) precedes the menu’s signature dish, a refreshing venison tartare lightly cured by ponzu jelly, paired with julienned apple and pickled hakusai cabbage.
The Ishizuka Signature
Shiizakana (meat dish) pays homage to Wagyu Nikujaga. Crispy imo-manju filled with wagyu shigre-ni, coated in an onion sauce with rich consommé and spicy yuzu-kosho, showcase traditional flavours. The final savoury course, Shokuji, comprises Harako-meshi – Ora King salmon and ikura claypot rice cooked with dashi and oyster. Pickled daikon and eggplant add a bold tangy contrast.
Sweet Finale
Chagashi (tea sweet) introduces the final sweet courses, including a black and white yokan with bamboo charcoal-infused red bean paste served with matcha. The Kanmi (sweetness course) features yuzu ice cream and jelly encased within a hollowed yuzu, topped with candied citrus and winter fruits, providing a refreshing end to the meal.
Ishizuka’s new Winter Menu will be served until September. For more details, visit Ishizuka.
