Potato salad

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/

Aka Siro

Maguroni – simmered tuna, egg, soy, ginger

★★☆☆☆

Teriyaki Hamburg Teishoku – simmered ground beef and pork mince patty with teriyaki sauce, vegetables and grated daikon

Juicy flavourful hamburgs that practically melt in your mouth.

★★★★☆

Higawari Teishoku – deep fried chicken katsu with BBQ sauce, potato salad with JP mayo, simmered turnip and fried tofu with soy and dashi broth

This menu item changes daily and comprises of 3 different dishes on the one plate. I really enjoyed the chicken katsu as it had amazing crunch and the meat was very tender. The simmered turnip was also a standout: simple and delicious.

★★★☆☆

Overall:

As soon as we sat down we were given some menus and a pot lid that had the daily specials written on it. We didn’t have to wait long for our food to arrive and when it did, every dish was comforting and homely. Each teishoku menu item is served with a bowl of warming miso soup and unlimited rice. There is an authentic Japanese vibe to this place and I wouldn’t mind returning if I’m ever in the area.

Aka Siro

106 Cambridge St, Collingwood, VIC

(03) 9417 0886

Fancy Hank’s BBQ Joint

As soon as we looked at their barbecue meat menu, we knew that we wanted to try one of everything. Unfortunately the kitchen had already run out of the Beef Short Ribs, but what we sampled included the Angus Beef Brisket, Andouille Sausage, Beer Can Chook, Pork Ribs, and Pulled Pork. We also sampled their Potato Salad, Coleslaw, Corn Bread and Mac & Cheese. Sad to say, the meats tasted average and we enjoyed the side dishes more.

I love second hand books and managed to walk away with two books at $2 each. Bargain!

Overall:

The great thing about Fancy Hank’s BBQ Joint is that you get to choose exactly how much meat you want to eat. It’s a shame that none of the meats particularly stood out. Perhaps we went on an off night. In any case I would be more inclined to come here for drinks and to hang out rather than for the food.

Fancy Hank’s BBQ Joint

456 Queen St, Melbourne, VIC

(03) 9348 9998

http://fancyhanks.com/

The Gem Bar and Dining

Ranch style beans with brisket ends

Sweet and spicy.

★★★☆☆

Mac & cheese, Zesty coleslaw, Potato salad

★★☆☆☆

Southern style cornbread

Extremely crumbly with corn kernels and pieces of capsicum.

★★☆☆☆

(from L to R)

Smoked Angus beef sausages

These were tasty however the casings were tough and chewy, and once these sausages had cooled down, each bite left a pool of oil in our mouths.

★★☆☆☆

Pork, fennel and chilli sausages

Smoky, spicy, slightly dry.

★★☆☆☆

Pork belly

Marginally dry.

★★☆☆☆

Beef brisket

Salty, not particularly smoky.

★★☆☆☆

Pulled pork

Tender, lacked flavor.

★★☆☆☆

Lamb ribs

★★☆☆☆

Overall:

Casual atmosphere, average service, unexceptional food. I’d probably go elsewhere for American BBQ.

The Gem Bar and Dining

289 Wellington St, Collingwood, VIC

(03) 9419 5170

http://thegembar.com.au/

Zagar’s Charcoal Grill

9 Royton St, Burwood East 9884 4067

Homemade beef sausages

Continental potato salad and coleslaw

Scotch fillet steak

Eye fillet steak

Thoughts:

Beef sausages – a blend of eye fillet, scotch fillet and porterhouse trimmings. Succulent mouthwatering sausages that will put any other beef sausage that you’ve ever had in your life to shame = Excellent

Potato salad and coleslaw – creamy potato salad, crunchy tangy coleslaw, both are satisfying accompaniments to the main courses on offer = Good

Scotch fillet – tender, well-marbled, full of flavour. I just couldn’t get enough! = Excellent

Eye fillet – top quality piece of steak that was tender and had a well balanced flavour = Good

Overall:

What a fantastic surprise this place turned out to be! The meat they have on offer is simply delicious! An authentic Mallee Root charcoal grill is used here to give all of their meat a wonderful wood smoked flavour. The menu is small and simple, but the food that they serve up is marvellous. The atmosphere is cosy and the service is great (our waitress was prompt, really friendly and gave us helpful recommendations as to what to order). The only downside to this restaurant are the limited opening hours: Wednesday to Friday 7pm until late.