This is small plate territory, split basically into a raw and cooked section. From the raw we started with a crayfish ceviche, a dish that made a little go a long way but which demonstrated the virtues of the food here; fresh, subtle and memorable flavours. The taste of the cray was, perhaps, subdued by the citrus tang of the yazu dressing and the butter but the overall effect was delicious.
It's tempting but tedious to try to describe every detail of the rest of our initial five dishes but the spiced chicken mince in the baked eggplant deserves a reference. And I won't forget the spiced kaarage duck leg (think of a sophisticated KFC). Then there was the interesting onsen egg, a sort of sous-vide slow-cooked poached job, with shiitake mushrooms, not to mention the teriyaki rice porridge with steamed snapper ...
Five dishes were, probably, enough between two but I find it hard to resist gyoza and the pork versions in our additional orders were excellent. The crisp little apple and fennel salad which came with our slow-roasted salmon made a refreshing end to a meal that gave us pleasure. The choice of four desserts including a soy-milk custard with plum-wine jelly and yuzu sorbet looked interesting but we were defeated.
If you are not conversant with all the Japanese food influences, and I'm not, the staff, low-key and friendly, are well-versed in either explaining it or finding someone who can.
As an evening for a couple we enjoyed it but for our next visit, and there will be another one, I will go for a bigger group, probably with one of their set banquet menus, which seem to offer good value.
Our meal: $163.50 for seven dishes and four glasses of wine.
Wine list: A good list of sakes, well explained, and a wine list mostly of sound New Zealand provenance.
Verdict: Interesting food in a lively, casual but polished place, equally good for the intimate pair or the bigger crowd.