I've been meaning to try Lilotang since it opened in January. Month after month there was a tentative plan, a special occasion, some murmurs of interest from friends, but in the end work and life got in the way. Finally after 5 months of planning, I made it. On a chilly Tuesday night, I drove and parked at Hotel Realm (free parking after 4:30pm - who knew?). On approaching the entrance, the invisible cloud of charcoal grilled everything permeated around and whet my appetite. The inside decor is a nice combination of cosy, modern, refined, mixed with a little Japanese manga and text.
Sake-tini (Junmai nihonshu sake, dry gin, citrus twist) and ota shuzo 'dokan umeshu' started off proceedings. I'm quite familiar with Choya umeshu, so being able to finally try another one was exciting. This recommended umeshu had a much lighter flavour and body, and as such very easy to drink.
There's a good selection of foods of which the grilled items tended to pique the most interest.
- (complimentary) shichimi grilled edamame - excellent rendition of the usually boiled beans, with this one chargrilled and topped with spicy shichimi;
- Umami-jime Snapper Sashimi (with josephine pear, heirloom tomato) $15 - very clean fish with delicate softness and the slight chew that characterises snapper sashimi. Instead of soy and wasabi, the slightly tart pear sauce gave it a more refined and less overpowered touch;
- Nagoya-style Quail Kara-age (with sweet sansho soy) $18 - the classic kara-age chicken is replaced by a more juicy and succulent bird coated in thin crispy batter laden with sesame seeds. An excellent snack;
- Pork Belly Skewers (with yuzu kosho miso) $16 - excellent chargrilled pork belly slices topped with a thick citrus miso paste. The meat and fat layers weren't easily discernible so just eat the lot and enjoy the flavour;
- Roast Umami Root Vegetables (with orange miso in orange pot) $12 - interesting presentation in a hollowed out orange filled with cubed vegetables (daikon, radish, eggplant etc.) and a orange miso sauce. The sauce is excellent and enhanced further by squeezing some juice from the orange lid. My only issue was this was served prior to the mains, meaning I couldn't mix the vegetables and sauce with rice.
After a brief intermission, it was time for mains.
- Black Cod Saikyo Miso Yaki $32 - I had this first at Nobu in Tokyo. As good as that was, this one is better (and cheaper). The cod is immaculately cooked to soft tender perfection. The miso seems much milder than the Nobu counterpart. Outstanding;
- Chargrilled Wagyu Sirloin (with herb miso) $48 - after the meal at 511 in Tokyo (http://eatlikeushi.posthaven.com/511-tokyo-01-2012) , I realised the only way to eat wagyu was grilled sirloin. This is best one I've had elsewhere. The meat was medium-rare with 2 pieces meltingly soft and another 2 a bit more chewy (presumably the side parts). The meat had a wonderful flavour that I've found lacking in steaks recently, which is why I stopped ordering them;
- Kaki-age Tempura Rice $3.5 - rice was a bit too moist on this day (felt more like sushi rice). The vegetable tempura on top is a nice touch;
- Cauliflower (with walnut dengaku miso) $8 - strong umami grilled cauliflower texturally varied by the walnuts.
There was an extreme case of fullness within me. After a few deep breaths and sitting forward with elbows on the table, a little extra space for dessert was created.
- Sticky Mochi-mochi Tofu with Green Tea Ice-cream $12.5 - very unusual type of tofu being a balance between the usually thick, sticky mochi and thin tofu. The flavour on its own is a little odd but mixes well with the other elements. The green tea ice-cream is exceptionally flavoured and strong;
- Roast Persimmon, Yuzu ice-cream (with walnuts & umeshu) $15 - very refined ice-cream with subtle citrus sourness drawn from the yuzu. Served on a ridiculously hot plate. Watch your fingers!
Overall the food at Lilotang is outstanding. Of the Asian restaurants in Canberra, it sits equivalent to Lanterne Rooms. It's better than Malamay, Chairman & Yip, Akiba and Wild Duck. Of the rest, I'd only pick Akiba over Lilotang for the location (if you were in the city) or you wanted a more rowdy place. But for quality of food, Lilotang is the place to select.
(I won't mention price comparisons because in reality all are expensive.)
Next time I would order again the quail, pork belly skewers, miso cod and Wagyu. Dishes I haven't tried but are focussed on the chargrill would be next, including baby octopus, ox tongue (one of my favourites usually), pork ribs or prawns (as a cheaper alternative to the Wagyu) and cabbage.