Sashimi

Bibimfresh

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Bibimfresh Signature Bowl

(kale, oak leaf, onion, pear, red cabbage, carrots and sashimi served with chojang sauce)

Fresh and healthy!

★★★☆☆

Kim Mari

(deep fried seaweed rolls filled with glass noodles)

I had never come across anything like this before so was curious to try these out. These little parcels of deep fried goodness had great crunch but needed the dipping sauce as they were quite bland.

★★★☆☆

Ddokbokki Carbonara

(rice cakes served with Korean style carbonara sauce, mushroom, prawns and bacon)

Small portion aside, I really enjoyed this carbonara dish! And the combination with the ddokbokki wasn’t anything extreme so this dish worked well for me.

★★★★☆

Spicy Seafood and Tofu Soup

(spicy soup with soft tofu, vegetables, and seafood served with white rice)

Mildly spicy with lots of tofu.

★★★☆☆

Kimchi Fried Rice

(kimchi fried rice, pork, fried egg)

The runny yolk mixed with the spicy fried rice made this really tasty.

★★★☆☆

Matcha Cake

This delicate sponge cake wasn’t overly sweet (which was nice), and had a distinctive matcha taste.

★★★★☆

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I loved all the awesome air plants that they had on each table.

Overall:

Bibimfresh isn’t your typical Korean joint. This place is bright and spacious, and offers a unique menu of delicious fusion food. From customised quinoa bibimbap and green juice to fried chicken and poutine fries, there is definitely something here for everyone.

Bibimfresh

Shop 9, 108 Bourke Street, Melbourne, VIC

(03) 9654 2371

https://bibimfresh.com/

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/

Hinoki Japanese Pantry

I finally tried the sushi bar at Hinoki Japanese Pantry the other day after buying groceries from here in the past.

Hotate (scallop) and Salmon Aburi

★★★☆☆

Nosé Maki and Hoso Maki

★★★★☆

Small Sashimi

★★★★☆

Overall:

Our order took a little while to prepare but when it was finally ready, everything tasted fresh and was of fantastic quality. The grocery store section at Hinoki Japanese Pantry is impressive with a wide range of products ranging from Japanese curries and ramen to sake and green tea Kit Kats. This simple orderly store is a good place to head to for your Japanese grocery needs, as well as for delicious sushi and sashimi. Note that limited seating is available so getting takeaway may be necessary during busy periods.

Hinoki Japanese Pantry

279 Smith St, Fitzroy, VIC

(03) 9417 4531

http://hinoki.com.au/

Maru Shih

Sashimi

We were expecting more of a variety but at least this was fresh.

★★★☆☆

Salmon and Avocado Inside Out Hand Roll

★★★☆☆

Yaki Udon

(chicken and vegetables cooked in Japanese sauce with mayo)

★★★☆☆

Okonomiyaki

(Japanese savoury pancake with seafood and vegetables)

Dry with minimal seafood.

★★☆☆☆

Beef Udon

(sliced beef, onion, spring onion and thick udon in soup)

The soup was a little bit too sweet for my liking.

★★☆☆☆

Katsu Curry Udon

(fried crumbed chicken, spring onion and thick udon in curry soup)

A hearty noodle dish.

★★★☆☆

Green Tea Latte

This was unfortunately too sweet and needed a stronger matcha flavour.

★★☆☆☆

Overall:

Great value for money (especially for a place in South Yarra), friendly attentive service, and tasty Japanese fare. Maru Shih is a place worth visiting if you are in the area.

Maru Shih

49 Toorak Rd, South Yarra, VIC

(03) 9077 9108

http://www.marushih.com/

Izakaya Jiro

Grilled Lobster Tail

Sweet tender lobster that was marvellously seasoned.

= ★★★★

Kushiyaki Combo: Yakitori (chicken thigh skewer), Gyu Kushi (beef fillet skewer), Tsukune (chicken ball skewer), Ebi (prawn skewer), Zucchini skewer

The meat skewers were smoky and well marinated, while the zucchini skewer was so-so.

= ★★★

Sashimi Moriawase

Fresh and tasty.

= ★★★

Overall:

Delightful Japanese cuisine however portions were disappointingly small. This place made it onto Melbourne’s Best Cheap Eats 2015 list and while the food was relatively cheap, you sure don’t get much of it (eg. $4.50 for an Ebi prawn skewer). Just a heads-up.

Izakaya Jiro

830 Glenferrie Rd, Hawthorn

9818 7163

http://izakayajiro.com.au

Chiba Japanese

41 Hall St, Moonee Ponds 9326 0248

Asparagus and prawn tempura

= Not bad

Chiba Special for 2

Combination of sushi, sashimi and seaweed rice rolls

= Good

Overall:

Fresh and tasty sushi and sashimi, friendly service and stylish decor.

