Arrow Foodie: Review

Thursday, 7th June 2012 (Visit 1)
Friday, 22nd June 2012 (Visit 2)

Hashi
LG, 28 Wills Street
Melbourne

Cuisine: Japanese

Taste Rating: 7/10 Value Rating: 7/10

We went to Hashi for lunch. This Japanese cafe is in a quiet little street off La Trobe Street.

We chose a table big enough for three people. As I sat down, I had an Ohnosecond when I realised the table had a glass top. Memo to restauranters - "a glass top table does not a good restaurant table make"! Who can concentrate on lunch when you have to delicately arrange your feet? Unless you are a guy, or wearing long pants. :)

The menu had the usual Japanese dishes. The others ordered Oyako Don and Teriyaki Chicken Set. I spotted something different called 'Hamburger Steak Set' and couldn't resist ordering this just to see what a hamburger looks like in a Japanese place.

The Oyako Don was not a large serve but it had a good proportion of meat to rice. Other places tend to give a large amount of rice. The person who ordered it was quite happy with the taste. I thought the chicken was nice but a bit too salty.

The Teriyaki Chicken Set consisted of teriyaki chicken, a bowl of rice, salad, a bowl of miso soup, an orange and yellow vegetable side dish and green seaweed side dish. The person who ordered this set was quite happy with the meal, and was impressed with how fresh and healthy the salad looked. The teriyaki chicken sauce tasted sweet. The chicken was thigh meat of a good quality.

So what was the hamburger like? There were two small patties of minced beef that were juicy and quite tasty. They reminded me of hamburgers made at home. The sauce was a dark and thick teriyaki-like sauce. The set also had a bowl of rice, salad, a bowl of miso soup and the same two side dishes as for the Teriyaki Chicken Set. I like the green seaweed although it reminded me of the ones at many sushi takeaways and sushi train restaurants. Extras like green seaweed and marinated octopus are generally supplied pre-made and in bulk to these places.

We were happy with our meals, so two weeks later when we needed a quick lunch, we came here again. I ordered the Yakiniku Set which consisted of a sukiyaki-type beef as well as the typical Hashi set configuration of rice, salad, miso soup, green seaweed and vegetable side dish. The beef tasted fine but had too much onions with only a small amount of beef. I found two shards of bone fragments in the beef which was slightly unsettling as these could have been nasty if swallowed. I tried the Cha Siu Miso Ramen which is listed in the menu as 'Marinated Pork Noodle with Miso Soup'. The Cha Siu pork was tasty and mostly lean. As an aside, Char Siew in Chinese cuisine is BBQ pork with red marinade. There were fried tofu slices on top of the soup which were still crispy and "fluffy" - a nice touch.

Of the 43 items on the menu, 23 items had only names but no further information on the dishes. For example, we had to ask what 'Kobachi Set (Chief's (their spelling) choice) contained. This turned out to be mixed entrees as selected by the Chef.

Overall, this is a good place for a fast meal. It does not have the vibe of a Japanese eating place but the food we have tried is tasty and well presented, the environment is spacious and clean, and the staff are friendly.