Ignore the window display at the entrance. It's like a tacky still life and bears no resemblance to the experience you'll have once inside. Duck through the discreet doorway on Symonds St and you'll find yourself in the sleek, modern, softly lit space that is Kazuya Restaurant. There's dark wood and concrete and tables covered with crisp white linen, an air of serenity pervades and, though it seats no more than 30 diners, the soaring stud means it avoids feeling stuffy.
The owner and head chef is Japanese-born Kazuya Yamauchi and his food is an interesting mix of European, reflecting his many years spent in Italian kitchens, inspired by his Japanese upbringing. And it is excellent.
The menu indicates you can go a la carte or set menu, of five, seven or nine courses. What we rather liked was the wait staff assuring us that the set menus weren't drawn-out affairs and that we could take them as fast or slow as we pleased, it was up to us. This was a theme throughout the night, with Kazuyu pitching it just right between not being too reverent, yet maintaining the sense of ceremony all the same. We opted for the seven-course seasonal menu to celebrate spring and off we went.
Some of the most terrific bread, baked in-house, arrived with hand-churned butter to tide us over before our first dish arrived - a tentatively salty diamond clam covered in coconut foam with tiny lime jelly cubes. What a delicious palate opener.
