Wabi Sabi Salon

Wabi Sabi Salon
94 Smith Street Collingwood VIC 3066 ph: 9417 6119

Oh my god!

My housemate Dan raved about Wabi Sabi and I'd walked past, slowing curiously as I walked by, a million times, but until last night - I had never actually been there! I am so glad I did though because it really was delicious.


I've gotten into the habit lately of checking reviews prior to going to a restaurant. This is what I did before going to Wabi Sabi. I was suprised, however, to find that the three or four reviews that I skimmed through centred on the 'ambience' and aesthetic quality of the restaurant rather than focusing on the food.

But Wabi Sabi's website has a menu so i knew before walking in that I'd be in for a modern interpretation of traditional japanese cuisine. The first thing I noticed when we walked in was how packed it was for such a small space. You can understand immediately why so many have remarked on the ambience - it certainly is quirky chic, but without the intended pretention so many restaurants pay a bundle to achieve.

You MUST make a reservation before rocking up. For a tuesday - this place was booked out.

The food.

Everything looks good! We settled on the following not really sure what to expect with such non-traditional cuisine.

Edamame
Spicy Squid
Sweet potato and chickpea croquettes
Grilled prawns with zucchini and shitake mushrooms
Tuna Steak in miso broth
Sashimi
Duck

For four people I think we ordered expertly. We started with miso soup (great home-made taste), edamame (fresh and salty) and bottles of kiran, before digging into some tapas.

We ordered a serve of the spicy squid and the duck dish (i think it was good?). The spicy squid was amazing (first photo)! The mayo that accompanied it was superb and it had just the right amount of tang. I love it when you eat out and find a dish which you know you could never recreate at home. Try as we might we couldn't pick the seasoning and spices used! Would go back for a second serve right now.

The croquettes were lovely and crisp on the outside and fluffy on the inside, the dipping relish was delicious and sweet. Even the little salad was yummy and well dressed.

Again, we were suprised when the tuna came out - a big hotpot dish with about four steaks of tuna with some vegies and a sweet syrup broth. The tuna steak was fantastic, the broth being very thick and sweet made the steaks look like red meat - excellent value for sure.

The prawns were juicy and marinated to perfection (second photo), again I don't think I could pick all the ingredients.

Really, I don't think you could find a better modern japanese restaurant on Smith street, or even in tne city for better value. I like Coccoro Pottery and Cafe (also on Smith) for something very traditional but for a contemporary feast you can't deny Wabi Sabi is in the running.

To finish, the sashimi was delicious and presented so well (third photo) - I'd never seen sashimi served so creatively, although it certainly fresh I must say I didn't enjoy it as much as the other dishes. The second sashimi we had, was a pan seared white fish with a soy ginger dipping sauce.

Oh --- I almost forgot we ordered a dessert platter with a creme brulet, black sesame icecream and ... GREEN TEA BAKED CHEESE CAKE!!!

Tapas: Between $7-15
Mains $15-3o
Dessert $5-16