G23/620 Collins St, Melbourne 9973 6244
Gang Jung Soy Chicken
Sweet crispy chicken pieces combined with potato wedges (which I found to be strange and unnecessary) and rice cake, served with a cabbage salad which was drenched in an incredibly sweet mayo dressing
= Not bad
Salmon Bibimbap
Essentially rice, avocado, salmon and salad drizzled with soy sauce
= Not bad
Overall:
An unremarkable dining experience.
Tick box menu
Chicken Karaage
Morsels of crispy Hakata Style chicken served with dipping spices
★★☆☆☆
Signature Tonkotsu
Pork bone broth served with thin noodles, pork cha-shu, black fungus, bamboo shoots, spring onions and an egg
★★★★★
Black Tonkotsu
Pork bone broth with homemade black sesame and roasted garlic paste, served with thin noodles, pork cha-shu, black fungus, spring onions, bamboo shoots, bean sprouts and an egg
★★★★☆
Overall:
The pork broth here is EXTRAORDINARY! Made with an abundance of pork bones, the deliciously rich broth is quite creamy as it is so collagen-rich. The tick box menus made ordering very easy and I liked how there were taste options and noodle texture options (although the soft noodle and normal noodle textures ended up being pretty much the same). A variety of condiments are also available on each table (spicy pickled veg, red ginger, minced garlic, ramen sauce, gyoza sauce, sesame, pepper) to be added to your liking. Service was very polite (as soon as we entered, we were greeted by a very LOUD chorus of “Irasshaimase!”) and the atmosphere was casual but slightly cramped as this place is so popular. So be prepared to wait (we got there at 5:40pm on a Saturday and had to wait 40 minutes) but it will all be worth it for the amazing ramen!
Note that this place is cash only.
Hakata Gensuke Ramen Professionals
168 Russell St, Melbourne, VIC
(03) 9663 6342
605 Station St, Box Hill 9898 8398
Taiwan Beef Noodle Soup
A tasty combination of soft noodles, tender beef and tart pickled mustard greens
= Not bad
Peking Pork Dumpling in Spicy Sauce
Sizeable dumplings filled with a juicy pork filling, covered in a very spicy sauce (which I wasn’t a fan of as it had some sour bits in it)
= Not bad
Fried Chicken and Prawn Dumpling
= Not bad
Overall:
If you are in the mood for dumplings, steer clear of this place. Yes the dumplings were admittedly big however the fillings were so-so and the dumpling skins were lumpy, thick and chewy (we ended up just eating the fillings and discarded the dumpling skins). Service was stony and unfriendly, and our dishes were plonked on our table without the staff members even looking at us. I’m not sure what the rest of the menu is like but I doubt I’ll return to find out.
32 Bourke St, Melbourne 9650 7020
Edamame and Sake
Takumi’s Special Wagyu Beef
(thinly sliced wagyu eye fillet grilled on the outside topped with finely diced onion and lightly dressed in refreshing citrus seasoning)
Tsukune
(grilled chicken meatball skewers)
Salmon Carpaccio
(salmon sashimi infused in tangy carrot, onion and soy sauce seasoning)
Jo-hire eye fillet steak and Karubi wagyu beef bolar blade
Mixed salad, Squid, Salmon
Sweet red bean ice cream and Green tea ice cream
Overall:
The quality of the food here was fantastic. Everything tasted fresh and the flavours were superb. I found the usage of lard/fat to coat the grill plate quite interesting. No wonder the meat here tasted so good. We came with a Groupon voucher and definitely felt that we had snapped up a terrific deal. The staff were efficient and the “smokeless” grills that they use here are great as it meant that you could leave without having that strong grill smell attached to your clothes and hair.
309 Victoria Street, Abbotsford 9995 8180
Tan Tan Men
Free range pork mince, egg, chilli oil, preserved vegetables, rich sesame sauce
= Good
Hokkaido Miso Ramen
Original hokkaido organic red & white coarse miso, cha shu, corn, butter, sprouts, egg
= Good
Almond Tofu
Chilled sweet annin tofu (almond jelly) with berries
= Not bad
Espresso Pudding
Coffee carnation milk gelee curd
= Not bad
Overall:
Although I am not the biggest fan of their Ramen Burgers, I am a fan of their ramen! The noodles were good, the toppings were generous and the broths were simply delicious. I didn’t enjoy the desserts as much as the Almond Tofu contained berries that came straight from the freezer (beware those with sensitive teeth!) and the Espresso Pudding became overwhelmingly creamy after a few mouthfuls. Service was friendly and the strikingly dark decor combined with the curious lights created a very non traditional Japanese dining atmosphere. So take advantage of this cold weather and try a bowl of the terrific ramen that is available here.
