Even if you have clear ideas about what a restaurant at the rear of a Lexus showroom might look and feel like, chances are Omotenashi will defy them in almost every way. At this unlikeliest of 10-seat counter set-ups, young dynamos Sophie Pope and Lachlan Colwill present a highly personal vision of the kaiseki meal, anchored by intimate knowledge of Japanese technique and Tasmanian produce. Throughout the evening, the couple takes turns cooking and serving, topping up smartly paired sakes and telling stories about the Edo-era lacquerware. If there’s a running theme, it’s impeccable ingredients treated with monastic simplicity: resplendent crayfish sashimi and high-toned ponzu; peak-ripe figs and tomatoes tossed through dashi jelly; a spot-on broad-bean miso soup. Even a humble bowl of rice is taken to a higher plane with yellow-eye mullet and mustard cress. In lesser hands, this might all be stale and self-regarding. Instead, it’s improbable, inspired and downright incredible.
