Nestled at the base of the Burbury Hotel, at first glance Chairman group stalwart Lilotang seems like a Japanese izakaya, if one with fine dining characteristics. But if you ask LiloTang, it classes itself as a "traditional Japanese robata (Japanese charcoal grill) and more", so we have high expectations.
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There are two entrances, which is a little confusing, but we're quickly shown to our table in the far back corner of the restaurant. The dining room is spacious and welcoming, where movable timber walls double as screens between tables, enabling sections of the dining area to be sectioned off for privacy. The music, soft covers of lounge classics, seems a little out of place with the Japanese motif. This is a recurring theme - it's almost as if Lilotang isn't quite sure what it wants to be.
From the menu, it's a little difficult to know if LiloTang is traditional or modernist. The courses appear to be classically focused and look to tradition, but there's a couple of seemingly random entrées such as the ocean trout and radicchio salad with wasabi mascarpone. One thing's for sure though, if you're looking for the standard, crowd-pleasing Japanese dishes like miso soup and tempura, you won't find them here.
The menu is quite light on detail about the dishes, so I turn to Instagram to help me order. There, five out of six of the most recent photos are of whisky so I'm a little confused - is this a whisky bar that serves food, or a restaurant in its own right? Has the bartender hijacked the Instagram feed? Whichever it is, LiloTang is very keen to tell us about their whisky selection - not in person, when we are actually dining there, but the week after, when I receive an email that reiterates that they have "over 40 types of premium Japanese whiskeys available".
The drinks list is predictable on the wine front - have I mentioned that they have premium Japanese whiskeys available? The explanation of rice polishing inspires me to give sake a go, though my excitement quickly wanes when my sake arrives in a wine glass rather than in a sake jug. I'm not particularly thrilled by the waiter's choice of sake pairing for me either; described as clean and crisp, it turns out to be overtly fruity and dominates the flavours of our sushi entrees.
Returning to the menu, I'm not sure what to expect from the sushi plate which promises "tuna crunchy, kingfish, shad" ($26.50), but what arrives are three double portions of very well-crafted nigiri sushi. The crunchy turns out to be a rectangular piece of deep-fried sushi rice topped with fresh tuna, a welcome innovation to a traditional nigiri plate.
Kingfish sashimi ($20.50) is an excellent example of sashimi in a firmly landlocked city. The fish is fresh and firm, cured in koji and lightly seared. Texturally, it's exceptional, but the dark mushroom and soy sauce it is served on slightly overpowers rather than enhances the delicate flavour of the kingfish.
The duck breast sukiyaki ($36) is a nice little twist on tradition too. The duck has pink blush to it and the rich broth is infused with Houji tea. A tempura egg, shitake mushrooms and greens complete the dish.
The side dish, simply titled "cauliflower" ($14.50) is lightly charred, tossed with walnuts and sugar snaps in anchovy garlic dressing that's a touch too sweet.
The scotch fillet ($42) is the standout of the night. LiloTang claims to be a robata and its skills are shown in this expertly grilled piece of steak. The flecks of fat have rendered out throughout the meat, and the beef is charred on the outside and perfectly pink throughout. The slightly sweet herb miso and spicy dried plum sauces are not really necessary but add dimension and interest.
We're the only table in this section, and while that's great for privacy we have trouble getting the waiters' attention several times throughout the evening. Service leaves a lot to be desired; the sake that was to pair with my entrée ends up arriving after it's finished. We aren't given much direction with ordering either, even after we ask if we've ordered enough food - as it turns out, it's entirely too much food for two people.
The Japanese chocolate mousse ($14.50) arrives as two cubes of rich chocolate ganache and sesame ice cream. It's a rather small portion, and while the ice cream is nothing to write home about, the chocolate is velvety, dark and rich.
Maybe it's the errant wine glass to serve sake, or the out-of-place lounge music but LiloTang doesn't quite seem to be sure what it is, which makes it hard to know where it's headed. As one of the three jewels in the crown of the Chairman group, it seems to be lagging a little behind its sisters Chairman & Yip and Malamay, not just in terms of clarity of vision but also in service.
There are some good bones here though - a modern and minimalist dining room, a good sake list that needs a bit more passion and translation from the staff, and a chef that knows his way around a charcoal grill. Perhaps all that's needed is someone to really take stock of how Lilotang can translate a complete dining experience through to the customer.
Address: Burbury Hotel, 1 Burbury Cl, Barton
Hours: Lunch, Tuesday to Friday, noon-2.30pm; Dinner, Tuesday to Saturday, 6-11pm.
Owner: Josiah Li
Chef: Shunsuke Ota
Wheelchair access: Yes
Vegetarian: Accommodated
Noise: Quiet, except for the music
Score: 14.5/20
