Asian

Gyoza Gyoza

Salmon Tataki

Tuna Tataki

Soba Noodle Soup

Yaki Hotate

(baked Japanese scollops with creamy miso sauce)

Lobster Mini Burgers

Panfried Miso Eggplant and Duck Gyoza

Kinoko Hoiru-yaki

(foil baked mix mushrooms with ponzu butter sauce)

Overall:

What makes Gyoza Gyoza such an appealing place is that all their dishes are $6.50. With more than 80 Japanese tapas style dishes to choose from, we spent a fair amount of time deliberating over the menu. We had high expectations with the gyoza (due to the restaurant name) but they turned out to be rather ordinary and also smaller than expected. In fact most of the dishes we sampled turned out to be quite ordinary, with the only stand out dish being the baked scallops. Service was average and the small tables meant that it became a tetris challenge trying to fit all our dishes onto the table. Gyoza Gyoza may not offer the best Japanese food, but they do offer a wide variety for a decent price.

Gyoza Gyoza

115-117 Little Bourke St, Melbourne, CBD

(03) 9663 0801

http://www.gyozagyoza.com.au/

Pho n Thai

Pad Thai

Stir fried noodles with meat, egg, bean sprouts and crushed peanuts

★★☆☆☆

Beef Japchae

Sweet potato noodles stir fried in sesame oil with vegetables, sliced beef and soy sauce

These noodles were tough and chewy, and the sauce was exceedingly sweet.

★☆☆☆☆

Singapore Noodles

Stir fried rice vermicelli with meat, bok choy, soy sauce and curry powder

★★☆☆☆

Laksa Noodle Soup

Coconut curry noodle soup with meat and vegetables

An average laksa that was overloaded with onion.

★★☆☆☆

Overall:

Despite the name being ‘Pho and Thai’ this place actually offered a range of Asian cuisines, and was completely staffed by Koreans. Food was passable, service was average and the atmosphere laid-back with orders taken at the counter.

Pho n Thai

39-49 Lake St, Cairns, QLD

(07) 4031 6001

4 Seasons Laksa

4 Seasons Combination Laksa

★★☆☆☆

Curry Chicken with steamed rice

★★☆☆☆

Overall:

I was expecting amazing laksa seeing as this restaurant has ‘laksa’ in its name, but it was merely okay so I was a bit disappointed. Service was friendly and the place was small and simple.

4 Seasons Laksa

330A South Rd, Hampton East

(03) 9553 3332

http://www.4seasonslaksahamptoneast.com.au/

Saigon Sally

Spicy Mi Goreng

(thin egg noodles, chilli jam, fried shallots and 63° egg)

★★★☆☆

Eggplant XO

(mushroom XO, tempura eggplant, chilli and mint)

★★☆☆☆

Grilled Quail

(stuffed with sticky rice, spring onion, shiitake and lup cheung)

★★★☆☆

Vietnamese Chicken Colesaw

(coconut poached chicken, crisp vermicelli and peanuts)

★★☆☆☆

Bia Can Chicken

(whole roasted chicken, bia Hanoi, Hainanese style)

★★★☆☆

Overall:

Funky ambience, great service (our waiter helped with dish recommendations and even advised us that we had initially ordered too much), a fresh vibrant take on modern Vietnamese cuisine.

Saigon Sally

2 Duke St, Prahran

9939 5181

http://www.saigonsally.com.au/

Happy 4 10

Tempura Udon

★★☆☆☆

Kyoza

(deep fried vegetable dumplings with seasonal salad)

★★☆☆☆

Stir Fried Spicy Pork Set

(stir fried spicy pork, rice, miso soup, kyoza)

★★☆☆☆

Grilled Salmon Set

(grilled salmon with chef special teriyaki sauce dressing, rice, miso soup, kyoza)

★★★☆☆

Bibimbap Set

(mixed fresh salmon and cooked prawn, flying fish roe with special chilli sauce, rice, miso soup, kyoza)

★★★☆☆

Overall:

A good variety of Japanese and Korean fare at a place that has fast service and a playful atmosphere. A gorgeous mural and K-pop playing on a big screen can be found in the front courtyard, while many hanging baubles can be found all over the place within the inside dining area (a bit of an odd decorating choice). The food was decent and each table had a handy buzzer that could be pressed whenever you required a waiter’s attention.

