In a city full of hidden laneway restaurants, Yamato is the lane-ist of them all.
You head down narrow Little Bourke Street, where you can hardly have two people walking abreast as they cross. Then turn down Corrs Lane, a cobblestone path smelling of various rubbishy odours intermingled with the aromas of different cuisines emanating from the tightly packed restaurants. Right at the end of the cul-de-sac, like a Hansel and Gretel gingerbread apparition, is the standalone building housing Yamato.
What I enjoy most about Yamato (other than the laneway approach) is the rustic food served in an authentically tiny Japanese setting. The cosy private room and the economy-class tables for two are straight out of the back streets of Kyoto and the menu covers Japanese home-cooking dishes that most people would be familiar with – sushi, sashimi, dons, noodles, stir fries and hotpots.
V and I had an early dinner consisting of a nabeyaki udon for me and the salmon steak with steamed rice for her. We started off with a complimentary bowl of cleansing seaweed salad. My nabeyaki was a claypot heaped with sliced beef, vegetables, a spear of prawn tempura, fat udon and a raw egg which collapsed into the steaming broth – a healthy balanced meal full of protein, veges and carbs. V’s sizzling salmon steak had a simple accompaniment of shredded vegetables and the dish was full of fresh flavour thanks to the ‘special homemade’ soy-based sauce. We felt very virtuous as we washed down our nutritious meals with cups of green tea.
The service was friendly and they didn’t give us the evil eye even when the queues of students started to increase (BYO wine may partly explain its popularity). The meal came to $35 for two of us and we stepped out into the night happy and healthy.
I can’t wait to return for Yamato’s lunchbox specials, which I’m told are the same tasty good value as their a la carte menu – have you tried any of them?
I think I went here when I was still a student! Might be time for a revisit…
Ha, I love Yamato, I believe it is the oldest Japanese restaurant in Melbourne as well.
I used to basically live between here and Ants when I worked at Euro.
Ants! Now there’s somewhere else that I haven’t been in a while. Though last time I just remember eating plate after plate of fried food…
OOO, sounds like i’ll be adding this place to my wishlist too! =)
Ah, never heard of this place! Good spotting, I’m off to check it out!
They do the yummiest agedashi tofu there!
Hi Jackie
Thanks! Will have to check it out next time.
Jetsetting Joyce
salmon steak, nasu dengaku, tofu steak are my faves!
they use to have this umeshu, with the real plum, and was really good. but too bad they don’t have it now
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