Koji Wine & Gourmet

By EWAN MCDONALD for Viva

Koji Murato, a slight, middle-aged Japanese man in traditional European chef's whites, brought the dessert - pear, poached in red wine, with icecream - to the table. "Tonight I have chosen nashi pears because they are the best variety available at this time of year," he said gravely. "The icecream is made in New Zealand with real vanilla beans."

Gulped and gone to heaven. This was what every Kiwi kid who's ever licked a cone of hokey-pokey wants when they grow up. And the pear: drenched in the wine, it fizzed on the tongue, then the fruit crunched in.
In the charming little first-floor dining-room that has been home to several previous restaurants, Murato has hit upon an intriguing, sometime even astonishing combination of tastes and cooking styles that draws from both Italian and Japanese traditions, and pleases palates that are accustomed to either.

His beef carpaccio is classic Italian: slivers of eye fillet, Murato's own astringent dressing, rocket salad and parmesan. Alongside it on the menu, a tofu salad tower, tofu pan-fried and sandwiched with chicken teriyaki and salmon fillet, the salad dressed with a sweet and spicy chilli sauce.

Murato crosses the continents with his mains. Chicken breast is stuffed with minced prawn and vegetable, a plum cream sauce for piquancy. His version of the good ol' Kiwi lamb rack sees the meat marinated in soya sauce and sake, separated into cutlets and topped with a herb sauce and sesame seeds, served on udon noodles, though both our mains were a few degrees cooler than we'd expect them to be served.

Since his 36-seat restaurant is popular with Japanese diners, he offers traditional dishes like umagi (basted and grilled eel) and kushiage (deep-fried kebabs). And for those who can't decide or want to taste everything, Murato offers his food as the Omakase dinner, many small courses for two diners for either $50 or $75.

The chef will bring meals to the table and return to talk about them, adding to the personal, informed service from his wife, Nobu, that will be familiar to devotees of their earlier Sushi Cafe in Remuera.

This restaurant doesn't only take great care with the food, it gets extremely serious about the wine. Murato offers a list of 200 contemporary New Zealand reds and whites, available in 75ml tastes, 150ml glasses or by the bottle, and a stunning collector's cellar of multiple vintages of our classics.

Like Point 5 Nine, reviewed last week, here is a small restaurant just off the regular strips where a chef has carefully put together a unique menu, and succeeds.

Hours: Dinner Tuesday-Sunday, Lunch Tuesday-Friday

Food: Japanese fusion

Owners: Koji and Nobu Murato

Chef: Koji Murato

Smoking: Smokefree

Wine: 200-plus NZ gems

Noise: Dum dum doo . . . pick the 70s movie theme

Cost (mains for two): $50

Vegetarian: Nothing purely vegetarian - but do ask

Bottom line: In a serene dining-room above Newmarket's bustle, a passionate Japanese chef and his charming maitre d' wife present carefully constructed food that respects Japanese and Italian traditions and Kiwi innovation, with an outstanding cellar of NZ wines.

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