Subi Q

I'M PARTIAL to a water 'feature, and Subi Q's 'sunken tank, with goldfish swishing about at your feet, is a notable offering.

''We wanted to get some turtles but were told they'd eat the fish,'' says Melbourne lad Chris Morgan, co-owner with Andy Son, who hails from Seoul.

It's testament to the serene, feng shui-inspired fitout that, as the only people in the restaurant for the meal's two-hour duration, we didn't feel weird.

Son and Morgan created the natural interior, laying the textured stone tiles on the walls, installing big mirrors, the wooden decking, and making the pine and merbau timber tables. The result is a cosy, atmospheric back room - like an Asian version of Mike Brady's den - and a cute courtyard.

The pair met when Son answered Morgan's ad for an English tutor, opening Secret Lane Cafe in the current space in 2009, and converting to a Korean barbecue/Japanese restaurant in March.

There are no burners on the tables but Son cooks the marinated meats on the charcoal-fired barbecue out the back. It's a bit breezy with the door open in winter, and it can get a little fumy, but only while the meats are mid-sizzle.

Marinated scotch fillet is juicy and tender, gingery and garlicky. More beef is splayed on skewers and flash-grilled, with a superbly cooked spear of asparagus. A big mound of tasty, barbecued chicken comes with bean shoots. No complaints, all very scoffable and well-matched with a crisp Japanese beer.

The seafood pancake is a lovely fried jumble of onion, mushroom, carrot and tiny shrimp. Delicate thin-skinned gyoza are deep-fried, then pan-fried. Encircling a fresh mound of salad, they are oddly crunchy.

Soft and deliciously squidgy takoyaki balls, with bonito flakes like sheer wispy fins on top, are delivered by Son as a bonus dish.

As for the all-important sides: the kimchi is yum, but could have had more fire; the sweet-tart pickled veg is crispy, crunchy and excellent; and the three dipping sauces are classic.

If you live around the corner, Subi Q is a cosy neighbourhood option. The food isn't ''Iron Chef Korea'' in execution or invention, but it's good home-style cooking with fresh flavours and is smartly presented.

Opening a restaurant is a brutal game and Subi Q is one of those places you really hope will make it, especially in competitive South Yarra.

Their timing is good - Korean is one of the city's ''it'' cuisines - but at the moment they lack the core clientele that hospitality veterans tend to acquire over years. Here's hoping this is the start of a new following.

Where 407 Malvern Road, South Yarra, 9827 7887
Prices Entrees, $4-$8; mains, $12-$20; desserts, $7-$8
Cards Amex MC V Eftpos
Licensed and BYO wine (corkage $8 a bottle)
Open Wed-Sun, 6-11pm (kitchen shuts 9.30pm); Sat-Sun, 8am-3pm (when it runs as a cafe).
Website subiq.com.au
Cuisine Korean/Japanese

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268 Victoria Street, North Melbourne, 9329 4293.

 nrousseau@theage.com.au