Rin (Japanese restaurant)

I have loved Japanese food for around 30 years since my virgin Japanese meal at David Quon’s Sakura Japanese Restaurant in Salamanca. David set the bar impossibly high for anyone following in his footsteps, as many have done since, so it was with great interest that Bec and I lunched at the much-talked-about Rin (Japanese restaurant) on Friday.

I was impressed that Rin was one of the restaurants who were invited to participate and have a stall at the Dark Mofo Feast at PW1 last week – a singular honour for such a relatively new restaurant.

Rin is in Harrington Street in the vicinity of St Marys (church and school), and is on my daily driving route, so I have passed it every day since they opened, thinking to myself “I must get in there and try their food”. It took me long enough, but at last I made it.

My benchmark Hobart Japanese restaurant is, as I mentioned, Sakura. I have enjoyed many Japanese meals in the intervening years, mostly at Orizuru (at Mures) or Kawasemi (Moonah), but no one has managed to topple Sakura as yet.

We dined simply on miso, then tempura and rice, and a BBQ steak and rice dish (average cost of mains is around $17). All faultless and enjoyable, but I have to be honest and say it didn’t absolutely knock my socks off. I will definitely return because, as I said, the food was fine, I love Japanese, and it’s on my way home. I will try their sushi and inari next time. But I’m afraid that David Quon, to me, remains the King of Japanese food in Hobart. Please come back out of retirement David, and show these young whippersnappers how it’s done!

Rin

167 Harrington Street

Hobart

Ph: 0427 634 574

On Facebook so check days/times they're open.

It's a tiny place, so probably wise to book, especially for nights.