Salmon

Kyoto Cafe

Grilled Salmon

Heavy on the sauce and mayonnaise.

★★☆☆☆

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Grilled Salmon Crepe

Poached egg was overcooked and I wasn’t a fan of the rice and crepe combo.

★★☆☆☆

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Tuna Sashimi Fry

★★☆☆☆

Prawn Tempura

★★★☆☆

Matcha Beer

★★★☆☆

Overall:

The plan was to try the matcha and/or the black sesame custard puffs but after ordering way too much food, we sadly could not fit in dessert. The food and service were generally okay, and there’s a decent variety of matcha drinks that range from the typical matcha lattes to the not-so-typical matcha juices and beers. If I were to return, I’d probably stick to the drinks and the desserts.

Kyoto Cafe

Eastland Shopping Centre, Level 3

175 Maroondah Hwy, Ringwood, VIC

(03) 8820 8003

Devon Cafe

Eggs Blini

(buckwheat blini, citrus cured salmon, asparagus, chives, salmon caviar, maltaise sauce)

★★★☆☆

Breakfast with the Sakumas’s

(miso grilled king salmon, smoked eel croquette, 63° egg, radish petit salad, kewpie mayonnaise)

★★★★☆

Lost In Devonshire

(Devon’s style French toast, peanut butter, raspberry jelly, vanilla cream, chantilly, peanut butter cookies, freeze dried strawberry and maple ice cream)

★★★☆☆

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Ruby Heart Berry

(juniper berry, rosehip, hibiscus flowers)

★★★★☆

Overall:

Good service, nicely presented food, normal looking cafe in the front area, odd army-like decor and graffitied walls in the back area.

Devon Cafe

76 Devonshire St, Surry Hills, NSW

(02) 9211 8777

http://www.devoncafe.com.au

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/

Kuku Mama

Cheeseburger Dumplings – beef, pickle, cheese, Bobby John sauce

Although these are not your typical dumplings, this is certainly fusion done right. Within each dumpling was perfectly cooked beef and plenty of melted cheese, which was delicious when eaten with the pickle and the sauce. The dumpling skin was a bit chewy though and needed to be steamed a tiny bit longer.

★★★★☆

Vegetarian Dumplings – sweet potato, shiitake, enoki

Unsurprisingly sweet and mushroomy.

★★★☆☆

Bao – Peking roasted duck, pickled cucumber, hoisin

Soft pillowy steamed buns with a decent amount of tasty duck.

★★★★☆

Tacos – blackened salmon, herb crema, chicharron

★★☆☆☆

Mac & Cheese squared with Bobby John sauce

★★★☆☆

Crinkle cut chips, honey, soy, sesame, chilli, spring onion

A great mix of sweet and savoury.

★★★☆☆

Bao – soft shell crab, kewpie mayo, Kuku kimchi

The soft shell crab had good crunch but lacked any actual crab taste.

★★☆☆☆

Balinese coconut seafood curry with herb rice

The curry was a little on the bland side, while the herb rice (ie. the coriander rice) was a little salt heavy. So I suppose the flavours balanced out when you ate them together.

★★☆☆☆

Bao – southern fried chicken, slaw, BBQ sauce

The crispy tender chicken combined with the slaw and BBQ sauce made for terrific baos!

★★★★☆

Overall:

This was such a cool place. From the vibrant decor to the comfortable booths and couches, Kuku Mama is a fantastic place to eat, drink and simply hang out at. Service was quick while the food was creative and reasonably priced. Make sure you come with a few people because there will be lots of things on the menu that you’ll want to try.

Kuku Mama

105 Chapel St, Windsor, VIC

(03) 9529 6900

http://kukumama.com.au/

Morris Jones

Oysters with Champagne Granita

House-made Beer and Caraway Seed Bread with Honey Butter

Salt and Vinegar Saltbush Chips

Morris Jones Salmon

Champagne Poached Salmon, Yuzu Seeds, Candied Chilli, Honey Pumpkin

A close up of the salmon

Southern Fried Quail, Turnips, Szechuan-pepper, Quince

Wild Barramundi, Broccoli Couscous, Chicken Skin, Champagne Veloute

Otway Crispy Pork, Wilted Kale, Cloudy Bar Clams, Masterstock

Le Delice Triple Cream Cheese, Honey, Quince, Truffle Oil

Nitro Violet Crumble

(honeycomb, violet ice cream, popping candy, chocolate)

Moët & Chandon Brut Impérial Champagne

Overall:

I recently had the pleasure of attending the launch of Morris Jones’ Moet & Chandon Champagne Lunch. Head Chef Matthew Butcher has previously worked under a number of world renowned chefs (ie. Gordon Ramsay, Shannon Bennett of Vue De Monde and Ryan Clift of Tippling Club in Singapore), so I was really looking forward to the his lunch menu creations. And I was not disappointed! Each dish was original, beautifully presented, and tasted incredible. I don’t think I could pick a favourite dish as I relished everything we sampled and would order it all again. However a special mention is needed for the salt and vinegar saltbush chips. Who would have thought that leaves could taste this awesome?!?! These unique chips are a must try!

Champagne lunches are now available at Morris Jones on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays (2 courses for $35 and 3 courses for $45 which includes a glass of wine).

Morris Jones

163 Chapel St, Windsor, VIC

(03) 9533 2055

Home – Current

*Disclaimer: I dined as a guest of HRPR and Morris Jones.