*Disclaimer: I dined as a guest of Shizuku Ramen. All food ratings & review are purely based on my own experiences and how I felt about the service, food and quality at the time of visit
162 Clayton Rd, Clayton 9544 7865
Chicken Murtabak
Fried roti canai filled with minced chicken, eggs and onions, served with a curry sauce
= Good
Mee Goreng
Tasted like bolognaise with bean sprouts added instead of Mee Goreng
= Not bad
Chicken Hor Fun
Not enough noodles, the egg gravy lacked egg, this dish simply didn’t taste quite right
=Bad
Beef with Yellow rice
Wasn’t the biggest fan of the beef to rice ratio however the beef was tasty, tender and could be easily pulled apart
=Not bad
Overall:
A small family-owned eatery that is extremely casual (eg. the staff here served us our food with one hand and held a baby in the other). The service is great, the menu items are limited (note that they only serve satay on weekends) and the prices are cheap. It was a nice experience but I think I’ll stick to India Delights.
129a Beaconsfield Parade, Albert Park 9682 1077
Umami Burger
Corn and Zucchini Fritters
Coffee Syphon
Thoughts:
Umami Burger – 200g Wagyu and Angus beef (cooked medium rare unless otherwise specified), umami rub, brown mushroom sauce, gruyere, caramelised onions, oven roasted tomato and a parmesan crisp between a sweet brioche bun with a side of beer battered chips, coleslaw, cornichons, spicy chip dip, tomato sauce and wasabi kewpie. Don’t be fooled by the petite size of this burger as it is quite heavy and filling. The beef patty itself lacked flavour but the other ingredients made up for it. The chips were satisfying (crunchy on the outside, soft and fluffy on the inside) and the selection of side dips were great. (I particularly enjoyed the wasabi kewpie) = Good
Corn and Zucchini Fritters – a generous serving of crunchy panko crumbed corn and zucchini fritters topped with smoked salmon, avocado, a perfectly poached egg and wasabi kewpie = Good
Overall:
Nshry (pronounced ‘noshery’) offers beautiful beachfront views and a tasty unique Japanese inspired menu. You have to work a little bit to get the attention from the staff but at least the food comes out quickly. This place is quite small and the tables inside can get a bit cramped on days when the weather isn’t so good so best to come along on a warm and pretty day.
136 Koornang Road, Carnegie 9563 4424
Moo set
Oink set
Thoughts:
Moo set – 350g of marinated Galbi beef ribs, 150g of Skirt steak, tomato and avocado salsa salad = Good
Oink set – 250g of chilli pork belly, 150g of pork neck fillet, smoked salmon and onion salad = Good
Note that each set comes with butter and garlic potatoes, corn, soup of the day (which was soy bean paste soup), and rice for two.
The complimentary side dishes that are served with all meals include: homemade kimchi, pickled onion, spring onion salad, ssamjang soy bean, dipping sauce, and pepper and garlic salt.
Overall:
Really delicious and well marinated meat! In fact everything here was very tasty. My only complaint is that the meat sets need to be bigger so that there is more meat to be enjoyed! The atmosphere is casual and the staff are efficient and friendly.
182 Brunswick St, Fitzroy 9417 0071
Lohbak
Curry laksa
Thoughts:
Lohbak – spiced chicken mince and carrot wrapped in fried bean curd skin (that was very salty), served with a mild sweet chilli sauce = Not bad
Curry laksa – egg and rice noodles with bean curd, fishcake, fresh crunchy green beans and pieces of chicken. I could not get enough of this! Best curry laksa that I’ve had in Melbourne so far! = Excellent
Overall:
Great atmosphere, friendly service, amazing laksa. So I came here with a few girlfriends and after we had each ordered a bowl of laksa, we all agreed that it was better here than at Laksa King (sorry Laksa King). So if you are a fan of laksa (like I am), come and give this place a go (and let me know what you think).
315 Glenhuntly Road, Elsternwick 9532 9644
Okonomiyaki
Tuna tataki
Agedashi tofu
Beef bulgogi don
Rainbow roll
Sushi (small)
Thoughts:
Okonomiyaki – Japanese pancake with vegetables and squid. A bit too much sauce was added which made the pancake very soft = Not Bad
Tuna tataki – lightly seared tuna with home-made yuzu dressing = Not Bad
Agedashi tofu – deep fried bean curd and dried bonito flakes in dashi soup = Not Bad
Beef bulgogi don – beef bulgogi with rice and vegetables = Not Bad
Rainbow roll – lobster meat, avocado and cucumber inside the rolls. Prawn, avocado, salmon and tuna on top of the rolls. As soon as I saw the word ‘lobster’ I knew that I had to try this. Unfortunately this dish did not taste very fresh and the lobster meat was questionable = Not Bad
Sushi (small) – salmon, tuna, prawn and sweet fried tofu = Not Bad
Overall:
Friendly service, pleasant atmosphere, lacklustre food.
DAMMIT JANET I LOVE FOOD 