Japan street culture has landed in Windsor with the opening of Tokyo Tina, the third venue from the team behind beloved South Side eateries Hanoi Hannah and Saigon Sally (Simon Blacher, Paul Nguyen, and Nic Coulter). While Hanoi Hannah and Saigon Sally focus more on the Vietnamese cuisine, as the name obviously suggests Tokyo Tina takes to Japan for her menu. The space keeps things simple so the food can speak for itself.
The team took off to Japan to make sure they were nailing just what’s happening in Japan at the moment. The result? Something a little different to the standard sushi, sashimi, and teriyaki chicken you see in a lot of Japanese restaurants around Melbourne at the moment. Plus a few touches of fusion thrown in there. Think Korean ribs and tempura jalapeños.
Let’s talk food. Start with Port Lincoln kingfish ceviche served with wasabi, apple, and charcoal cone, a serve of the tempura jalapeño and smoked chicken, or maybe the poached chicken salad with edamame, mizuna, and wombok.
For something a little larger, either head to the grill section and get your hands on a whole chicken served with gochujang and coleslaw, or perhaps a t-bone steak, served with smoked nori butter, and yuzukoshō salsa.
There is already a lot of hype surrounding the ramen here. You can go classic with tonkotsu base, roasted pork belly, 63 degree egg, and spring onion, or something a little different with blue crab, pickled bamboo, corn, and chilli. It also wouldn’t surprise us if the soba noodle bowl of tempura sweet potato, sesame beef, and kale starts to get its own following.
Dessert looks good with a banana mousse served with salted caramel parfait, and macaron. Leave room. If choice is too much, you can just go “All In” for $47 a head and get the chef’s favourite dishes including dessert.
Don’t worry, you won’t go thirsty. There’s a solid list of Japanese beers, sake, whisky, cocktails and of course wines. Whatever your poison, you’ll be taken care of.
If you like people watching while you eat grab a spot on the street during the warmer months, or maybe at the bar to watch all the action.
Tokyo Tina
66 Chapel St Windsor, VIC
(03) 9939 5182
www.tokyotina.com.au
