Wagyu

Meatmaiden

20-hour Rangers Valley Wagyu brisket with Tasmanian pepper berry rub (200g)

Quality house-smoked brisket that was meltingly tender.

★★★★☆

Lobster Mac Cheese

This classic macaroni and cheese dish was creamy but heavy, and had a surprisingly reasonable amount of lobster in it.

★★★★☆

Southern Fried Chicken with tequila mayo

Ordinary chicken served with bland mayo.

★★☆☆☆

Pulled Pork Shoulder

Sweet tender pork that was full of flavour.

★★★☆☆

House sausage, parsley, pickled red onion

Very dense and smoky.

★★☆☆☆

Crispy skin baby snapper, charred cauliflower, green bean salad

Well cooked, light and satisfying.

★★★☆☆

Overall:

Meatmaiden is the sister restaurant to barbecue shack Meatmother in Richmond, and I must say that comparatively the meat served here is just as good or if not better. For 30 days the meat is dry-aged in order to achieve its greatest flavour and tenderness, and brisket is smoked for up to 20 hours in their custom built smokers. The 20-hour Rangers Valley Wagyu brisket was certainly a highlight and is something that I would easily return for. Service was good and the atmosphere casual. Note that this place is closed on Sundays and Mondays.

Meatmaiden

195 Little Collins St, Melbourne, VIC

(03) 9078 7747

Meatmaiden

Meatmother

Wagyu Brisket and Charred Corn

The wagyu was tender and smoky, while the corn was fantastically buttery and perfectly charred.

★★★☆☆

Spare Ribs and Mac Cheese

Fairly average ribs that were a bit dry and required extra sauce. The Mac Cheese was also quite average (although I am comparing it to the delicious Lobster Mac Cheese I had at Meatmaiden).

★★☆☆☆

Overall:

This cosy little barbecue shack is a great place to head to for all you carnivores out there. Each day meat is smoked over oak for up to 12 hours which allows for the flavours to really sink in. Meat trays are offered at dinner which include the choice of one meat, one side and a serve of Texas toast (thick buttery golden brown toast). Bun trays are also available at dinner which come with the choice of a bun and a side. Service here was easy-going and the atmosphere very relaxed. Note that they only take reservations for groups of 8 people and over, and that this place is closed on Mondays.

Meatmother

167 Swan St, Richmond, VIC

(03) 9041 5393

Home

Miss Fitzy’s

I was invited to a menu tasting at Miss Fitzy’s a little while ago and had the pleasant opportunity to sample a range of their mouthwatering dishes.

Monica’s Melting Majik

(Van Gogh coconut vodka, strega liqueur, housemade chai syrup, coconut water, candied cherry)

Smoked quail, parsley and mustard fruits on rye

Spicy fried school prawns served with garlic aioli

Organic tomato, buffalo mozzarella, herbs

Roasted squid, chorizo, parsley, pickled onion

Smoked chicken wings, pork belly, mustard fruits

Grilled Robbins Island wagyu bavette steak, poached quail eggs, truffle

Scallops, bacon, truffle, watercress, black caviar

Grilled goats’ cheese, beetroot, quinoa, hazelnut

Whole 1kg crispy fried snapper, asparagus, sauce grenobloise

(deboned and reconstructed!)

Asparagus, snow peas, parmesan & egg

Smoked saskia beer corn fed chicken, roasted celeriac, brussel sprouts

Cape Grim black Angus 2+ Tri Tip, charred onions, roasted carrots, duck fat potato

(from left to right)

Bitter chocolate, olive oil & peanut brittle, brown butter sherbet

Cinnamon doughnut custard, chocolate, coffee, shortbread

Rhubarb & pear jelly, liquid puff pastry, prune and Armagnac ice cream

Overall:

Located at the beach end of Fitzroy Street in St Kilda, Miss Fitzy’s is a great place to head to if you are after a tasty sharing menu or a decent late night feed. The menu has French and Spanish influences and has been created by head chef Lachy Cashman (Circa, Sloaney Pony, Salsa Bar and Grill Port Douglas) who has a background in butchery and meat curing. So it came as no surprise to discover that Miss Fitzy’s has their own custom-built smoker and curing room. Every dish I sampled was terrific but I particularly enjoyed the prawns, smoked chicken wings, scallops and the duck fat chips (oh so amazing!). The decor here is simple and chic, with impressive 1920s inspired murals along the back walls. Note that this place is closed on Mondays.

Miss Fitzy’s

23 Fitzroy St, St Kilda, VIC

(03) 9537 1653

http://missfitzys.com.au/

*Disclaimer: I was invited as a guest of Miss Fitzy’s.

Breslin Bar & Grill

3 Southbank Boulevard, Southbank 9686 2110

Pork Ribs (half rack)

Fantastic melt in your mouth ribs covered in a sweet sticky sauce

=★★★

Wagyu Beef Burger with Twice cooked thick cut chips

(wagyu beef, Swiss cheese, caramelised onion, truffle mayonnaise, tomato, baby cos lettuce)

= ★★

Chorizo Croquettes

= ★★

Overall:

A friend of mine mentioned how great the ribs are at Breslin Bar & Grill and thankfully I was not disappointed. The ribs here are slow cooked for 16 hours and are then char grilled over a wood fire. A must try for those who are a fan of ribs. Ambience was great and the service was prompt.

Brother Burger and the Marvellous Brew

413 Brunswick St, Fitzroy 9419 0088

Croquettes

Light crispy shells with soft creamy centres of spiced potato, corn kernels, polenta and cheese,

served with their fiery house made chilli jam

= ★★★

Butterscotch milkshake

Sweet, creamy, buttery. Happiness in a tall milkshake cup.

