The blond wood against the slate coloured walls and the lights are all in perfect balance creating an ambience that manages to be intimate yet at the same time bright enough to see the master sushi chefs in action clearly.

I had expected a zen like calmness but actually it wasn't quite like that. There was definitely some energy in the room but not manic and the front of house was ran smoothly by Randolph Cheung and a team of Japanese waitresses impeccably turned out in their crisp white shirts, black ties and uniform hair styles.

I've started off with some action shots of Chef Koichi Minamishima and his sous chef which were taken during the course of the night. It was such a thrill and a privilege to watch such skill at work and to enjoy the fruits of the love and labour.

The bar seats 14 and is the best place for this experience which means that Minamishima is best suited to small dining groups. I think a party of 4 could just about manage at the bar probably at either end as sitting in a row isn't conducive to conversation for any more than that really. Having said that it's about eyes forward and it's a place to go for the food and other things like chatter and catching up are really secondary. There are better suited restaurants for that activity!

Having said that there are probably about another 10 or so places available for table service and whilst the food is remarkable, part of the thrill and the joy is the theatre and the act of watching so I'd recommend bar seats for sure.

Initially, we were told about a fried pufferfish option which we decided to go with. In for a penny, in for a pound. All or nothing right? I don't supersize at McDonalds but in a place like this I think I have to experience it all!

And on this note we also choose the wine pairing at $70. It works out about one small drink every two courses or so. The opener is a sparkling from Adelaide Hills and over the course of the evening we enjoy a Georgian white, an Austrian Gruner Veltliner, a Muscadet from the Loire Valley, a rose and an umeshu with dessert. They are quality tipples and I think the $70 is worth it. Randolph Cheung, much lauded sommelier and all round expert has an intense but calm passion about what we're imbibing and I enjoy his introductions to our beverages. He is also a true master of hospitality and his watchful eye and leadership is evident.

Green tea is offered as an alternative to water and I enjoyed the refreshing sencha style tea.

It says a lot when the food is created by a master and the restaurant is managed by another.

So onto the reason why we came. Shortly after arrival the first dish came out:

• Asparagus tempura with shitake salt

Clean, pure flavours and a lovely savoury saltiness from the little mound of shitake salt.

• Fried pufferfish with yuzu salt

This was our additional course that we paid for. We've never had fugu before so really wanted to try. It's a little like monkfish but this was really juicy and I loved the tang of the lime wedge and the fruity salt that came on the side to add flavour and seasoning.

And then came a series of white fish sushi. I found the pace perfect. Not too long that the meal dragged but felt no rush or pressure to motor on. Watching Chef Minamishima display his skill and artistry was inspiring and it wasn't just about placing the fish on a little briquette of rice but there was a swab of this, a swipe of that, a glaze with a paint brush, a sprinkling of something else.

It's hard to recall each piece and the flavours of the individual course except that they were really delicious but I'll try and write a few words next to what we had...

• King Dory - sesame, lime, flavours and clean, light piece of fish
• Blue Eye - spicy shichimi togarashi with a warming sensation that stuck around in the mouth and tummy afterwards. Fish was meatier than the King Dory

• Scampi - pretty and pink, sweet in flavour but both Steve and I aren't huge fans of the texture of raw prawn as it's a little slimy but not off puttingly so; just not a favourite
• Scallop (eaten before I could take a picture!) - soft and sweet slightly seared
• Flounder fin - ah ha! This was the one we'd read about and were intrigued by. There's a certain chewiness to it but the flavour of buttery soy is just delicious

And then we moved to what would be the equivalent of meat dishes and we had a medley of tuna.

• Blue fin tuna - clean and spankingly fresh with a lingering delicious flavour that doesn't always come with tuna
• Toro - fresh and seared. The toro just melts in the mouth and oozes into the grains of rice leaving behind a lingering slipperiness that is satisfyingly rich
• Salmon roe - fun bursts of blistery saltiness

• Mackerel - tangy pickled flavour proving a taste sensation we hadn't had as yet
• Eel - I do like unagi and the chargrilled sweetness of it

• Tamagoyaki - delicious sweet egg cake
• Chopped toro hand roll - we were asked if we wanted an additional course of this and we decided to indulge in more toro. This was towards the end of service and we'd watched Chef Minamishima take off cuts and make a big hand roll which he told us was for staff supper! Lucky staff!
• NZ diamand clam broth with chrysanthemum leaves was our palatte cleanser and a clean tasting broth to end things

I did find it a bit strange to have the sweet tamagoyaki and then go back to savoury but it didn't take away the deliciousness of everything!

