Just Open: Hattori Hanzo, Cheltenham

Food fireworks are going off at this smooth two-week-old bar-eatery serving jumping pan-Asian food in the south-eastern suburbs. Head chef Pim Wangweerawong​ (ex-BangPop, Chocolate Buddha) covers a lot of countries in her share-friendly menu of small and larger plates that skips between Japan, Thailand, Korea and Laos.

Ground rice sprinkled over blushing pink beef slices adds texture to tataki. Whole baby snapper is filleted and served, dramatically, on a board with the fried skeleton and pickled vegetables.

Hattori Hanzo's​ double fronted space includes a bar area with a photographic street-scene wall mural as a backdrop, and a separate dining area. The dining room is lively, loud and long, with banquette seating along a clean brick wall, and a Kurosawa​ film, in all its black-and-white glory, projected onto the opposite wall.

From the quartet of young guys who own the Garden of Good and Evil cafe and tapas bar next door, Hattori Hanzo is buttoned-up casual, with white-shirted waiters, cloth serviettes, placemat menus and bottles of sriracha​ and kecap manis​ on every table.

Open Tuesday to Sunday from 5pm­.

15 Station Road, Cheltenham, hattorihanzo.com.au