Ha-Lu (yah!)

Mr K and I have been to Ha-Lu on Oxford St (Scarborough Beach Rd end) a few times, but the last two times we have rocked up without a reservation we have been turned away (even though once it was at 6pm for an early dinner and the place was EMPTY, literally…). The Cinnamon Club has been getting the fall-out business because of it’s geographical proximity (and the food is fabulous but that’s another story). We decided to give it one more try before we gave up, and last night, on a rainy Wednesday, they let us eat there.

The fit-out is modern and unobtrusive, the chairs are comfortable (although they tend to shriek terribly when moved across the wooden floor), and the service is excellent. We both love Japanese food, the emphasis on fresh ingredients and clean flavours draws us back to good Japanese restaurants again and again, but Ha-Lu is slightly different in that it is more of a tapas-style arrangement. The menu states that most parties order 2-3 dishes per person, and from our experience this is about right. We started by ordering the Special of the Day – Tuna Tataki with a citrus soy sauce, Agedashi Tofu, Crumbed Oysters, Dorper Lamb Cutlets and Okonomi-yaki.

The wine list is adequate, if not particularly thrilling, and on previous visits we have had the Alkoomi Sauvignon Blanc ($41) which is unobtrusive with the style of food. This time we ordered a bottle of Otuwhero O:Tu Sauvignon Blanc ($44, Marlborough NZ), just for a change. It was more mineral toned than fruit, and contrasted well with the mouth feel of some of the dishes we ordered. I would like to try their Shochu or Sake menu (which is extensive), but the waitperson put us on the spot so we went with the wine by default.

The Tuna Tataki ($14) was just warm, the tuna meaty and tender and the citrus soy sauce tangy but not over-powering. I could have used a little wasabi mayo for dipping variety, but I could justify wasabi mayo with just about any seafood dish, so it was in no way necessary.

The Agedashi Tofu ($8.5) was homemade silken tofu very lightly deep fried in broth with bonito flakes and spring onion. The broth was flavoursome, but the tofu quite difficult to eat as it was incredibly soft and so lightly fried. It would have been better if it had spent a moment or two longer in the oil to develop more of a chopstick-able crust.

The Crumbed Oysters ($16) came out in a multiple of 5, which seemed a bit strange and like the chef is trying to buy-six-get-one-free. Individually, they were larger than we remembered, we recall them being more tempura-like on a previous visit (Mr.K maintains it was the deep fried oysters at Ha-Lu that led to the production of our own version at home), but the mild chilli sauce was excellent despite my reservations and the oysters meaty and juicy. Mr K kindly sacrificed the last oyster to me, as he had ordered a side of rice (no, I don’t get it either) and despite a superficial protest, I took him up on the offer promptly. Excellent.

We went with two Dorper Lamb Cutlets ($16) but you can order four for $30. They came with two small triangles of crumbed camembert (we are not sure why) and a bit of mixed vegetable, as well as the world’s smallest spot of mustard and a artfully swirled reduced sauce of some unknown variety (tasty in any event). The cutlets themselves were meaty, tender and flavourful and reminded us of our plan to buy a side of lamb for home consumption.

Mr K and I first ate Okonomi-yaki at a Japanese restaurant in Queenstown NZ, and loved it (although it was nearly indiscernible under a mountain of bonito flakes). We have not seen it appear on menus of the Japanese restaurants we normally patronise, and when I spied it tacked on the end of the menu, we had to sample it. We were not disappointed with the Ha-Lu version ($16)– this is such a homely comforting dish; a cross between a pancake and an omelette, containing small pieces of octopus mixed with cheese and cabbage and of course Okonomi-yaki sauce and Japanese mayo. The only minor kvetch I can summon up in relation to this dish is that Mr K and I both thought it had a tiny excess of ginger; some mouthfuls bit back.

At the end of this line of adorable dishes and the bottle of wine we decided we were still a tiny bit peckish, and ordered two favourites from previous visits; the ‘tartar style sashimi of the day’ ($10.5), and the crumbed camembert with blueberry sauce ($9.8). We also ordered two glasses of the Lenton Brae Semillon Sauvignon Blanc ($10.5 per glass, never had it before, don’t bother), which we saw the server pour into a measuring cup before it went into our glasses, amusing but eerily in keeping with our 5-oyster half dozen. Dangerous ground…

We assumed that the sashimi would precede the cheese, which would be a nice finishing touch. We were wrong, but it ensured our evening ended on the highest possible note. The cheese was nice and soft, but the blueberry sauce has evolved from a sweet syrup to very tiny tinned blueberries, quite tart, and we won’t bother with this dish again. The tartar style sashimi was exquisite, and I wish we had ordered it in our first lot as we were considering. The sashimi of the day was salmon, tuna and pearl perch, and this is tiny pieces of each mixed with lightly spicy chilli sauce and formed into a mound, then topped with sliced pear, spring onion and served with wasabi mayo (hurray!) for dipping and fried tortilla (slightly incongruous I know) for easier scoopage. Absolutely brilliant, and reminded us why we had persisted in returning a third time after being knocked back twice. You could logically argue that we could have returned at any time if we had thought to book first, but I believe I have explained the mostly-disorganised nature of our dining pleasure (or lack thereof) in previous posts.

Total bill was $164.30 pre-tip, and worth it. You may wish to ensure the pleasure of dining there by booking first. Their number is 9444-0577.