Oasis Bakery

Archie’s Avocado

(smashed avocado with feta, Oasis Bakery’s Archie’s Blend #2, charred corn, quinoa, salmon, poached eggs topped with duqqa and zaatar dressing)

I can appreciate this place trying to deviate from the conventional smashed avo dish but the Archie’s Blend just didn’t do it for me and neither did the smashed avocado, which was intensely sour.

★★☆☆☆

Carnival Hotcakes

(two buttermilk hotcakes, salted caramel sauce, honey popcorn, toasted marshmallow and fairy floss)

These were some pretty good hotcakes! And although I have a big sweet tooth, I recommend sharing this dish otherwise it can be a bit overwhelming.

★★★★☆

Roast Pumpkin Parcel

(roast pumpkin, caramelised onions, basil, pine nuts, spinach, halloumi)

Somewhat bland and ordinary.

★★☆☆☆

Chips

These had great crunch and were nicely salted.

★★★☆☆

Triple Cheese Pie

(halloumi, feta, shanklish and a red pepper pesto)

Perfect for cheese lovers like myself.

★★★★☆

Big Chicken Cheeser

(a quarter pound of chicken, halloumi cheese, chips, BBQ sauce)

This huge wrap was very filling and contained lots of delicious tender chicken.

★★★☆☆

Ayran Yogurt Drink

A little too tart for me but I liked how it cut through the heaviness of the food we had.

★★☆☆☆

Overall:

This popular bakery/cafe/grocery store is always buzzing with people and it’s easy to understand why. There is a huge assortment of delicious food available, the service is hassle free (you order at the counter and collect your food once your buzzer rings), and the atmosphere very laid-back. A unique place that is worth visiting if you are after Middle Eastern inspired food and/or groceries.

Oasis Bakery

9/993 North Rd, Murrumbeena, VIC

(03) 9570 1122

http://oasisbakery.com.au/

Ponshu Kiroro

Edamameholic

(stir fried edamame with garlic and red chilli)

Spicy, salty, garlicky deliciousness covered each and every edamame bean! I found these to be very addictive.

★★★★☆

Parfait Lunch Set

(marinated salmon sushi parfait, chunky miso soup, wasabi dressing)

Fresh, tasty, and well presented.

★★★★☆

Spicy Miso Ramen

(spicy Hokkaido miso ramen with kurobuta pork, boiled egg, cabbage, onion, bean sprouts, spring onion and sesame)

The thin broth reminded me of kimchi soup. The pork was quite tasty and the pieces of cabbage came in really big chunks.

★★☆☆☆

Overall:

A bright charming place that offers delicious Hokkaido fusion cuisine, as well as a lovely range of Japanese beverages. This hidden gem is well worth visiting for their interesting dishes and their friendly service.

Ponshu Kiroro

9 Katherine Place, Melbourne, VIC

(03) 8657 8553

http://www.kiroro.com.au/

The Peddler Cafe

Campfire (Baked) Eggs

(chorizo, bacon, butter beans, chilli, parmesan, napoli)

★★☆☆☆

Roast Salmon and Quinoa Salad

(avocado, snow peas, rocket, saffron and elderflower vinaigrette)

★★☆☆☆

Overall:

A charming unpretentious cafe where the staff were lovely and provided great service. The menu was limited compared to many other cafes (which is perfectly fine), however the dishes we sampled were merely average which was a shame.

The Peddler Cafe

295b Springfield Rd, Nunawading, VIC

(03) 9877 4381

Le Miel Et La Lune

House made grilled cured salmon – served with yuzu cucumber, salad, red onion, strawberries, blueberries, poached egg and toasted mulitgrain bread

Apart from the overly sweet salad, I really enjoyed this dish. The salmon was well cooked and the egg perfectly poached.

★★★☆☆

Pork belly potato hash – potato hash, sliced pork belly, enoki, shimeji mushrooms, capsicum, poached egg, creamy sesame sauce

Drowning in creamy sauce, this ordinary dish was extremely heavy and difficult to finish.

★★☆☆☆

Lamb burger – tzatziki, beetroot relish and cheddar cheese served with chips

Average burger, bland chips.

★★☆☆☆

Iced Hummingbird chai latte

★★☆☆☆

Overall:

Korean fusion at a place with a French name. Although the service was good, the food was sadly nothing out of the ordinary.

Le Miel Et La Lune

330 Cardigan St, Carlton, VIC

(03) 9043 9767

http://www.lemiel.com.au/

En Izakaya

Seared momen tofu and oven baked miso infused eggplant

A great combination of flavours and textures made this dish very delectable.

★★★★☆

BBQ calamari with white miso and vinegar coated rocket, served on Yamagata soba noodles

The calamari was seriously amazing; it was smoky and tender, and some of the best I’ve had in a while. Unfortunately there were only a few pieces to enjoy as the majority of this dish was rocket.

★★★★☆

Salmon and broad bean tempura fritters with a Tasmanian salmon cream dipping sauce

The batter was extremely crispy however the salmon was slightly dry.

★★★☆☆

‘Son in law’ tsukune – pork, ginger and chilli meatball with a soft steamed egg and sweet soy

Underwhelming. I suppose I was expecting something bigger and something more unique tasting. This was just a average meatball with an egg on top.

★★☆☆☆

Overall:

The dishes here were delectable and well presented. Our waitress recommended 4-5 dishes to share between two people which turned out to be just the right amount. Service was attentive and the decor sleek and modern. I must return one day to sample their $17 lunch set menu.

En Izakaya

277 Carlisle St, St Kilda East, VIC

(03) 9525 8886

http://enizakaya.com.au/#/home