Chin Chin, Society and Hawker Hall’s Chris Lucas open new Japanese restaurant Tombo Den in Melbourne

Prolific restaurateur Chris Lucas (Society, Kisume, Chin Chin) is settling back into Windsor’s Chapel Street this week, opening the two-storey Tombo Den, an energetic ode to Tokyo’s late-night restaurants, next to his long-established Hawker Hall.

Born and raised in Hong Kong, Chef Dan Chan heads up the kitchen and worked at the now Michelin-starred yakitori restaurant Yardbird. And after moving to Melbourne, he was part of the opening team at Andrew McConnell’s Supernormal.

Chan shares five must-try dishes from Tombo Den – and the experiences that inspired them.

Chicken wing, chili kosho ($13.50 for three pieces)

“Street food is the best food in the world,” says Chan. “One of the best street food experiences I’ve had was in Taiwan. I remember eating the most amazing chicken wings when I was 16 and first visited. And I’ll never forget going to Nakamise Street Market in Asakusa, Tokyo in 2018 and eating karaage, my absolute favorite.”

The karaage, or Japanese fried chicken, at Tombo Den is “the perfect lollipop bite.” The Frenched wings are fried to a glorious golden brown and served bathed in bright red sauce laced with yuzu kosho, a spicy paste made from yuzu peels and gochujang. “It’s a lot of fun — and spicy!”

Duck hambagu, tare egg yolk, spring onion ($24.50)

“If you only order one thing I recommend, make it this,” Chan says. Hambagu – a juicy hamburger-like patty traditionally made with beef – “is ‘yoshoku,’ or Western-style Japanese food,” he continues. “My wife, Nana, who’s from Chiba near Tokyo, ate this a lot growing up, and now it’s our favorite comfort food.”

At Tombo Den, he replaces beef with duck thigh, triple-minced so it’s nice and fluffy, and seasoned with chopped onion, yukari (shiso leaf) powder, and shio koji (fermented koji). It’s crowned with a dried egg yolk in a glossy tare sauce and slivers of spring onion.

Sweet corn fritters, BBQ sauce ($11.50 for two)

“For me, one of Yardbird’s most memorable dishes has always been the sweet corn fritters – it’s really simple, but sensational,” says Chan. “I wanted to take that idea and give it a street food twist.”

Chan makes takoyaki, a Japanese octopus snack shaped like a ball, and takes crispy, freshly picked corn kernels from the cob, mixes them into a light batter, forms them into balls, and then quickly deep-fries them. The fritters are topped with a homemade BBQ sauce “inspired by okonomiyaki,” plus dried bonito flakes and aonori (seaweed powder).

Daily selection fish market (from $8)

“The inspiration for our daily selection comes from the Tsukiji Fish Market in Tokyo, one of the most famous fish markets in the world,” says Chan. “You can find the most amazing sushi there, but only if you get there really early in the morning.”

Tombo Den’s fish of the day can be served simply as sashimi or nigiri (seafood on a rice paddy), or in a chef’s platter with the addition of crispy rice and maki rolls. For example, you might find bluefin tuna from Bermagui, kingfish from Spencer Gulf or Ora King salmon from NZ.

Roasted Pork Belly, Mustard Greens ($42.50)

Chan is a self-professed ramen addict. “I remember my first trip to Japan in 2015, I ate ramen all day,” he explains. “From breakfast to lunch, afternoon tea, dinner, and even supper, I would eat six bowls of ramen in one day.” His ultimate topping? Char siu pork, which is where the idea for this Tombo Den dish came from.

The team first salts the pork belly liberally, rolls it up and ties it in a barrel, then slow-roasts it in a mixture of kabayaki sauce (a sweet soy sauce), ginger and spring onion. “While char siu in Japan is thinly sliced, I adapted it for Melbourne with a generous portion” that’s seared on the hibachi before serving, Chan says. It’s served with mustard greens stored in togarashi for a kick.

Open Mon-Thu 5pm til late; Fri-Sun 12pm til late from Saturday 7th September.

100 Chapel Street, Windsor, tomboden.com.au