LOCATIONClose to the corner of Pitt and Liverpool Streets, in the CBD.
PROFILED BY DE GROOTS MEDIAKorean and Japanese fare rub shoulders in this modern inner-city restaurant, where office workers and shoppers come seven days a week for fast, affordable dining. Inhabiting a surprisingly large space between Liverpool and Pitt in the CBD, Hanabi’s lunch and dinner menus please with a wide variety of offerings. The simple interior is sliced into three dining platforms, with the rear Japanese-style area doubling as a private function room.
Dig your metal chopsticks into a traditional Japanese bento box for lunch, or leaf through the extensive dinner menu for a collation of stews, steam bowls, noodles, rice dishes, soups and sashimi. Start with a Korean pancake or Japanese okonomiyaki egg pancake, or perhaps nibble on Hanabi’s deep-fried or steamed dumplings served with a spicy, homemade dressing. For mains, try one of the kitchen’s specialty dishes from the “Cinderella section”, in which a steamed pumpkin half forms an edible bowl for a tasty mix of either chicken, beef, pork or seafood. Alternatively, Hanabi’s Korean barbecue menu sees a range of beef and pork dishes grilled on smokeless charcoals. The wine list proffers a number of suitable drinking companions, from soju and sake to Korean wine and imported Japanese beers. Hanabi can also cater for functions and takeaway.
Lauren Barker, March 2009