Noodles

Shimbashi Soba & Sake Bar

Kamo Nan Soba

(noodles with sliced seasoned duck meat and mushrooms in a warm soup)

Aside from the tough chewy duck that was in the soup, everything was really good.

★★★★☆

Salmon Salad Soba

(chilled noodles with salmon sashimi and green salad topped with basil sauce)

A refreshing salad with nicely seared salmon.

★★★★☆

Agedashi Tofu

(deep fried tofu in a soy based broth)

★★★☆☆

Complimentary potato salad

★★★☆☆

Overall:

Look no further for fresh authentic soba noodles! Using Tasmanian buckwheat, an in-house Japanese stone mill produces buckwheat flour daily which is then used to make their hand-kneaded noodles. Service was friendly however the arrival of our food was very staggered. Note that this place only accepts lunch reservations, so arrive early for dinner or expect a bit of a wait.

Shimbashi Soba & Sake Bar

17 Liverpool St, Melbourne, VIC

(03) 9654 6727

http://www.shimbashisobamelbourne.net/

Seoul Soul

Chargrilled Pork Belly

Dry and chewy.

★★☆☆☆

Stir Fried Beef Noodles

★★★☆☆

Kimchi Fries with Cheese

Spicy and delicious.

★★★☆☆

Seafood Pancake

★★★☆☆

Deep Fried School Prawns

Crispy and addictive, especially with the accompanying sweet chilli sauce.

★★★★☆

Bong Bong Grape Drink

I loved how this came with actual grapes in it!

★★★★☆

Overall:

Small place with quick service and tasty Korean fare. I’d visit again if I was in the area and was after a quick Korean meal.

Seoul Soul

323 Victoria St, Abbotsford, VIC

0478 768 760

http://www.seoulsoulgroup.com/#organic-korean-cuisine

ShanDong MaMa

Chicken Fried Dumplings

(chicken mince, ginger, black fungus, shepherd’s purse herb, dry shrimps, sesame oil)

★★★☆☆

DARYL noodles with prawn, potato, mushroom, pork, black fungus and egg

★★★☆☆

Shandong Mama

Noodles with prawns, pork, shredded cucumber and coriander in bean paste

★★☆☆☆

Beef Fried Dumplings

(beef mince, onions, dry shrimps, black pepper sauce)

★★☆☆☆

DILL-icious Pork Boiled Dumplings

(pork mince, fresh dill, spring onion, ginger, dried shrimps, sesame oil)

★★★☆☆

Overall:

A decent place for noodles and dumplings. The fried dumplings had incredibly crispy skins but were too salty for my liking, whereas the boiled dumplings had thick chewy skins but had tasty fillings. Not the first place I would go to if I had a dumpling craving, but also not the last.

ShanDong MaMa

Midcity Arcade, 208-210 Little Bourke St, Melbourne, VIC

(03) 9650 3818

Jinda Thai Restaurant

Green Apple Salad (deep fried soft shell crab topped with green apple salad dressing)

★★★☆☆

Pad Thai with prawns

★★★☆☆

Tofu Combo (tofu and mixed vegetable tempura served with crushed peanuts and sweet chilli sauce)

★★☆☆☆

Yellow Grilled Chicken Curry

Great for those who can’t do spicy.

★★★☆☆

Red Roasted Duck Curry

★★★☆☆

Minced Chicken Larb (hand roasted then grounded rice, crushed dry chilli, mint, red onion)

★★★☆☆

Cha Yen (Thai iced tea)

Just like it is in Thailand: intensely sweet.

★★★☆☆

Overall:

There was only one reason why I wanted to come here: crepe cakes. So when we were told that the maker of these popular desserts was on holiday in Thailand and that there were no crepe cakes available that night, I was DEVASTATED. The waitress tried to tempt us with some of their other desserts but none of them seemed on par with the crepe cakes. But luckily the other food we sampled that night was thoroughly enjoyable so I didn’t leave the place feeling completely disappointed. I was told by a friend that portion sizes had reduced over time, so we simply ordered an extra dish to compensate. The atmosphere was lively while service was average as it was difficult getting the staff’s attention at times. In any case, I must return one day for those sought after crepe cakes!

Jinda Thai Restaurant

7 Ferguson St, Richmond, VIC

(03) 9419 5899

Bistro K

Spicy baby octopus and buckwheat noodles with chilli vinegrette

Incredibly tender octopus, terrific flavours.

