J-Pub Shogun
Shop 3, 233 Lonsdale St, Melbourne
03 9663 3996

Yeah look, whenever a supposedly “Jap” restaurant open in Australia, I become extremely skeptical.  Are you sure it’s not some other Asian culture pretending to be open an “authentic” Japanese place and you end up getting Laksa noodle soup with your sushi set?  So it took me a long time, I mean, a LONG time to get around to trying J-Pub Shogun.

The decor of this place makes me a bit hesitant and I tried straining my ears to see if they spoke Japanese.   Sadly, I couldn’t hear a word they say between strains of English old school music.  I am beginning to worry and hubby had the guts to order oyster.  Come on!  When pretend Japanese restaurant does seafood badly, it does it BAD.

But you know what?  Hubby told me that the oysters were AWESOME.  It’s one of the freshest he has eaten in Australia.  Even Tasmania can’t compare.  Amazing.  Well, I guess I should never judge the book by itself cover huh?

We had sashimi next,  I think it’s the build up of anticipation and expectation after the oysters, because we expect the freshest sashimi, but it disappointed us a bit.  I mean, it’s still good, but it’s not awesome.  I guess Shoya has trained me to expect the freshest you can get in Australia.

Another pleasant surprise!  I ordered Unagi Rice which is a main, but on the pic it doesn’t look that big.  Yes it wasn’t big when it comes out, but it’s nicely stacked like, erm, bad description here, a big Mac.  You’ve got a layer of unagi topped with seaweed on rice, with

another layer of unagi on rice…mmmm yum, not bad, not bad at all.  It’s actually quite filling also, and I guess for a Japanese Izakaya it’s the right size cos you get to try other yummie dishes too.

Ohhh can you see the cocktail in the background in this pic?  It’s really yummie!  I almost ordered another one but given that it’s mid-week on a school night I shouldn’t really be drinking.  Sadly I can’t remember the name but it’s called Kiwi something.

Hubby ordered chilli chicken with a potato nest thing.  Secretly I reckon he ordered the chicken because of the potato nest, not because he likes chicken at all.  And I must admit, the potato nest IS a highlight.  I kept “accidentally” breaking bits of it and putting it in my mouth.  Opppsss.

Well what am I supposed to do?  The potato nest is finely shredded potato mess deep fried to crispy perfection, well seasoned and so so so moorish.  The chilli chicken itself is quite nice, but I wouldn’t say it’s great.  It tasted like chinese stir fry chilli chicken with capsicum.  Hubby likes it though.  Probably because of the potato nest.

Now, this is a Izakaya Yakitori bar, so of course we needed to try their yakitori.  I finally figure out why I was a bit hesitant about this restaurant!  It’s a yakitori bar, but it was not smokey, there weren’t any drool-worthy aromas wafting through the doors.  All in all it’s a pretty sterile environment for a yakitori bar.  I suspect that the are using smokeless grill. Hrm, not too sure about this whole smokless thing.  How would the yakitori rate then?

As I suspected, it wasn’t as great as the traditional yakitori.  We ordered a prawn and scallop yakitori and it was pitiful, there’s no flavour whatsoever.  Disappointing.  The beef rolled in enoki mushroom is slightly better, but it was tiny.  The chicken wing though, is much better, it actually has the smokey yakitori flavour- YUM.  I would definitely order the chicken wings again, just not the other two.

Overall, it’s a bit of a hit and miss.  Not 100% sure whether I’d go back, but I think I am willing to give them another chance- in a few months time.  6/10

Izakaya Chuji
165 Lonsdale St, Melbourne
03 9663 8118

Tummyrumbles have reintroduced me to Izakaya Chuji.  We used to go there often, but when we found that the quality of the sashimi wasn’t that great, and they are soooo slow sometimes, so we stopped going there.  We tried it last night again and it wasn’t that bad.  But then again, we went there about 8:30pm last night.  The service was better and more efficient, even the food came quickly- sometimes too quick.

We had sashimi special $42.  It was alright- not as fresh as Shoya I must say, but not too bad.  The scallops were quite fresh but some of the salmon wasn’t that great.  It doesn’t look as nice as the one on tummyrumbles though.

We also had a lobster hand roll ($7).  It wasn’t really well made and it tasted quite bland.  The salt grilled fish with fish roes are very smokey and yummie though.  I tried making this at home once but without the charcoal grill it was not as tasty.

My miso nabe ramen $12 is a bit disappointing though- I used to love to eat this everytime I came here.  But because this time the stuff came so quickly I had to leave my ramen till last, and the noodles are really soggy and limp   The miso is not as flavoursome as the one in Kenzan either.

Unatama don $14 looks quite yummie, but I only had one bite because I was so fully from other stuff

I can safely say that I will be back again… I do enjoy the cosiness and the variety of food offered in here, and it’s so close to us!

Kenzan
Collins Place, 45 Collins St, Melbourne
03 9654 8933

Kenzan is totally overrated.  It’s 8pm and I am already starving.  We have no bookings but there are one or two tables vacant.  The waiter/ owner said we’ll be seated in “a few” minutes.  Hrm- I don’t think a good 15 mins is “a few” minutes.