• Red bean jelly with cherry blossom ice cream - the red bean jelly was a bit sugary for me
• Rice milk pudding with black sesame ice cream - creamy milkiness with hits of matcha and an amazingly good ice cream that was toasty and intense

We enjoyed conversing with Chef Minimishima and he was polite and towards the end of service struck up conversation with us and the couple we were seated next to. He is respectful and friendly with humility that is heartwarmingly charming.

Steve and I had an excellent evening. It's a great date place for Japanese cuisine lovers and having never been to Japan, can easily claim this was our best sushi experience. Our bill came to $565 so not quite the price of a ticket to Japan and is up there with the pricier dining experiences but it's worth it.

Before going, I did wonder if there would be enough food and my conclusion is that it's not about feeling stuffed. Much like the flavours, there is restraint, balance and satisfaction so rather than being full it's about feeling sated and comfortable.

On Saturday, Steve, Stef and I ventured to Eastland which is a shopping complex about a 30 minute drive away to meet Ling, Noah and Bunty for dinner. There's been a bit of a refurb at Eastland there's a new "Town Square" area with a number of new eateries such as the now ubiquitous but still so good Jimmy Grants and also a Huxtaburger. 

On this sunny Saturday early evening, it seemed that this Town Square was THE place to be for Eastern suburban families all enjoying dinners sat on terraces with lots of open space for kids to run around.

Hunter and Barrel looks welcoming and also impressive with it's dark slate grey decor and plenty of light wood. We are early but the shops are closed so we decide to see if our table is ready or if there's a bar to have a drink. We're in luck though as the host lets us know our table is empty and proceed to lead us to a private dining room with a big round table. It's all a bit fancy for a shopping centre restaurant with it's antlers lamp shade, cow hide wall hanging and a row of pegs with furs hung up. We can be fancy though and we settle right in.

Once we're altogether, we decide to eat family style and dig in with a shared feast rather than individual dishes. Our waiter recommends we go with the feast for 4 and order an additional dish and he suggested the salmon so ever obedient we take his advice. We also order 2 extra jacket potatoes. Well, Bunty needs to eat too! Technically there are 6 of us even if Bunty is not yet 2!

The Gathering Feast | Serves 4
Sourdough Bread with cultured butter

Hunters Slow Roasted Beef Rib, Coal Roasted Chicken with lemon and rosemary, Crispy Roasted Pork Belly with chilli sauce, Spiced Wagyu Sausage and Aged Cheddar Kransky with your choice of 4 salads / sides

1. Grain Salad with chickpea, freekeh, barley, lemon and rocket
2. Coal Roasted Corn with honey and butter
3. Cast Iron Butter Mushrooms with garlic butter
4. Grilled Cauliflower with garlic sauce & toasted almonds

Salmon skewer with fresh herb sauce 
Jacket Potato with sour cream and chives

We're given a super heavy knife that is placed in the middle of the table along with the first course of bread. We wonder about the knife but it comes in handy later on when the meat arrives! There's not much butter so we ask for more.

Food arrives pretty promptly and it all looks quite appetising. Steve is our knife handler and carves up for us and we pretty much dig in. There's also a small tray of tiny ramekins with mustards, some extra chilli sauce for the pork and then about 5 strands of onion which I assume is the onion chutney for the beef but it works out literally one sliver each!

So what do we think to the food? It's good enough for a shopping centre restaurant. It's not destination dining but there's not much for families out in the suburbs so I can see how and why this is appealing.

Our general thoughts are:

• The mushrooms are pretty tasty but it's simple to cook mushrooms in butter right? Not that garlicky though so more garlic would be better
• The corn is yummy and I like the honey and butter on it
• Grilled cauliflower is a certainly grilled with plenty of caramelisation but it's soggy so it's like it's been blanched and then fried off and I'd have prefered it to be crunchier.
• The garlic sauce is more mustardy than garlicky - not bad but not what it says on the tin!
• Pork belly was pretty fatty and greasy in the mouth
• Salmon was super oily. Yes I know it's an oily fish but this was really oily to the point it made Stef and I feel a little bit uncomfortable.
• Baked potato with sour cream was decent. Ling would have liked butter.
• I liked the roasted chicken as it was juicy and flavoursome.
• The rib of beef was decent too.
• Sausages were good enough - not earthshatteringly amazing but a decent banger

The private dining room is great for us with little Bunty as she can wander round quite safely and there's nothing better than a round table for communal feasting. In spite of being removed from the thick of things, service is attentive enough and our waiter pops in at regular intervals to check in on us.

The other comment is that Stef and I ordered the "homemade lemonade" expecting a glass of non sparkling, cloudy traditional lemonade and what we got was a glass of Sprite. It's the same price as a glass of Sprite so no loss there. Maybe it's there version of home made or maybe they got it wrong. Ling ordered a mocktail that was pretty but just tasted like fruit juice. Bunty enjoyed using the martini glass though!

