Address: 13 St Mary's Rd
Phone: (09) 360 0021
The flavours of the Oriental pannacotta with kaffir lime and lemongrass and a citrus caramel sauce were so fresh as to be almost explosive.
The ginger and white miso creme brulee was fragrant and the green tea icecream and plum wine sorbet could wake the most jaded palate. The black sesame icecream was something of a revelation - to say nothing of the cinnamon spiced chocolate banana spring rolls.
The alert reader may have noticed that we are starting from the end here but the dessert offerings at Soto illustrate perfectly why this restaurant, which describes its food as new style Japanese cuisine, seems to be so successful.
The diner can pick three choices from an exotic list, each intriguing on the menu and each delivering the goods on arrival. They are also presented with the elegance which was a hallmark of all the dishes we ate here, the icecreams being served in sweet little wooden boxes. At the other end of the menu we had started with a similar variety.
Everybody's doing it, as the old song goes, and they have succumbed to the all-conquering label by describing their zensai listing as Japanese tapas. But here the little bites are very distinctive and very pretty. I usually can't quite see the attraction of calamari but at Soto it was tender and delicious. The little beef tataki were delightful, the spoon of fish with salmon caviar blended delicacy with flavour and the prawn cocktail with witloof blended East and West.
Inevitably, not every mouthful from this variety was to our individual tastes but almost everything was interesting. We had wondered if the zensai platter, at $40 for two, might mean that we would switch to what they describe as light servings, such as a seared beef salad, fried tofu or the prawn and filo tempura. But having similarly dismissed the sushi and sashimi, tempting though they looked on other people's plates, we certainly had room for two of the more substantial mains.
The grilled toothfish, presumably one missed by the Russian illegal fishermen, was marinated in miso, which gave it a distinctive flavour but without destroying the quality of the fish. This was a generous portion, particularly by Japanese standards, served with burdock steamed rice and a decorated salad. I was able easily to resist the call of the tofu, flirted with the steamed pork belly but went for the seafood toban, a hot plate number with morsels simmering in a visually appealing and pleasant tasting pink miso broth.
Most of the bites were good but the treatment didn't do the scallops much of a favour, turning them into a mush. Then it was on to the tasting platter selection for the desserts, to end a memorable meal.
The wine list is extensive although there could be a few more choices by the glass. There is also a long sake list, which I'm not qualified to judge but given the attention to detail I would guess it's a good one. Amid this quality, which does not come cheap, it was rather surprising to find the service patchy.
We were shown to our table promptly but then sat for rather too long watching people bustle around with no real sense that they were dealing to essentials. Only vigorous eyebrow waving won us a drink and a menu and I had to attract attention too often.
The staff were exquisitely polite but I'd have welcomed a bit more speed.
Rating out of 10
Food: 8
Service: 6
Value: 7
Ambience: 8
Our meal: $188 for a shared starter platter, two main courses, two dessert tasting platters and one bottle of wine.
Wine list: Extensive but not cheap, plus a sake list.
Verdict: Stylish and distinctive food in a pleasing setting.
