tastebudds

Dontoo is another of Melbourne’s well-kept secrets that hides behind – but no means shadowed by – the dodgier sibling Don Don. It attracts the dominantly male business crowd with its swinging jazz tunes, cheap bento and pan-asian countergirls.

There lies a bustling air of vibrancy to this tiny joint, toned down only by the darkstained tables and chairs that speak of class. Purple walls are sponged down to give a relaxed space, with nothing more than a few ornamental pieces as adornment.

Barely a minute past our time of order, the first dish comes in. We scuttle back to the counter in bewilderment, as we ask ourselves, could this be fresh? Efficiency is so high you'd think they were slaves in an assembly line!

Sukiyaki Don ($5.60) is a modestly sized dish with tender beef and onion slivers, liberally sprinkled over in unstructured beauty. The red pieces you see are preserved, julienned ginger, no doubt providing pleasant contrast to the salty-sweetness of the sake soy. We discovered that its rice is of the long-grain variety(cheapskates), instead of the short-grains the real Japanese use.

However, one may take their can’t-care-less-about-presentation approach rather authentically Japanese. Wabi-sabi, a new concept to Western culture, is the art of appreciating beauty in all its impermanence, imperfections and incompletions - and Dontoo has embraced that.

Just brimming with greens is the Niku Udon($6.70), a classic rice noodle dish with similarly prepared beef slivers carelessly dumped into the miso-infused broth, again, in pretty disarray. We had trouble extinguishing amongt the mix of greens but the broccoli stuck out like a sore thumb. Equally frustrating was hunting for the udon, for it had this uncanny ability to hide behind the foliage. It turned out to be quite ordinary, really.

But the real gem is the Dondon Box($7.80), justified not only for its striking colours, but also for its fun-to-eat factor. Load up your spoon with a base of rice, add a slice of sauce-drenched teriyaki beef, top the lot with seaweed shreds, and presto – your very own (and shortlived) masterpiece! Compartmentalism has never been so exciting! The teriyaki sauce is wondefully concocted, earning the chicken the thumbs up. The accompanying salad is loaded with great tangy Japanese mayo, rounding up the balanced meal nicely.

Everything about Dontoo is self-service, which serves its purpose of satisfying the hungry lunchtimers well. There is nothing more irritating than waving your hands and pulling pathetic help-me-because-I-need-your-assistance faces at ignorant waitstaff. I’d rather help myself, thank you.

3.5 spoons out of five