KOME
Cuisine: Japanese
Address: Commercial Bay, 1 Queen St
Phone: (09) 212 9589
Reservations: Accepted
Drinks: Fully licensed
From the menu: Ebi mayo roll $26, eggplant tempura $21, agedashi tofu $14, salmon fillet $35, beef tataki $21, cucumber salad $10
Rating: 15/20
Score: 0-7 Steer clear. 8-12 Disappointing, give it
The Quay St edge of Commercial Bay isn’t the perfect place for a restaurant but you can make it work. At the excellent Gochu they’ve now installed a full-length dark sheer curtain to add privacy to the main dining space, so even though it’s separated from its own kitchen by a shopping mall walkway, you don’t feel so disconnected once you’ve actually sat down. By the time you’re eating their wonderful food you might as well be on Ponsonby Rd.
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Advertise with NZME.Next door at Kome they have the advantage of two seating areas and although one of them, a decent nook next to the kitchen, looked marginally more cosy, the restaurant manager was keen to nudge us into a window table which has a lovely, unobstructed view of the old ferry building, even if all that that glass on a cold night makes the temperature seem lower than it is.
The lighting is harsh - bright, pendant downlights have the effect of illuminating the human face’s bumps and contours, while casting shadows over its pocks and caverns. And service is casual - after leaving you alone for five or 10 minutes a server wanders over with an iPad and says “what can I get you?”. There’s no explanation of the menu or inquiry as to what you’re in the mood for - no offer of a drink before you order food. While none of this is a dealbreaker (and the food to come is very good), a useful general service note might be “look for opportunities to be less like McDonalds”.
After that slow start, the drinks came first and fast. We’d been stuck with what to order and, with little guidance forthcoming, had opted for a signature cocktail and a sparkling sake. The latter was wonderful - if you ever see it on a menu, grab it, and if you aren’t sure whether sake is for you this a lovely gateway (Kome is technically a sake bar but apart from a decent list of them there’s little about the restaurant that feels geared towards this typically alcohol-forward experience). The winelist is thoughtful and the “Frozen Lemon Highball” cocktail tasted good - served in a cold copper cup, it reminded me of a Moscow Mule though was technically shochu (a clear spirit) with a citrusy Japanese soft drink to mix.
They’ve taken a “bit of everything” approach to the food which will please most people. Some sashimi, some sushi, some fried stuff and some big main-size proteins make up the bulk of the menu, with a “super ramen” soup available if that’s what you’re in the mood for.
Without any strong suggestions from our waiter we ordered the best-looking thing at the table next to us which was a kind of prawn sushi “(ebi mayo roll” is what it’s called on the menu) which tasted just as good as we thought it would. Rolled uramaki (or inside-out) style, the combo of good sushi rice and deep-fried prawn was irresistible with a spicy mayo drizzled over the top and a sprinkling of colourful garnishes.
I’m not sure what stage of a rolling banquet the sushi is meant to arrive but I was surprised to see the beef tataki, in a delicious but pretty full-on sesame-based sauce, dropped at our table alongside a spicy cucumber salad before any of the lighter dishes had appeared: no biggie, but another opportunity to be intentional rather than to look like you haven’t really thought about it.
Eggplant tempura was heavier than expected - more fish ‘n’ chip shop-style than Tokyo-style. It was glazed in something sweet and spicy listed as “amatare” on the menu though I can’t find this term used elsewhere on earth, so I’m not sure of the origin.
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Advertise with NZME.For mains you can choose from various grilled proteins. We chose the salmon steak which was served with a tangy and slightly sweet sauce: yuzu den miso on the menu. Salmon tastes richer the more you cook it and though I would have preferred it a little underdone in the centre, Victoria found it perfect. It would have been great with a side of good rice but we didn’t order any and, to be honest, we were feeling pretty stuffed by then anyway.
A water jug and two empty cups sat on our table for the entirety of the meal: they either have a policy not to top you up themselves, or they forgot.
A table of six friends near us ordered a bunch of things and seemed to enjoy their catch-up. Having endured a group dinner recently where the waiter would not stop interrupting us to make conversation about what we were eating, I can see the appeal of being left alone.
But having put so much into the design and content of the menu, having boldly launched a “sake bar” in a city that doesn’t have many, having decided that sister restaurant Yume near Vic Park will be just the start of a successful empire, you wonder why the owners aren’t trying a little harder to make a table at Kome irresistible.
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