We ordered main sashimi ($34).  Another good 20 mins before THAT came along and even the table next to us who came in after us have had some food in their tummy already.  The sashimi was good but not great, it’s not as fresh as Shoya, or even Tsukiji.

We also ordered a special wagyu beef sushi.  The meat is very tender and the sauce was flavoursome.   I was too hungry to take a photo though!  That’s probably the best thing on the menu ($14 for 2 pcs).

Hubby ordered Unajyu.  Not very special for a $31 dish.

Sake don is nothing spectacular either ($35).  I’ve long suspected that some Japanese restaurant gives a lesser cut of sashimi for dishes like sake don or sashimi salad.  Well this happens to be one of them.  The salmon roe on the side are not as plump and flavoursome as I would have liked.

Dessert is nothing special either, Mielle feuille with pumpkin is the most unique dessert in the menu, but it’s sold out.  Green tea tiramisu didn’t entice, nor does the boring green tea & vanilla icecream (approx $9!).

Kenzan’s performance on food is solid, nothing special.  Service is not attentive at all in busier periods.  Prices are wayyy too steep for what we got.  That being said I have absolutely no issues with Kenzan GPO, great food (esp their ramens and takeaway sushi) and reasonable prices.

Shoya
Market Lane, Melbourne

Nessy and MC  love their Japanese food, so when they came and visited us from the GC, I have to take them to the best.  MC and Nessy love Jap BBQ, so ordered two Gouka Tokusen (BBQ set menu) $59 pp to share and several other dishes from the a la cart menu.

BBQ Menu
BBQ menu really relies on the freshness of the ingredients, because the restaurant is relying the customers to cook for themselves.  Of course, a good trio of sauces does help too!

Wagyu Sashimi (entree)
Thinly sliced, melt in your mouth goodness- it is a must try.

Seafood selection
There is no question about it- this is fresh seafood.  A selection of scallops, prawns, fish and oysters.  Well, it’s supposed to be abalone, but according to our waitress, it’s oyster season and hence we were given oysters instead of abalone.  Fair enough, but maybe tell us beforehand next time?  And give us more damn oysters to make up for the abalone!

Wagyu Beef- rib and sirloin
Both are so flavoursome- the rib has a slight chewy texture whereas the sirloin just melts in your mouth.  Eating these two dishes will fill you up- there’s just so much marbling in these beef!
Ox Tongue with spring onion
Now, don’t freak out on me.  Ox tongue is really really yummie.  Normally quite tough and used in stews, this one is very thinly sliced, very fresh and has a lovely texture.  Just sear it on both side and pop it in your mouth!
Pork Belly
Asians love their fatty pork bellies- I understand how they can still stay so thin!  It is possible that it’s because they don’t eat a lot of it- or if they do, it’s thinly sliced.  It is so good to eat the fatty bits with the meaty bits as the fatty bits emits the aroma but the taste of pork is all in the meat.  This pork belly is less fatty which is good for the heart and good for the waistline.
Free range chicken
I love chicken, esp chicken thighs which is tender no matter how long you cook it (unless you cook it for hours in the microwave, which in that case the microwave would probably explode)
Wagyu Sausage
The sausage comes pre-cooked and cut into biteable little slices.  The sausage is very flavoursome but Nessy thinks that it’s a bit salty.  I quite like it though.
The two BBQ set menu also come with rice, seaweed

salad swimming in dressing, vegetable soup and icecream (green, sesame, red bean or vanilla).

A la cart
A la cart is the usual suspects with a few little surprises here and there.

Sashimi Moriawase (main) $42.80
I can’t resist ordering this cos it’s just so fresh and beautifully presented.

Unitama $8.00 (1 pce)
King of eggs!!  It’s a bit peppery today, but this gorgeous mixture of scrambled eggs and sea urchin topped with pearly caviar is beautifully presented.  Before long, we are scraping the bottoms of the sea urchin shell, wanting more.

Nama Shii Hotate ($16.50)
Hubby ALWAYS have this because of the lunch set he orders and I ALWAYS miss out, so I made a point of ordering Nama Shii Hotate this time and have one all for myself.  This morsel of mushroom stuffed with mashed scallops stuffed with quail egg and deep fried is so delicious.  The whole thing is not too oily.  It has the fantastic earthiness of  the mushroom, but it doesn’t overpower the other bits.  It would have been nicer if the quail eggs are less firm or if it has some dipping sauce to go with it as it is a bit dry.

Desserts
Why just order one when you can order three to share?!  I just love the desserts in here- they are not too sweet and there’s always bits of fresh fruit so you won’t feel guilty.

Sea Urchin Cheese Cake ($12)
Hubby thought it would be innovative to order this sea urchin cheese cake, and you can certainly see the freckles of sea urchins here and there.  But to be honest it doesn’t taste like sea urchin at all!  Perhaps it’s not as sweet as other cheesecakes but I really can’t tell the difference.  MC can certainly tell the slight difference as he hated sea urchin!  But he loves cheesecake and he still have quite a few bites!