★★★★☆

Crispy chicken balls with Korean sweet chilli sauce

These were definitely crispy however the chicken was dry.

★★☆☆☆

Smoked pork belly with cooked kimchi salad

Spicy kimchi + tantalizing pork belly = winning combination!

★★★★★

Premium Angus scotch fillet with roasted seasonal vegetables

The scotch fillet was small but tasty, while the vegetables needed seasoning.

★★★☆☆

Makgeoli (Korean rice beer) brulee

This dessert turned out to be ordinary creme brulee with Makgeoli flavoured sorbet on the side (instead of Makgeoli flavoured creme brulee, which was what I was expecting).

★★☆☆☆

Hotteok (Korean sweet pancake with caramelised honey syrup) with ginger ice cream

This pancake was so deliciously fluffy and had an amazing caramelised honey filling. The ice cream was a wonderful accompaniment and had a subtle ginger aroma, while the crushed peanuts and sunflower seeds gave this dish some delightful crunch.

★★★★★

Sujeonggwa (sweet Korean cinnamon punch)

Sweet and refreshing with distinctive cinnamon notes.

★★★★☆

Overall:

We came here with a Cudo voucher and felt that we got such an amazing deal. I was so impressed with this place that I am already looking forward to my next visit! The food was great (not surprising seeing as former Nobu chef Jae Park heads the kitchen), the service faultless, and the atmosphere warm and simple. A must try for lovers of Korean food. Note that this place is closed on Mondays.

Bistro K

366 Smith St, Collingwood

9973 6055

http://bistrok.com.au/

Hakata Gensuke Ramen Professionals

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

http://www.gensuke.com.au/

David & Camy Noodle Restaurant

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.

Jyu-Jyu

339 Clayton Rd, Clayton 9562 6269

Tori no Karaage

Salmon Sashimi

Spicy Ramen

Takoyaki

Jyu Jyu Upgrade Bento

Beef Una Bento

Thoughts:

Tori no Karaage – crunchy deep fried chicken that lacked flavour = Not bad

Salmon Sashimi – thickly sliced = Not bad

Spicy Ramen – Beef, egg, corn, seaweed and hot spicy sauce served in ramen soup. This dish was actually spicy making it a nice winter warmer = Not bad

Takoyaki – soft creamy octopus balls drizzled with takoyaki sauce and mayonnaise = Good

Jyu Jyu Upgrade Bento – gyoza that tasted like it had been reheated, remarkably sweet teriyaki chicken, sukiyaki beef, salad and rice = Not bad

Beef Una Bento – a modest portion of grilled eel on rice, salad and sukiyaki beef = Not bad

Overall:

Simple tiny place, friendly Japanese staff, cheap average food.

Colourful Yunnan

680 Swanston St, Carlton 9943 1055

Cross-Bridge Rice Noodles (before)

Cross-Bridge Rice Noodles (after)

Fried Kway Teow with Beef

Barbecue Lemon Fish

Thoughts:

Cross-Bridge Rice Noodles – a traditional Yunnan dish that has a charming story behind it. The story involves a scholar who was studying for his imperial exams amidst the tranquility of a small island. Each day his wife would bring him lunch by crossing a bridge onto the island however by the time she got there his food was cold. She decided to experiment with different methods to keep her dishes warm and soon discovered that by having a layer of oil on top of the soup, the broth would remain hot enough to cook the other ingredients by the she arrived onto the island. And since she had to cross a bridge to get to the the island, her dish became known as “cross-bridge rice noodles”.

What you get with this dish is:

a bowl of pre-cooked rice noodles
a big bowl of very hot chicken broth
a plate of assorted slices of chicken, raw fish, ham
a quail egg
a plate of vegetables

The order in which the ingredients go into the soup is: egg, fish, ham, chicken, vegetables and then noodles. The next step is to wait for a minute or two for the ingredients to cook through.

I really enjoyed this dish. The broth was mild yet very flavoursome, and the noodles were fantastically soft and slippery. (Plus it was fun putting all the ingredients together) = Good

Fried Kway Teow – flat rice noodles with either beef or chicken or seafood, egg, spring onion, capsicum and bean sprouts = Not bad

Barbecue Lemon Fish – sweet, citrusy, and mildly (hardly) spicy. This perfectly fried crispy fish was delicious = Good

Overall:

Located close to Melbourne University, this place is often packed full of hungry students during lunchtime. The atmosphere was noisy and the service was good considering how busy they were.

Blue Chillies

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).