Cocoro Japanese Pottery & Cafe Home

BOOKINGS RECOMMENDED. Please Phone 9419 5216
We strongly recommend booking in advance for Friday and Saturday nights.

Mon-Tue Closed
Wed-Sun : Dinner 5:30pm-10pm Closing Time 11pm
Bookings : 03 9419 5216

Licensed
Prices: Entrees $6-$15, Mains $10-$20, Desserts $5-$10, Wine G $7, B $20-$35
Evening bookings are essential - Set menus available for group bookings ($35-$50)
Cards: Visa, Master, American Express, JCB, Diners, EFTPOS

Menu

Take Away Menu (PDF)

NEW THE AGE
cheap eats guide 2007
3 stars winner
February, 2007

"crafty japanese"
Passion and attention to detail lie at the heart of this cafe-pottery store. The menu guides you through an authentically Japanese dining experience, suggesting sake tasting (served chilled or warm) and an 'all-round kanpai(cheers!)'. Follow up with several small dishes to share: tender lotus root buns or agedashidofu in soy and mirin are delicately textured, steamed scallops in plum butter sauce are conversation stoppers, and the sushi is silky smooth. Savvy waitstaff are happy to take the lead with ordering, and all food is served on pottery from Cocoro's collection, which is also for sale.

THE AGE February 16, 2007

You don't meet for just a drink at Cocoro; you meet for an experience. First up is the Cocoro menu experience, with an insert sheet kindly instructing on the Japanese way of ordering (drinks, then entrees and mains to share). Then there's the Cocoro drink experience: an array of lightly flavoured sake, served either warm or cold, tasting dry through sweet. Finally, there's the Cocoro food experience: miso-soaked soybeans, lightly grilled king fish or finely sliced salmon, with flavours so light they seem to dance across your palate (but that could just be the sake).

THE AGE December 15, 2006

This one might seem like a bolt out of the blue as a bar, but for pre-drinks the $10 sake tasting at Cocoro will have you happily fuzzy before you can say sashimi. Perfect for the sake. novice, Cocoro's sampler comes either warm or cold and includes bishonen, a dry sake that translates as "beauteous youth". kubota, mildly flavoured but easy to drink; and otokoyama, a dry taster for the adventurous, which translates as "men's mountain".

THE AGE cheap eats guide 2008 3 stars winner
Feb 2008

From the fresh flowers to the artisan china, personal touches are everywhere at this boutique-sized izakaya (a Japanese-style tapas bar). The just-for-you feeling carries through to the menu - a 'how to order' section and sake-tasting sets (with tasting notes and pickled nibbles) ensure optimum coverage of the food, which focuses on healthy, home-style seafood and veg dishes. Whet the palate with a wad of miso spinach and salty-sweet marinated carrot strips, then share firm pieces of kingfish with garlic mushroom slivers, or lotus and miso dumpling puffs, and finish with a fruit-chocolate Kahlua-infused fondue.

THE AGE cheap eats guide 2009 3 stars winner
Feb 2009

Even the most committed connoisseur of all things Japanese will find something new to enjoy here ? from tofu served on ice to fried lotus root buns to sake-matching menus. And then there’s the gobo: make the acquaintance of the tasty burdock root shredded in a thick chilli-mayo dressing; it might be a stranger to you but its typical of Cocoro’s thoroughly atypical menu. Sushi and sashimi are fresh and beautifully presented, and even miso soup arrives in a large ceramic bowl instead of the usual plastic cup. It’s all watched over by an imposing wall of fine pottery worthy - like everything else on the menu of detailed inspection.

Cocoro Japanese Pottery & Cafe

Sophisticated Japanese Cuisine on Smith

“Cocoro” (pronounced ko-ko-ro) (meaning “mind; heart, sprit") opened its doors in Spring 2005 with the intention of serving light homemade Japanese cuisine to complement the retail of the exclusive hand crafted Cocoro Japanese pottery and ceramic wares collection. Over the course of the past three years, however, Cocoro has gradually found its niche within Smith Street as the street’s very own home to the finest Japanese cuisine in the strip. Our Japanese Chef, Takamitsu Moriyoshi, is a one man show impressively sending out an array of single handedly created dishes from his unique kitchen so tiny in size one might be forgiven for mistakenly thinking the setting was indeed actually Japan.

Moriyoshi’s menu is an exciting one that awakens the senses and ignores commonly served dishes such as tempura, sukiyaki and gyoza, focusing instead on providing an array of unique culinary experiences with the freshest of ingredients such as the ‘Sake and Shellfish Experience’ ($16) or the ‘Sake, Homemade Tofu and Soybeans Experience’ ($16), not to mention the popular sake tastings (basic $12, premium $18). Trios of delicious Japanese salads and tasty Japanese antipastos set the mood for starters with a tipple of the delicious house white wine. Dishes such as the Deluxe Sushi and Sashimi Platter ($40) showcase the entire range of Cocoro Sushi and Sashimi, a must for sushi fans. For the oyster connoisseur, the Natural Ponzu Oysters ($24) are a must featuring 6 plump natural oysters with a citrus soy sauce and hints of chilli. Other popular creations include the melt in the mouth Cocoro Salmon Sashimi ($16), the Garlic Butter Mushroom and Swordfish Saute ($18), the lightly puffed Mini Lotus Root Dumplings ($10) and the Wafu Chicken ($18), an exciting dish featuring Japanese style deep fried chicken dressed in a citrus soy and radish sauce.

Cocoro is fully licensed, housing its own reasonably priced list of wines personally selected by the chef to compliment the cuisine. Alternatives to wine include Japanese beer and cocktails, Plum Wine and a decent selection of sakes served chilled or warm. For the green tea connoisseur, there is an exclusive selection of green teas to choose from the Cocoro Japanese Organic Green Tea range. There are also green tea lattes served in unique pottery mugs, organic green tea smoothies and for a double hit of green tea the Teacream Set, featuring a scoop of homemade green tea ice cream served with a green tea latte. For those craving something sweet, the Green Tea Parfait ($10) and Roasted Black Sesame Ice Cream Bun ($10) will soothe any serious cravings, or for something a little less Japanese, the Dark Chocolate and Pear Tart ($10) is a lovely end to any meal with a cup of organic Jasper coffee.

Tea-light candles placed strategically around the restaurant, complimented by the vast array of Japanese pottery on display, set the scene not only for romantic and special occasions, but for the everyday culinary experience as well. We look forward to welcoming you to the Cocoro Experience.

The Cocoro Team

November 2008