Tuna

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

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

Sushi Hotaru (revisted)

Salmon cream cheese roll

Seared salmon and scallops

Lobster salad gunkan

Seared scallop nigiri

Spicy seared salmon nigiri

Prawn box sushi

Chicken karaage

Spicy tuna nigiri

Salmon avocado roll

Takoyaki

Overall:

Love this place. In fact not much has changed since my first visit over a year ago. The service is still super quick (I ordered pretty much everything from the electronic touch screens) and the food is still fresh and delicious. The menu is updated 3 to 4 times a year and everything is freshly hand made right in front of your eyes. This time around I especially enjoyed the spicy seared salmon nigiri, chicken karaage and the seared salmon and scallops (I could really go for more of this right now!) This is definitely the place to go to if you are after quick, tasty, reasonable priced sushi train food. Note that this place can get quite busy and that they will not seat you until your entire party has arrived.

Check out the first part of this clip to get more of an idea of what to expect at Sushi Hotaru.

Sushi Hotaru

Shop 118, 200 Bourke St (1st floor of MidCity Arcade), Melbourne

(03) 9663 7538

*Disclaimer: I dined as a guest of SD Marketing Global.

Sushi “Cake”

How time flies! It’s been a whole year since I made a Fruit “Cake” for my mum’s birthday and I needed another cake alternative for this year. I saw a savoury sushi “cake” at a work lunch a few years ago and I remember thinking to myself: THIS IS GENIUS!

Ingredients:

3 cups sushi rice
8 tbsp sushi vinegar
425g canned tuna
4 eggs
Smoked salmon
Cucumber
Avocado

Method:

1. Rinse rice under cold running water (stirring occasionally with your hand to remove any excess starch) until water runs clear. Drain well.

2. Place rice and water in a rice cooker to cook (easy option), or in a large pot to cook. If cooking in a pot, have the pot covered and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and cook (covered) for 15 minutes or until the water is absorbed. (If rice is still not soft, add more water) Remove from heat. Set the rice aside and allow it to cool slightly.

3. Using a wooden spoon, gently fold in sushi vinegar.

4. In a loose base cake pan, place half the sushi rice on the base of the pan. Layer on the tuna and then layer on the remaining sushi rice.

5. Make an omelette from the eggs (I added a splash of soy sauce to my omelette), and place the omelette on top of the sushi rice.

6. Arrange the smoked salmon, cucumber and avocado on top of the “cake”.

7. Remove pan from around the “cake” and serve.

Me N Roll

636A Glenferrie Road, Hawthorn 9973 9825

Honeydew Rice Wine

Octopus Roll

Salmon Salad Roll

Spicy Tuna Roll

Prawn Crunch Roll

Thoughts:

Honeydew Rice Wine – sweet and refreshing with the distinctive taste of honeydew = Good

Octopus Roll – octopus mix, roll salad, cucumber and avocado = Not bad

Salmon Salad Roll – salmon, roll salad, cucumber, avocado and onion = Good

Spicy Tuna Roll – tuna mix, cucumber,spring onion and fish roe = Not bad

Prawn Crunch Roll – tempura prawn, roll salad, cucumber, avocado, fish roe and lettuce = Good

Overall:

I don’t buy many restaurant vouchers these days. However what compelled me to buy this particular voucher were the words ‘All-You-Can-Eat Sushi’, and for $29 for two people I was sold! I felt confident that I could eat at least 5 of these sushi rolls without a problem! But it turns out that rice is not your friend when it comes to all-you-can-eat.

The sushi rolls here are freshly made, nicely presented and are quite generous in size. (Note that this voucher limited our selection to what was available on the Roll-B and Roll-C menu only) The staff here are friendly and the decor is very cute. Nonetheless I don’t think I would come here without a voucher or discount of some sort.

Haru Haru

315 Glenhuntly Road, Elsternwick 9532 9644

Okonomiyaki

Tuna tataki

Agedashi tofu

Beef bulgogi don

Rainbow roll

Sushi (small)

Thoughts:

Okonomiyaki – Japanese pancake with vegetables and squid. A bit too much sauce was added which made the pancake very soft = Not Bad

Tuna tataki – lightly seared tuna with home-made yuzu dressing = Not Bad

Agedashi tofu – deep fried bean curd and dried bonito flakes in dashi soup = Not Bad

Beef bulgogi don – beef bulgogi with rice and vegetables = Not Bad

Rainbow roll – lobster meat, avocado and cucumber inside the rolls. Prawn, avocado, salmon and tuna on top of the rolls. As soon as I saw the word ‘lobster’ I knew that I had to try this. Unfortunately this dish did not taste very fresh and the lobster meat was questionable = Not Bad

Sushi (small) – salmon, tuna, prawn and sweet fried tofu = Not Bad

Overall:

Friendly service, pleasant atmosphere, lacklustre food.

Lake House

4 King St, Daylesford 5348 3329

Olive crisps, churros and olive aioli

Tuna sashimi, sea lettuce, buckwheat, avocado, bonito aioli, nori, mojama

Freshly baked grain roll, flaxseed crisps, white bread rolls

Eel, pancetta, beets

Mt Mercer pork, fermented pickles

XO braised pastured beef, grilled bug

Brioche french toast, Holy Goat cheese, poached pear

Lollipop

(lemon curd covered with Italian meringue)

Chocolate mousse, raspberry sorbet, fresh raspberries

White chocolate and cranberry squares with almond biscuits

Overall:

A trip to Daylesford is never complete for me unless I dine at this outstanding restaurant. Situated upon Lake Daylesford, this place offers impressive views of both the lake and of surrounding wildlife (which includes a local kookaburra family who fly in everyday to be fed). The decor here is absolutely beautiful and service is very professional. The menus are altered twice each season to ensure the usage of the best available produce. We chose to get the Summer Tasting Degustation and found every single dish to be superb with all the fresh ingredients and amazing flavours. Definitely worth a visit the next time you are in Daylesford!

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.

Bistro Guillaume

Crown Entertainment Complex, Southbank 9292 4651

In-house smoked salmon with dill cream and toasted brioche

Salad Niçoise with rare Yellow Fin Tuna

Barramundi with pea purée, tarragon butter and pommes allumettes

Steak frites with bearnaise sauce (Rangers Valley sirloin, 300 days grain fed)

Thoughts:

Salmon – fresh, tasty = Good

Tuna salad – simple, light, bit heavy on the salt that was on the tuna = Good

Barramundi – fish well cooked, lovely creamy pea purée = Good

Steak – good quality meat, sauce and sides were average = Good

Overall:

Atmosphere was pleasant, service was so-so (eg. I was sitting on a bar stool and had to ask someone to hang up my coat), great place to go to if you are in Crown and want to eat something french inspired. (Plus it’s in the entertainment book!)