Tempura

Morries Anytime

Fried Cauliflower

(chili, garlic, bean sprouts, coriander, peanuts, soy dressing)

A bit heavy on the soy dressing otherwise this was really delicious.

★★★★☆

Beetroot Gnocchi

(house-made gnocchi, pine nuts, citrus ricotta, kale, confit, tomatoes, almond garlic puree)

Wonderful flavours and textures, however the gnocchi was a little dense and chewy.

★★★★☆

Tempura Whiting

(apple, pine nut remoulade, lemon)

Crispy deep fried batter, fresh crunchy salad.

★★★☆☆

Overall:

We visited this popular place during lunch to take advantage of their $25 lunch special which included any lunch main with a glass of wine or beer. The service here was efficient, while the decor was modern and sleek. Definitely worth a visit if you are in the Margaret River area.

Morries Anytime

Shop 2/ 149 Bussell Hwy, Margaret River, WA

(08) 9758 8280

http://www.morries.com.au/

Satoru’s Japanese Restaurant

Sushi Set

(salmon, tuna, prawn, calamari, scallop nigiri and sushi roll)

★★★☆☆

Bento Plate

(prawn and salmon dumplings, chicken spring roll, calamari tempura, teriyaki chicken and sushi roll)

★★★☆☆

Overall:

We visited for lunch on a Saturday and had a lovely cheerful man (I’m assuming he’s the owner) both prepare and serve our food. The seafood was fresh and the bento plate unique (this was the first time I’d ever heard of prawn and salmon dumplings). I can see why this place is the most popular Japanese restaurant in the area.

Satoru’s Japanese Restaurant

Shop 1, 108 Old Pacific Hwy, Oxenford, QLD

5665 9295

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

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.

Tanabe Japanese Restaurant

479 Main St, Mordialloc 9588 2881

Kushikatsu

Tempura

Salmon and avocado hako sushi

Sushi moriawase

Thoughts:

Kushikatsu – crumbed pork and onion skewers that were sweet and tender = Good

Tempura – really light and crispy, some of the best tempura batter that I’ve had in a while = Good

Salmon and avocado hako sushi – you can’t go wrong combining fresh salmon with creamy avocado = Good

Sushi moriawase – included fresh tuna, salmon, white fish, prawn and egg. Each piece had a small amount of wasabi between the rice and the top layer, giving it a tasty kick = Good

Overall:

Enjoyable food, simple decor, Japanese chefs in the kitchen and friendly Japanese waiters who are extremely polite and attentive.