Geelong's Sumi restaurant cooking with fire
A trio of friends have opened a new Asian inspired restaurant in Geelong.
Alex Pan, Kyle Wang and Nathan Johnston are the team behind Sumi, named after the Japanese word for charcoal. Johnston owns Coffee Cartel, and also owns Sober Ramen with Pan.
The new restaurant is strong on Asian flavours and charcoal cooking.
“I had been travelling a lot in Asia,” Pan told the Geelong Advertiser. “And barbecue and charcoal are such an important part of Asian culture.
“Geelong is such a diverse city, so I knew an Asian barbecue would be good.”
Wang has worked in many kitchens across the region, including the Torquay Hotel, Fisherman’s Pier, Vue Grand, Zigfrids Dining Hall, The Pier, and most recently, 7 Origins.
“We’ve been supported so much in Geelong, and want to bring this culture to this community,” Wang said.
The restaurant uses a mix of Japanese and Australian charcoal in the kitchen.
“These days everyone now cooks with gas,” Wang said.
“People forget how good it is to cook with fire – the original way to cook. We’re putting our experience on the plate.”
Seafood features on many of the dishes including barbecued squid with chilli miso glaze and ink sauce.
Sheridan Randall, 28th May 2019
