Five must-try dishes at Tombo Den, Windsor’s hot new Tokyo-inspired diner (2024)

Prolific restaurateur Chris Lucas (Society, Kisume, Chin Chin) is making another mark on Chapel Street in Windsor this week, opening the two-level Tombo Den – a high-octane ode to Tokyo’s late-night dining scene – next to his longstanding Hawker Hall.

Leading the kitchen is chef Dan Chan, who was born and raised in Hong Kong, where he worked at the now-Michelin-starred yakitori restaurant Yardbird. And after moving to Melbourne, he was part of the opening team for Andrew McConnell’s Supernormal.

Chan shares five must-try Tombo Den dishes – and the experiences that inspired them.

Chicken short wing, chilli kosho ($13.50 for three pieces)

“Street food is the best food in the world,” says Chan. “One of the greatest street-food experiences I’ve had was in Taiwan. I remember eating the most amazing chicken wings when I was 16, visiting for the first time. And I’ll never forget being at Asakusa’s Nakamise street market in Tokyo in 2018, eating karaage, my all-time favourite.”

The karaage, or Japanese fried chicken, at Tombo Den is “the perfect lollipop bite”. Fried until gloriously golden, the frenched wings are served in a pool of vivid red sauce starring yuzu kosho, a punchy paste made of yuzu peels and gochujang. “It’s a lot of fun – and spicy!”

Duck hambagu, tare egg yolk, spring onion ($24.50)

“If you only order one thing I’ve recommended, make sure it’s this,” says Chan. Hambagu – a juicy hamburger-like patty traditionally made with beef – “is ‘yoshoku’, or Western-style Japanese food”, he continues. “My wife, Nana, who’s from Chiba near Tokyo, ate this a lot growing up and now it’s our favourite comfort food.”

At Tombo Den, he swaps out beef for duck thigh, triple-minced so it’s fine and fluffy, and flavoured with chopped onion, yukari (shiso leaf) powder and shio koji (fermented koji). It’s crowned with a cured egg yolk in glossy tare sauce, and shreds of spring onion.

Sweetcorn fritter, BBQ sauce ($11.50 for two pieces)

“For me, one of Yardbird’s most unforgettable dishes was always the sweetcorn fritter –it’s really simply prepared, but is sensational,” says Chan. “I wanted to take that idea and give it a street-food twist.”

Channelling takoyaki, a ball-shaped Japanese octopus snack, Chan takes crunchy fresh-off-the-cob corn kernels, mixes them in an airy batter, forms them into balls, then flash-fries them. The fritters are garnished with a house-made BBQ sauce “inspired by okonomiyaki”, plus dried bonito flakes and aonori (seaweed powder).

Daily fish market selection (from $8)

“The inspiration for our daily selection comes from the Tsukiji fish market in Tokyo, one of the most famous fish markets in the world,” says Chan. “You can find the most amazing sushi there, but only if you arrive really early in the morning.”

Tombo Den’s fish of the day can be served simply as sashimi or nigiri (seafood on a pad of rice), or in a chef’s selection platter with the addition of crispy rice and maki rolls. You might find bluefin tuna from Bermagui, kingfish from the Spencer Gulf or Ora King salmon from NZ.

Roast pork belly, mustard greens ($42.50)

Chan is a self-professed ramen addict. “I remember my first trip to Japan in 2015, when I indulged in a whole day of ramen,” he explains. “From breakfast to lunch, afternoon tea, dinner and even supper, I had six bowls of ramen in one day.” His ultimate topping? Char siu pork, which is where the idea for this Tombo Den dish came from.

The team first liberally salts the pork belly, then rolls and ties it into a barrel, before slow-roasting it in a mix of kabayaki sauce (a sweet soy-based glaze), ginger and spring onion. “While char siu in Japan is thinly sliced, I’ve adapted it for Melbourne with a generous portion” that is fired on the hibachi before serving, says Chan. It’s accompanied by mustard greens preserved in togarashi for a thwack of spice.

Open Mon-Thu 5pm-late; Fri-Sun noon-late from Saturday, September 7.

100 Chapel Street, Windsor, tomboden.com.au

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