Yaki Niku (Malvern) 03/2011

Yakiniku literally translates as 'grilled meat'. Shin, our amiable Korean waiter told us that this form of dining is now all the rage in Japan. We're not surprised. The way it is interpreted in restaurants is to marinate meat, fish or vegetables and bring them to the table where guests put them on metal grids over hot coals and cook their own meals.
Yaki Niku at 16n Glenferie Rd. has a long neat row of tables set with decorative paper mats,
and with over head heaters.
The menu includes entrees and grills as well as some a la carte dishes. We started with a miso soup ($2.5)
followed by tempura prawn
and grilled silken tofu.
The tofu was lightly covered with a sweetish mild teryaki sauce, well matched to the delicacy of the tofu. The prawns however, were a disappointment. The were actually crumbed and not in tempura batter and the dipping sauce did nothing for them.
A large pot of glowing coals was now placed on the table under the overhead heater
and a grate placed over it.
We had ordered a plate of noodles with vegetables to eat with the grills
and the leaf salad that comes with them.
Shin now brought these to the table with two half inch thick slices of quite excellent meat, which he cut up, while they cooked, with scissors, into bite size pieces and a plate of pork belly marinated in garlic, onion, fruits and sweet soy sauce.


He brought a fresh grate for the pork.
We finished the meal with a black sesame and a green tea ice cream which were particularly good.

This was a real fun meal but more than that it was very good food. the cuts of meat were beyond complaint, the marinade was excellent the service friendly (We were the only ones there at the time!!) and the place was spotless. It's quite inexpensive, entrees mostly about $6 to $10, mains $15 to $20, except waghu and desserts $5.5. The have a small wine list and BYO. We were disappointed that there were no Korean or Japanese wines on their list but the place has only been open about 4 months so they are constantly improving.
Shin's brother is in the kitchen and together they make a good team.
It's wise to book for the grills so they can have the coals ready.
Score: 14.5/20