Yaki Daifuku ($6.5)
This is a glutinous rice cake stuffed with red beans and pan fried- a different take from the Daifuku you buy in the supermarkets, which is not pan fried.  I like this dish cos it’s so chewy and warm- makes me thinks of the other glutinous rice dishes that I eat and love back home.  I must say this one needs a bit more sweetness to it as it was a bit bland for me.

Shoya Chocolate Fudge Cake ($12.00)
As much as I tried to move away from this dessert, I keep coming back to it because it’s simply the best.  Chocolate fudge cake can be incredibly sweet, but this fudge cake is topped with sesame sauce which creates this perfect balance to the sweetness of the molten chocolate bursting out of the cake.  You can certainly taste the sake in this chocolate dessert, making this a very adult and sophisticated choice.

This particular meal is perfect, if they have told us that the abalone is gone from the menu, it would have been perfect.  9/10

Yuu
137 Flinders Lane, Melbourne
(03) 96397073

Amongst the graffiti is a little red door.  Beside the little red door there is a small Japanese sign “Yuu”.  As you step over the unidentifiable wet puddles of water and through this little red door, you left the world behind, into the safe haven cocooned in dark woods and relaxing atmosphere.  A smiling hostess greeted you, I don’t use the  word host/hostess lightly, this only reserves for people who made me really feel at home.  This is one of those places.

Yuu used to have a set lunch menu which changes daily- you get cold buckwheat noodles, a small side dish, soup, a main dish and fruit.  They’ve changed the menu since new year and now you get to choose between 6 main dishes- frankly the idea of getting a choice here slightly overwhelms me.  Sometimes I just wanted to go with the flow and eat whatever it’s presented to us.

For $18 you get an appetitzer, soup, fruit and a main dish, which you can choose between sashimi, beef w/ Jap BBQ sauce, salmon terriyaki, beancurd w/ dashi, pork in ginger sauce or crumbed prawns.

We both chose the Beef w/ Japanese BBQ sauce today and our dishes arrived quickly.  A small dish of seaweed salad with sticky squid flavour.  Quite unique but I like it.  A side of pickled vegies- crisp & slightly sour taste really tantalise your tastebuds.  The soup strays away from traditional miso that’s served in many Japanese restaurant and gives way to a dashi based soup with vegies and konnyaku, an extremely healthy veg w/ lots of fibre.  The beef dish is served with a side of potato salad and it’s quite tender.  The beef is not too fatty and the sauce has a bit of a kick to it.  Just be aware though that at dinner time the portion size is not as generous and it’s prices are slightly steeper for what you get.

I really love this Jap restaurant, not only because it’s in a quirky spot and has good service, but that it served wholesome, flavourful food that is extremely fresh and healthy.  Highly recommended as a healthy lunch spot for Japanese lovers and beginners alike!    8.5/10

Tsukiji

237 High St, Prahran
03 9510 2318

I’ve been itching to go to Tsukiji ever since I’ve read the blog on   Tummy Rumbles , so off we went today to Prahran for a sashimi feast .  Tsukiji is the famous fish market in Japan, and in Melbourne, they do sell  fish too, but it’s packaged in neat little packages instead of bones, heads and blood everywhere.  Good enough for me!

They also serve food, which of course first attracted me to coming here.    After we ordered, we ran around the store like little kids at Christmas time, looking at all the sashimi, snacks and other groceries on display.   There are so much yummie stuff to choose from!  There’s even  lobsters in a tank!    Then later on, when we are tired of looking around, there’s Donna Hay mags there to read.

Eel rice and octopus balls

It was a bit of a wait, but Hubby’s eel ($12) and my octopus balls ($5) arrived.  Hubby’s eel is a giant slab of smoked eel, in a huge bowl of rice and a bit of seaweed  salad.  The eel is really yummie- it’s obviously not as good as the eel rice in Shoya, but this is cheaper.  The slab of eel is quite fresh and they use Japanese rice.

The octopus balls is a bit disappointing cos I think they use the frozen ones they sell.  They are all stuck together, some bits are cold and they are not as fluffy as the fresh ones.  The ingredients normally oozes out in the fresh ones, but this one doesn’t either.  But it’ll certainly prompt me to go buy the frozen ones they sell in the fridge though!  So whenever I feel like it I can have a quick fix!

Sashimi set

My sashimi set  ($12) FINALLY arrived AFTER Hubby had his main.  This annoys me a bit because this means Hubby will steal all my food (which he did) and I get quite agitated.   That being said, the sashimi lunch set was FANTASTIC, although a bit small.  Small slices of fresh assorted sashimi- kingfish, salmon, tuna and some other fish I can’t identify is market fresh.  To be honest, if Hubby didn’t steal most of my food it would have been enough and I would have been happily full. 

Hubby also ordered oysters, but unfortunately it’s not that fresh.

Sashimi beautifully presented in trays

And of course we will need to buy some sashimi and groceries back home cos it just looks so enticing.  We racked up approx $40 of sashimi- scallops, salmon, calamari, fish roe, raw fish mixed with herbs and ginger, plus snacks   When we got home, we ate most of the sashimi and fish roe at once and now I am bellyfull

I am glad that I’ve finally got a chance to come here and trust me, I will be back!  8/10