Happy 4 10

82 Sheridan St, Cairns, QLD

4041 2502

Baba Sus

Hong Kong Egg Waffles

(vanilla custard, green tea ice cream, berry compote, pistachio praline)

Although these were not like the egg waffles I’ve eaten in Hong Kong (which were distinctively crispy on the outside and very light on the inside), they were still undeniably good. These tasted more like pancakes…really delicious pancakes.

★★★★☆

Corn and Zucchini Croquettes

(house cured salmon, herb aioli, asparagus, frisee, poached egg)

★★★☆☆

Crispy and creamy croquettes, perfectly poached egg, not a lot of salmon.

Overall:

Deciding what to order here was no easy task. Every menu item sounded delicious with most of them having Asian influences. I really like places that have a unique menu, and when you add good food and good service onto that, Baba Sus makes for a place that is worth visiting over and over again.

Baba Sus

15-17 Bardolph St, Glen Iris

9939 6141

Satoru’s Japanese Restaurant

Sushi Set

(salmon, tuna, prawn, calamari, scallop nigiri and sushi roll)

★★★☆☆

Bento Plate

(prawn and salmon dumplings, chicken spring roll, calamari tempura, teriyaki chicken and sushi roll)

★★★☆☆

Overall:

We visited for lunch on a Saturday and had a lovely cheerful man (I’m assuming he’s the owner) both prepare and serve our food. The seafood was fresh and the bento plate unique (this was the first time I’d ever heard of prawn and salmon dumplings). I can see why this place is the most popular Japanese restaurant in the area.

Satoru’s Japanese Restaurant

Shop 1, 108 Old Pacific Hwy, Oxenford, QLD

5665 9295

Rice Paper Scissors

Crispy Barramundi ‘Yam Pla Foo’

(tapioca dusted barramundi with a green apple and roast cashew salad and nahm jim dressing)

= ★★★

Betel Leaf ‘Miang Kham’

(topped with a tiger prawn, banana blossom and toasted coconut salad)

= ★★★

Crying Tiger ‘Seua Rong Hai’

(chargrilled beef with a spicy citrus dipping sauce)

= ★★

Balinese Roast Duck ‘Bebek Betutu’

(baked in banana leaf and spices served with coconut sambal and betel leaves)

= ★★★

Crispy Coconut Wafer ‘Banh Xeo’

(filled with pork, prawn, bean shoots and fresh herbs)

= ★★

Banana Roti

(sugar banana, Nutella and peanut filled roti served with condensed milk)

= ★★

Kaffir Lime Splice

(kaffir lime and Thai basil granita with homemade coconut ice cream)

= ★★★

Overall:

Fresh colourful dishes that are designed to be shared, bustling atmosphere and efficient service. Rock Paper Scissors is another one of those places that don’t take bookings for dinner so unless you get there at 6pm, expect a wait. We went on a Wednesday night and waited for more than an hour to get a table. Was it worth the wait? Nah, not really.

Rice Paper Scissors

19 Liverpool St, Melbourne

9663 9890

http://www.ricepaperscissors.com.au

Ikkoryu Fukuoka Ramen

There’s a new ramen place in town Melbourne! Ikkoryu Fukuoka Ramen is a well known ramen chain based in the Philippines and this particular restaurant is in fact the first that has been opened in Australia. I recently had the opportunity to attend their soft opening event and was quite impressed with the decor (particularly with the wall paintings and Japanese calligraphy).

I’m not the biggest fan of sake…

But once it’s mixed with juice, it becomes refreshing and tasty!

Yakimeshi (Japanese Fried Rice)

Simple and light.

★★☆☆☆

Gyoza

These were really good: crispy on one side, soft on the other side, with a delicious filling.

★★★☆☆

Spicy Tobanjan Tonkotsu

Ramen with mildly spicy Tobanjan paste, pork, green onion, egg, black fungus, bean sprouts and dried seaweed.

★★☆☆☆

Ikkoryu Original Tonkotsu

Hearty Tonkotsu ramen with pork, green onion, egg, black fungus, bean sprouts and dried seaweed.

★★★☆☆

Overall:

I have always liked places where you can customise your own ramen. Now although the ramen here was good, it certainly wasn’t the best that I’ve had in Melbourne. The broth could have been creamier and portions could have been somewhat larger (considering the prices of these bowls). Nevertheless I think Ikkoryu Fukuoka Ramen has the potential to become a great izakaya with its delightful space and snack varieties on offer.

Ikkoryu Fukuoka Ramen

Basement, 27 Russell St, Melbourne

(03) 9659 3708