= ★★★★

Oh, Brother (double 100% Wagyu beef patty, double cheese, jalapenos, lettuce, American mustard, ketchup, pickled onion)

= ★★★

The Plain (100% Wagyu beef patty, lettuce, pickles, mustard mayo, ketchup)

= ★★★

Fat Chips served with house made mustard mayo and ketchup

= ★★

The burgers here were without a doubt mouthwateringly delicious! The soft juicy Wagyu patties were cooked to a perfect medium, the homemade sauces and pickles were delicious and the burger buns (which are baked in-house daily) were nicely toasted. Everything simply tasted fresh and amazing. I wasn’t surprised to discover that the beef that they use is hormone, growth promotant and GMO free, and that free range chicken and eggs are used. Alcoholic milkshakes can also be found on the menu here, with each milkshake having a double shot of booze (eg. chocolate house-made marshmallow vodka milkshake). Service was quick and friendly, atmosphere was very casual, and takeaway orders receive a 10% discount.

360 Bar & Dining

100 Market St, Sydney NSW 8223 3883

House-made focaccia with honey, garlic and rosemary

Pacific oyster, cucumber and gin martini, avruga

Baked eggplant, buffalo mozzarella, basil, 25 year old balsamic vinegar

Prosciutto, rockmelon, rocket, gorgonzola dressing, roasted hazelnuts

Wagyu beef cheek raviolo, shiitake, oyster and swiss brown mushrooms, master stock

150 day grain fed Angus beef tenderloin (Darling Downs, Queensland)

Seared king salmon fillet, roasted cauliflower, citrus and cauliflower puree

Vanilla and rhubarb panna cotta, genoise sponge, poached rhubarb

Overall:

I had been wanting to dine at a rotating restaurant ever since I first saw the Sit-N-Rotate restaurant in an episode of The Simpsons back when I was kid. It looked like it would be so much fun and you would never get bored because the view outside your window would be constantly changing. So with a location 305 metres above sea level, it comes as no surprise that the views from 360 Bar and Dining are absolutely fabulous! The floor-to-ceiling windows and unique rotating floor provides amazing, uninterrupted 360 degree views of Sydney and beyond.

It was quite a bizarre experience stepping out of the elevator and into the restaurant and feeling the floor move beneath my feet. I initially felt a little wobbly (like I was on a boat) but thankfully adjusted after some time. In all honesty I was there for the experience and the view, and not really the food. Thus I was delighted when it turned out that the food here was actually quite good! I later discovered that the Head Chef was in fact Ashley Hughes who has previously worked with Marco Pierre White at L’Escargot as well as alongside Jamie Oliver at The River Café in London.

Each dish was beautifully constructed and contained fresh ingredients that marvellously complemented each other. The dish I enjoyed the most was the wagyu beef cheek raviolo (the mushroom stock was bursting with flavour and the delicious beef simply melted away in my mouth). Service was friendly and the decor was refined. Note that the restrooms don’t stay in the same spot as the restaurant rotates.

Takumi

32 Bourke St, Melbourne 9650 7020

Edamame and Sake

Takumi’s Special Wagyu Beef

(thinly sliced wagyu eye fillet grilled on the outside topped with finely diced onion and lightly dressed in refreshing citrus seasoning)

Tsukune

(grilled chicken meatball skewers)

Salmon Carpaccio

(salmon sashimi infused in tangy carrot, onion and soy sauce seasoning)

Jo-hire eye fillet steak and Karubi wagyu beef bolar blade

Mixed salad, Squid, Salmon

Sweet red bean ice cream and Green tea ice cream

Overall:

The quality of the food here was fantastic. Everything tasted fresh and the flavours were superb. I found the usage of lard/fat to coat the grill plate quite interesting. No wonder the meat here tasted so good. We came with a Groupon voucher and definitely felt that we had snapped up a terrific deal. The staff were efficient and the “smokeless” grills that they use here are great as it meant that you could leave without having that strong grill smell attached to your clothes and hair.

Trunk Diner

275 Exhibition St, Melbourne 9663 7994

Golden Gaytime Milkshake

I liked this creamy toffee/honeycomb/vanilla milkshake. But then again I find the Golden Gaytime Krushers available at KFC to be equally as likeable.

= Good

The Wagyu Burger
175 gram freshly ground Wagyu beef served medium-rare, grilled brioche, baby cos lettuce, purple onion, tomato and house-made pickles

A tiny ordinary tasting burger that needed self assembling? No thanks.

= Not bad

“Huevos Rancheros”

Two fried eggs, chorizo, Mexican mixed beans, goats fetta, salsa, avocado, jalapenos and toasted tortilla

= Not bad

Overall:

Average food, good variety of milkshakes (eg. Tim Tam, Lamington, Golden Gaytime), quick service, buzzing atmosphere.

Charlie & Co Burgers

Emporium Melbourne, 287 Lonsdale St, Melbourne 8609 8136

Southern Belle Chicken Burger (Southern spiced chicken breast, tomato, cheese and chilli coleslaw)

Classic Charlie Burger (Wagyu patty, tomato, gherkins, garden leaves, aioli, Charlie’s tomato sauce, brie)

Parmesan & Truffle fries

Overall:

After reading such complimentary reviews I found the burgers to be disappointingly average. The bread was rather dry and the burger fillings unexceptional. There are definitely many other places out there that serve better burgers. On a positive note, the fries were quite good and I liked the buzzer system (akin to Chemist Warehouse) that they have in place here.

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.