Shoya

25 Market Lane, Melbourne 9650 0848

Pickled fish and vegetables

Intensely sour

= Not bad

Savoury Egg Custard

Marvellously silky steamed egg custard with chicken, prawn, mushroom and edamame

= Excellent

Tempura

The tempura batter was delicately light, crunchy and subtly seasoned. My only gripe with this dish was the enormous piece of broccoli that was served. Don’t get me wrong, I love broccoli. It’s just a little difficult to eat when it’s the size of my hand.

= Good

Signature Deep Fried Dish

The left portion comprised of a tantalisingly tender scallop that was wrapped with understated crab meat and deep fried, while the right portion comprised of deep fried egg and mushroom.

= Good

Sashimi

Extremely fresh and delicious with each piece having that amazing melt in your mouth texture.

= Excellent

Sushi

Fresh and tasty but the wasabi was a bit too heavy for my liking.

= Good

Wagyu Steak and Miso Soup

Not sure if this is the norm, but this steak happened to be cooked medium-well and some of the pieces were extremely tough and sinewy. The sauce was lovely and aromatic, however the quiche that was served alongside was quite cheesy and did not complement the steak whatsoever. A strange combination.

= Not bad

Mixed Steamed Rice

Lacklustre fried rice that comprised of chicken, vegetables and mushroom.

= Not bad

Green tea ice cream

Weak green tea flavour, dense and had ice chunks in it.

= Not bad

Overall:

This place offers tasty yet affordable lunch sets that start from only $24.80. The cheap lunch sets must be very popular as by 1pm we were told that the two cheapest sets had already been sold out. But that didn’t faze me as I wanted to get a slightly more expensive Shoya Special Lunch Set anyway. I ended up getting the Matsu Set and substituted the crab dish with tempura. Most of the dishes came out at a nice even pace so that as soon as we had finished one dish, the next one would promptly arrive. Service was good and the atmosphere was chic and sophisticated. We witnessed one of the chefs preparing Shoya’s famous sashimi ice domes. They looked spectacular but I think you can only get them as part of the $180 dinner degustation menu. I think I’ll just stick to coming here for lunch.

Bistro Goemon

281 Glen Huntly Rd, Elsternwick 9523 9900

Frozen umeshu (plum wine)

Sweet corn kara-age

Spicy pork salad

Satsuma-age

Seared scallops with mountain vegetables

Assorted sashimi

Thoughts:

Sweet corn kara-age – lightly fried sweetcorn, sprinkled with seaweed salt. As the corn had been fried, it was chewy instead of juicy = Not bad

Spicy pork salad – sliced pork mixed with shredded vegetables and a Japanese chili soy dressing. A light refreshing salad = Good

Satsuma-age – fried fish cakes mixed with edamame and octopus = Not bad

Scallops – tasty scallops that were lightly seared and nicely flavoured with Japanese seven spice = Good

Assorted sashimi – chef’s choice of 10 pieces of fresh sashimi, served with an assortment of seaweed = Good

Overall:

Good service, a comfortable atmosphere, quality Japanese fusion (which comes as no surprise as the the owner and head chef of this place used to work at Nobu and Akachochin)

Cutler & Co.

55-57 Gertrude St, Fitzroy 9419 4888

Seaweed and tapioca cracker with eggplant puree and black sesame

Rye toast with crème fraîche, smoked trout and Avruga cavier

Kingfish sashimi, green strawberries, sorrel and apple

Peas, baby zucchini, toasted seeds, onion and bergamot

WA marron, buttermilk potato, fermented carrot and Espelette

Smoked duck breast, boudin noir, beetroot and sour cherry

Wood grilled beef rib, kohlrabi and sesame

Cream, watermelon and lychee granita

Earl grey ice cream, chocolate, cherries and brandy jelly

Overall:

I was very excited to finally try out this place as I am a fan of chef Andrew McConnell having previously dined at his other restaurants Cumulus Inc. and Golden Fields, and absolutely loving the food. Located in an old metal works factory, this restaurant occupies a large interesting space filled with stripped back brick walls, high ceilings, exotic ferns and warm wooden tones. We decided to get the degustation menu (which changes quite often) and were quite impressed with the food served. The only problem with having really delicious degustation food is that before you know it, your plate is empty and you are left wanting more! This is definitely a place that I would visit again.

Shira Nui

247 Springvale Rd, Glen Waverley 9886 7755

Sashimi Lunch Special

Katsudon

Momoyaki Chicken

Thoughts:

Sashimi Lunch Special – Fantastic value for money! For less than $20 you get kobachi, chawanmushi (egg custard), tsukemono (pickled veggies), miso soup, salad, rice and a LOTS of tasty fresh sashimi (apart from the sashimi that comes on the side of the salad, there was more hiding in the actual salad itself!) = Good

Katsudon – Average, portion seemed a bit small for me = Not bad

Momoyaki Chicken – A very sweet pan fried chicken dish that comes with pickles, miso soup, rice and salad = Good

Overall:

A nice little japanese restaurant that has good quality of food and service. The lunch menu is a lot more cheaper than the dinner menu, but either way a booking is a must as this place is quite small and very popular.