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Hako Japanese Resturant

places|vic|melbourne|hako%20japanese%20resturant
This tiny, grey-walled eatery can be quite noisy when full, though it is popular for a reason. Chef Masahiro Hori (ex-Kuni's) menu far surpasses lunchtime bento boxes.

Editorial


Desgraves Street must be missing Hako, a lovely little Japanese restaurant that pulled up sticks in order to move to bigger digs in Flinders Lane. The setting at Hako is deceptively modest, which immediately puts you at ease. A bar gently snakes along one wall, from which cups of sake and glasses of wine are graciously ferried out to diners. Bare wooden tables sit upon a timber floor and light globes suspended from the high ceiling have the appearance of music notations hovering delicately in the air. There's something very Zen about Hako, perhaps because of it's total lack of pretentiousness.

There are separate lunch and dinner menus, complemented by daily specials which are scrawled on paper and pinned up on the walls. If the decor is modest, the food isn't. This is food to boast about, with every detail being attended to with care and imagination. The bento boxes waltz out of the kitchen during the lunch rush - choose from salmon, chicken or vegetarian. For something more substantial, dig into a Japanese hot pot or slices of beef with garlic teriyaki sauce. Dinner is a more formal experience, similar to what you might expect from a polished restaurant in Japan. Stay tuned for the developments on the plans to transform the downstairs area at Hako into a bar with its own unique atmosphere and menu.

Rita Erlich, May 2008

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