Supernormal Canteen St Kilda: Time to play with your food

When Supernormal Canteen opened in St Kilda last year, it brought with it the playfulness of the 2013 Gertrude Street pop-up.

Japanese curtains hang over the bamboo entrance and long marble bar of the open kitchen. Tables are set with condiments and napkins. We order food with little white pencils and reference pictures of Asian beers, cocktails and the mystery brew (tonight, it’s Moon Dog Thunder Lips Yuzu Red IPA) to drink.

Mountains of crisp garlic are scooped from school prawns and we remove charred meat from hibachi-grill skewers – a whiting fillet with its spine deep fried and tsukune chicken dipped in soy, an egg yolk bobbing in the centre.

Sweet-corn congee with smoked butter and nori arrives in a ceramic noodle-soup cup – comforting but incredibly filling. Still, we get through the Saturday special of smoky unagi on rice mixed through with dashi cream.

I don’t order the $17 lobster roll; I’ve had it too many times. But I do revisit twice-cooked duck leg with brown meat that shreds off the bone into fluffy baos and that peanut-butter parfait.

Best for: Playing with your food while taking taste seriously.

• 2/157 Fitzroy Street, St Kilda
• 9525 4488
• supernormal.net.au