The sake we are drinking, a seasonal spring release from Hachinohe Shuzo in the Aomori Prefecture of Japan, is bursting with freshness.
asserted
we → drink → freshness
It feels apt for the early spring weather we’re having in Melbourne, and a fantastic way to begin the night at Bar Kaeru, the new sake bar tucked into a nondescript building on Little La Trobe street.
asserted
we → feel → street
We’re sitting at the U-shaped bar in the dark room, trying to decide what to order next.
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We → sit → what
Most other customers are choosing from one of the three flights on offer, which takes some of that decision paralysis out of the equation.
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which → choose → equation
Others have the attention of Sean Then, who provides much of the knowledge and passion behind this list and this project.
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who → have → list
Then is known for his passion – he also runs Cafe Tomi in North Melbourne, where he geeks out with customers over the provenance of the beans and the particular aromas and qualities each brew lends to his cocktail-like coffee creations.
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brew → know → creations
At Bar Kaeru, when you get that focus turned towards you and the things you might want to drink, you’re in for an exceedingly fun ride.
uncertain
you → get → ride
But there’s only one of Then, and his attention is not guaranteed.
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attention → ’ → Then
I get the feeling that the same thing that drives his passion – a certain kind of obsessive hyperfocus – is the thing that makes the service experience at Kaeru a bit wonky.
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experience → get → Kaeru
Regardless, it’s worth coming here, not just for the extraordinary sake list, but also for chef Jayden Chiang’s concise menu of Japanese and Chinese-inspired izakaya dishes.
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it → ’ → dishes
This is snacky, drinking food at its umami-forward best, along with a couple of larger dishes that are surprisingly comforting.
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that → drink → dishes
I’m still thinking about the beef tartlet, a mouthful of jewel-like raw beef cubes with spring onion and crispy leek.
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I → think → onion
A generous heap of spanner crab sits atop a crispy rice cake, like a hash brown made of rice rather than potato, the flavours brought into focus by a shower of shaved nori.
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flavours → sit → nori
Prawn toast is all oily goodness, served with charred pineapple and aioli.
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toast → serve → pineapple
I loved the small bucket of crispy Jerusalem artichokes, but found the yuzu miso accompaniment a little too sweet – the root vegetable itself carries plenty of sugar, and a contrast would have been nice.
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contrast → love → sugar
But shelled XO mussels atop a creamy tofu ricotta was in perfect sweet-salty-puckery-stinky balance.
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mussels → shell → balance
I can see myself stopping in here for a quick dinner on a cold night, craving the warmth of the excellent braised short rib with kohlrabi and rainbow chard, the deeply flavoured bone broth that makes it into a soup singing with star anise.
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that → see → anise
Juicy grilled pork jowl could also be a meal in and of itself, if you were in the mood for something meaty and decadent.
uncertain
you → grill → something
I admire the ambition of Bar Kaeru, but I worry that it will fail in its mission – to bring more sake to Melbourne and create an army of sake lovers as a result – if the service issue isn’t addressed.
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issue → admire → result
I desperately wanted to try one of the fascinating looking cocktails on the list, but one evening I spent 20 minutes trying to catch someone’s eye to order one (after we had eaten) and couldn’t, so I left.
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I → want → one
Then was engaged in an hour-long conversation with some enthusiastic customers and never looked at the rest of the room once, and the other staff seemed more comfortable running food than engaging with customers.
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staff → engage → customers
Another night, I got Then’s attention, but he didn’t have the ingredients for the listed drink.
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he → get → drink
He suggested something else, an off-menu matcha situation, went to make it, got sidetracked halfway through, and eventually got it to me.
uncertain
He → suggest → me
It was delicious, but I’m not sure the bar is really set up to handle cocktail service at all.
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bar → ’m → service
I hope Then finds the help he needs in order to spread his sake gospel, because he can’t do it all alone.
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he → hope → it
Regardless, I’ll be back to peruse this list with or without help, and to slurp on that magical bone broth.
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I → peruse → broth
Self-reliance has its own rewards.
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reliance → have → rewards
The low-down
Atmosphere: Stripped back, dark and minimalist; definitely more bar than restaurant
Go-to dishes: Beef tartlet ($12); spanner crab rice cake ($26); braised short rib ($40)
Drinks: A truly wondrous sake selection, with seasonal releases and a focus on small breweries; fun looking cocktail list
Cost: About $120 for two, excluding drinks
Good Food reviews are booked anonymously and paid independently.
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reviews → strip → drinks
A restaurant can’t pay for a review or inclusion in the Good Food Guide.
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restaurant → pay → Guide
The Aporia
