Tempura Hajime is perhaps the best kept dining secret in Melbourne. Opening two months ago with no fanfare or publicity, and relying solely on word of mouth, Hajime is the owners’ vision of creating an authentic Japanese dining experience, specializing in tempura. Housed in a commercial office block in South Melbourne, the presence of Hajime is identified only by a discreet black door with a small glass portal revealing, in perfect symmetry, the sign of the restaurant’s name hanging on the inside wall. This discretion is not surprising given that the owners, Noriko and Daisuke, had owned the equally publicity-shy Yu-U.

Such was the warm and friendly welcome we received when we first entered, and also throughout the evening, our experience at Hajime felt like going to a friend’s home for dinner. That is, if that friend owned a home that looked like part swanky Tokyo bar and part high-end sushi restaurant. Through the black door, you first enter a small reception area that has been converted into a bar, where you can stay for a few drinks on comfy sofas and chairs. The bar was softly-lit and minimally decorated, with discreet gorgeous ceramics providing juxtaposition to the dark grey slate walls. Sliding doors subtly reveal the kitchen and dining area, lending to the Japanese aesthetic of neatly concealing things until they need to be accessed. Another door led into a corridor, where one can reach the lavatories that were adjacent to a barrister’s office. The feeling of being in this outside world to the hidden confines of Hajime was quite pronounced.

In contrast to the bar, the small dining area was brightly lit. Blonde pinewood counters were identical to a sushi restaurant, with only the copper oil guards betraying its tempura intentions. Barely seating 12, the details in the dining room were nevertheless impressive. The cooking was done with care, with Daisuke-san always checking whether the oil was hot enough before dipping in a piece of tempura.

Food was served in quirky and beautiful ceramic bowls and plates, artfully arranged on a pitch-black lacquered serving tray. First course consisted of tiles of the most sublime kingfish and salmon toro (underbelly) sashimi. Produce was of the highest quality; how often does one get served freshly-grated wasabi in Melbourne? Served alongside the sashimi was a poached chicken and cabbage salad, sweetened by a creamy sesame sauce.

A choice of three different types of ceramic cups were offered if you ordered sake (we had cold Sawanotsuru from Kobe). And after we had suitably imbibed somewhat in this potent brew, it was time for tempura - all 12 courses of it.

King prawn

Baby Corn

Plump scallop stuffed with sea urchin roe

Crispy asparagus

Purple sweet potato

Whole mushroom topped with minced prawn

Okra

John Dory rolled in seaweed, garnished with umeboshi

Eggplant stuffed with chicken mince

King Geroge Whiting

Plump oyster

Crunchy soft shell crab

Tempura dipping sauce was topped up as required, lemon juice was freshly squeezed from the funkiest bird shaped juicer, and pink salt flakes rounded out the seasoning requirements. Each delicious morsel of tempura was amazingly good. The camellia oil used for frying added not only a subtle sweetness, but a wonderful light taste. At no point did the food feel “greasy”.

To lighten the load, a citrus dressed salad of crisp iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, avocado and assorted seaweed added the necessary sharpness to keep the tastebuds piqued.

A choice of donburi was to follow the tempura courses - either rice with a tempura vegetable melange and sweet soy sauce, or ochazuke, rice and vegetable as above, but with a ladle of green tea poured over. Mmm…this was sooo good.

Dessert went the fairly untraditional route of a yoghurt pannacotta with mixed berries and a cointreau sauce that kicked like a mule. I take my hat off to Daisuke-san - this pannacotta was better than the one we had at Stefanos recently. It had the wobble of a jelly belly - perfectly executed.

To finish was a hot pot of Japanese genmaicha tea, which is particularly good for its nutty flavour and aroma.

This is a place that does not cut corners. Straight away we were impressed by the unwavering commitment to authenticity and quality over quantity, and to doing things passionately, despite the risks involved. The wonderful Noriko and Daisuke enthralled us with friendly conversation that stemmed from good Japanese restaurants in Melbourne and industry gossip, changing to the delights of Studio Ghibli. We were utterly charmed, impressed and delighted, and would like to thank Noriko and Daisuke for one of our most memorable dining experiences ever!

Entry written in tandem by Mellie and ElegantGourmand