Colournary’s December Cheat Sheet
Words by Quincy Malesovas. Photographs by Learncy Paul.
Welcome to our monthly cheat sheet, where we do the legwork of finding a great spot to eat for you. Learn more about secret menu items, must-eat dishes, what to pair with your food, and, most importantly, the wonderful people behind each venue.
For our December edition, pull up a seat at Kura, Jeow and Moroccan Soup Bar.
Kura
Tucked at the bottom of an apartment complex on Lygon Street, Brunswick East, Kura is home to an incredible selection of sake and hard-to-find skewers, cooked over a charcoal parrilla grill.
Chef Ken Ibuki’s father started one of Melbourne’s first Japanese eateries in the 1960s and Ken’s carried on the legacy at his yakitori-centric eatery. If you ask nicely (and the restaurant’s not too busy), he can also whip you up some sushi, his family specialty.
According to Ken and drinks manager Michael Setiadi, here’s your cheat sheet to dining at Kura.
What’s a non-negotiable dish for first-timers?
Intercostal [a cut of beef sourced from between the ribs] and tsukune [a Japanese style of chicken meatball] would be the two main skewers to order. I don't mean to brag, but I haven’t seen intercostal at another yakitori restaurant in Melbourne.
Also, the cherry tomatoes with whipped tofu. We individually peel the tomatoes one by one.
Do you have any off-menu specials?
Something I can always do would be chochin. It’s the unlaid egg of the chicken, essentially the embryo, which I attach to yakitori.
Every now and then, I might have something I'm working on that I could probably whip out. At the moment, it’s a butterfly king prawn with yuzu kosho butter. And when we're really, really quiet, I can do some sushi. I came from a sushi background at Kisume and Nobu and my dad’s a sushi chef as well, so it's something I don’t want to lose.
What sake would you suggest pairing?
The Kotonowa Tokubetsu Junmai works really well with the beef. It’s from Okayama, the home of Japanese denim.
I would pair the [Tori Label from Nakashima Sake Brewery] with any skewer. It’s a bit cleaner and brighter. We’re the only restaurant in Victoria to have this label.
Visit https://www.kuramelbourne.com.au/ to make a booking now, or find Kura at Shop 1/22/30 Lygon St, Brunswick East VIC 3057.
Jeow
After closing their beloved Vietnamese restaurant Anchovy earlier this year (with plans to open in a new location in 2023), owners Thi Le and Jia-Yen “JY” Lee quickly reopened Jeow in its place.
Inspired by the Laotian-Australian eateries of Melbourne and Sydney, the couple offer their own spin on Laotian cuisine, which they describe as a backbone of their food at Anchovy and its casual sibling, Ca Com.
According to JY, here’s your cheat sheet to dining at Jeow.
What’s a non-negotiable dish for first-timers?
The steamed tapioca pearls. In Laotian, it’s called sakoo yat sai. We don't do it how it's normally done, which is with pork mince and peanuts. Ours is made with Jerusalem artichokes and cashews. We’re not just doing what's been done before, but understanding the dish and pulling it apart.
What’s a plate that’s less popular, but deserves to be?
The raw beef salad [laap diip] would be my pick. It’s normally done with tripe and cow bile is added to it. We don’t add it to ours because it’s such an acquired taste, but the use of all aspects of the animal and the herbaceous components of the dish really represent what Laotian cuisine is. It's something I always encourage guests to try.
What wine would you suggest pairing?
The cuisine’s got a lot of spice and herbs but is also really light, so I look for something that doesn’t throw its balance off. At the moment, what I’m enjoying is a Mortellito Grillo from Sicily. It’s got acidity and salinity to complement the different aspects of the dish, but it's also got this green tea back palate.
Visit https://www.jeow.net.au/ to make a booking now, or find Jeow at 338 Bridge Rd, Richmond VIC 3121.
Moroccan Soup Bar (pop-up until December 17)
Moroccan Soup Bar is an institution not just as an early adopter of vegetarianism, but a platform for cultural exchange and activism through food. The original location devastatingly closed earlier this year but has recently reemerged in North Melbourne as a takeaway hub and temporary pop-up, running Thursday through Saturday evenings until December 17.
“More important than ever is not only our relationship to social and community justice, but our commitment to it and our preservation of those values,” says owner Hana Assafiri. “We will continue to do that in hospitality for as long as it resonates with our communities.”
According to Hana, here’s your cheat sheet to dining at Moroccan Soup Bar.
What’s a non-negotiable dish for first-timers?
The chickpea bake because it's so vastly different than anything else. Different parts of the Middle East will have different versions, some make the bread soggy or put meat on top, but this is our take on the Moroccan vegetarian version that’s become a Melbourne favourite. People travel miles for it.
Do you have any off-menu specials?
People often come in with food intolerances or allergies and we’ll need to whip something up on the spot, which we’re happy to do. Zaalouk, Moroccan eggplant with capsicum and tomato, is one of the dishes we can make but it really depends on what people need.
We’re also doing green okra at the moment. A lot of people don’t even know what it is but it can really be a hero of any meal if cooked well – married with coriander, garlic, tomato, onion, and lightly sealed before being cooked into a stew with a drizzle of pomegranate syrup and some rice next to it.
What beverage would you suggest pairing?
We do mint tea that’s complementary as people come in. The idea is to replicate an experience of being at a cafe in Morocco and officially it's non-alcoholic. Everything gets discussed over mint tea. Sales happen, arguments happen, weddings, divorces, everything.
Visit https://www.moroccansoupbar.com.au/home to make a booking now, or find Moroccan Soup Bar’s Pop-Up until December 17, 2022 at 47-51 Boundary Rd, North Melbourne VIC 3051.