Tempura Hajime: The Small Restaurant Serving Big Flavour
In 2009, lovers of traditional Japanese food, prepared the way it should be, got lucky.
For those craving a small Tempura venue, one new restaurant was worth its weight in gold.
Enter Tempura Hajime.
Born from Shigeo, a chef with over 20 years in Japanese culinary expertise, Melbourne was to wait no longer.
How would this restaurant be described?
Small on space. Big on flavour.
What an understatement!
What this venue lacks in room, it makes up for ten-fold, but let’s face facts. True Japanese food diners are a tough crowd.
They know what they want and understand the reasons why even more.
This restaurant may have those diners, and everyone else, nodding their heads with approval.
A great experience in conjunction with excellent food. But is it enough? Do diners these days also look for an X factor?
What they find here is an establishment with all three.
Tempura Hajime is proof that good things do come in small packages.
Where Tranquillity Reigns
Take your time when visiting this restaurant. Hurrying doesn’t exist inside these walls.
The food deserves it, and the surroundings make it impossible.
This is a small 12-person venue. If that is a discouragement for diners expecting something livelier, there are plenty of others to satisfy that need.
This is its point of different and all who go there are glad of it.
But it doesn’t stop at simply the interiors.
Tempura Hajime boasts an impressive and extensive set of Chef’s Hat awards which probably explains diner’s initial interest.
A well rewarded restaurant often draws those wanting to see for themselves, which is quite understandable and primarily born from the “what’s all the fuss about” mindset.
It isn’t long before guests soon receive the answer.
Seasonal Japanese Delights
Menus change here with the seasonal availability and so they should. We all have become aware that the best food is seasonal. Fresh and treated with care with a further understanding of flavours, with a few interesting ingredients thrown in, will keep diners coming to this establishment again and again.
While the uninitiated may see tempura as an occasionally treat, this is far from fried food indulgence.
Light and moreish with the salads, soups, raw fish and seaweed cutting through any thoughts of the food here being “naughty.”
The good news is that both lunch and dinner are presented at Tempura Hajime so for first timers, a lunchtime experience may be your first move into the wonderful world of Japanese culinary excellence here.
It won’t be your last.
The selection covers all diners will need to spend some time away from it all during a work break, or when visiting South Melbourne for the day.
Try the Tempura set with its fresh seafood and vegetables. Served with Miso soup, salad and rice it’s the perfect light meal.
For lovers of raw fish try the tasty and super fresh Sashimi Set.
For those with more of an appetite definitely go for the Sashimi and sushi set or the Sashimi Combination Platter.
The Nori rolls alone are worth the reservation.
If you thought Lunch was a hard decision, make a booking for dinner.
More of the same except more.
Omakase Tempura course consists of an appetiser, sashimi you will come to expect from anywhere else you may venture, tempura (the reason you’re there) and a Japanese refreshment.
From there you may like the Omakase Tempura and Sushi course. A clearly purposeful selection of sushi designed to leave you wanting more.
Like all good restaurants should.
Varieties of fresh fish are included in this course, should you choose to accept the mission.
They atop ridiculously perfectly seasoned, separated rice (is cute rice a culinary term? It is now) and not too salty Nori rolls.
The clear winner here is Marbled Japanese Wagyu beef sushi.
This only adds to the evening’s meal. Its freshness, cooked to perfection it what this particular cut of beef should be.
In a quiet and unassuming venue, Tempura Hajime has drawn diners with a love of a more intimate setting, fine Japanese food cooked with flare and clear know-how.
Diners have likened this restaurant to “Dinner with a Show.” That’s not far off from being exactly what it is.
For those wondering, the hospitality, service and personable nature of the staff is the cherry on top.
Where: 60 Park Street South Melbourne VIC 3205
Cuisine: Japanese, sushi, tempura
Bookings: (03) 9696 0051
Check out the latest and greatest restaurants for your next dining experience. Don’t forget to take along your Good Food gift card.