The Thousands

The other day Tim Scott and I armed ourselves with a camera we didn’t fully understand and went on a little adventure to Tana Café, a new western-infused Japanese place (or was it Japanese-infused western place?) in Hawthorn.

When we arrived I tried to ask the owners/chefs Satsuki and Yoshi some questions but after I accidentally called Satsuki Yoshi (I blame the Mario Brothers franchise for making that Yoshi dinosaur confusingly genderless) I got embarrassed and left Tim to do most of the talking. He ascertained that Yoshi used to be a chef at Yu-U on Flinders lane, that they’re both originally from Osaka and that neither of them have ever frowned.

Once we’d finished making reassuringly professional clicky noises with the camera, Tim and I sat down to eat. Tim had some miso soup but not that weak shit you get in a styrofoam cup; this had rice and spring onions and delicious chunky floaty bits. I chose the gratana upon the recommendation of a very content Hawthorn mum sitting near us. It was essentially just a Japanese-tasting mac n cheese and it was tasty enough to make me thankful for the homogenising effects globalisation. The coffee and Japanese teas were great too.