Hinoki Japanese Pantry

Hinoki Japanese Pantry is named after a species of Japanese cypress. Owner Hayato Takasaka couldn’t bring any hinoki into Australia to complete the fit-out, but he was able to replicate its clean, natural feeling. The spacious, minimalist interior has white walls, exposed lighting and a rust-orange counter that wraps around the impressive sushi kitchen.

There, Hinoki’s team crafts a wide range of high-quality sushi, both traditional and innovative. From the sashimi-grade fillets to Hinoki’s own experimental nose-maki, traditional sushi and sashimi, and various special platters, there’s a lot more than your average sushi bar.

The shelves and fridges offer a cornucopia of Japanese foods and pantry items, including okonomiyaki, katsu and gyoza, as well as a full range of soy sauces, tonburi (an edible seed also known as land, or vegan, caviar), pickling starter packs, mammoth kewpie mayonnaise bottles, Japanese curries, ramen, soba and udon noodles. You can peruse those or beeline to the back freezers for the popular daifuku (mochi stuffed with sweet fillings and dusted with soy-bean powder) in flavours like yuzu, matcha and black sesame. Drinks include packaged teas, yuzu juice, ramune (which loosely translates to “lemonade”), Japanese beer, whisky, gin, sake, umeshu and shochu.

Once you’ve stocked up on Japanese foods, you’ll find all the appropriate vessels and tools for them in the kitchen and homewares section. There’s a curated selection of Japanese ceramics, glassware, konro barbeques, knives and cloths. That includes bright, mottled glassware by Tsugaru Vidro and sharp knives by Masahiro Hamono.

Whether you’re after a snack, lunch or ingredients to cook up a Japanese feast at home, Hinoki stands out on a street that’s already scattered with Japanese options.