So in summary, it's a good place for families or groups that live locally and the price point is ok. I wouldn't travel especially to come here but I enjoyed the environment and it worked for us. It's less about the food which is acceptable but more about practicality and accessability. The Molton Brown hand soap and lotion in the bathroom was pretty nice too!

So we found ourselves there on Friday evening and it was buzzy but lucky for us a couple were just finishing up so a quick tidy of the table by a very obliging waiter meant we were in!

The decor is modern but also traditional so no flocked wallpaper or a Bollywood sound track but definitely has that Indian flavour with the mural on the wall and the intricate patterns stencilled on table tops and other surfaces.

The menu is not as extensive as the more traditional curry houses but I don't mind that as there's certainly more than enough to tempt us. And it's pretty vegetarian and vegan friendly too so something for everyone. I like that there are choices of individual plates with sides and also plenty to share.

We begin proceedings with:

• Spicy lamb chops marinated overnight in a special blend of lime juice, warm dark spices, ginger and garlic served with a kachumber salad and coriander chutney
• Tandoori marinated mushrooms cooked in the tandoor oven served with a kachumber salad and coriander chutney

The chops are tasty and tender with strong flavours of warming ginger and zingy and sharp lime. The mushrooms are also a good start. Both say on the menu that they come with coriander chutney but the two chutneys are different with the one accompanying the lamb being more like raita.

Next up our main courses arrive along with side dishes of steamed rice and garlic naan.

• Smoky eggplant and pea dosa (light crepe made from fermented lentil and rice batter) servied with samber dal and coconut chutney
• Chicken tikka masala

The dosa is beautifully golden with a flaky crispiness and then inside is soft gooey eggplant that has a hint of smoke and some tasty subtle spicing. The samber dal has chunks of veggies in it and the coconut chutney adds this delicious sweet finishing flavour. This is amazing and definitely worth a return visit. It's light and fresh but at the same time with some strong flavours and there's no grease.

The chickent tikka masala is described as butter chicken's big brother that is more intense and spicier with capsicum and onions in the sauce. It comes in an earthenware dish which is a contrast to all the other mirrored metal plates and bowls and has a fiery red colour to it with no unappetising oil slick on the top and I'm so pleased to see that the sauce is thick and not like runny gravy as is disappointingly the case with Indian food in Australia. The chicken thighs are chunky and there are lots of them so it's a generous serve and yes there's definitely some heat there but I love the tomato based sauce what doesn't taste overly rich or creamy. It's delicious with the rice and naan.

I think my only slight quibble with this meal is that the size of rice and naan is a little small but absolutely no complaints about the food and the friendly service. It was also quick which works for me and the whole meal was just very satisfying. I am glad you're close by Mukka!

We wondered whether it would be busy but we just bypassed the after work crowd so when we walked in there were only a few tables seated. Not sure who was around to greet us we stood around awkwardly before there was a friendly greeting and awkwardness aside to settle in.

We were advised cocktails could be mocktails (nice touch) and dishes were to share except for the pho of which there were two varieties, beef or chicken. We decided to go with:

• Pho plings - Pho broth, braised ox tail and pork mince, Vietnamese mint, fresh chilli, white onion, chilli oil
• Beef banh cuon - Medium rare beef, dried beef, lettuce, cucumber, pickled carrots, fresh herbs, crispy fried shallots and hoi sin peanut dipping sauce
• Crispy pork belly - Slow roasted pork belly, red cabbage, pickled ginger and red onion slaw, ginger caramel
• Poached chicken in Vietnamese slaw - Chicken thigh poached in coconut and lemongrass, slaw of wombok, carrots, shallots, kohl rabi, chilli, mixed herbs and fried shallots
• Fried whole quail - Honey and five spice glaze, braised in master stock then deep fried, served with a salad of mushrooms

We tried to order a beef pho but was then infomed that there's no pho for dinner...bit strange really as isn't pho broth just on the boil constantly?

Anyway we had pho plings on the way so all ok. The beef banh cuon arrived first and they were fine. The dipping sauce was literally a spoonful of hoi sin from a jar with chopped peanuts. Ok but not amazing.

The Pho plings look so pretty with their pleats and a family of four arrive on top of some broth in a bowl. It's a bit of an inside out xiao long bao as the broth is on the outside. We tasted the broth - a bit over salty but ok. We tasted the pho pling...I thought the meat inside bordered on dry and there was an intense flavour of star anise overpowering the whole thing. Couldn't taste teh chilli, the onion, the chilli oil or the mint. Disappointing really. 

The salad came next and looked like it had been tipped out of a bag of Coles pre packaged salad. The chicken had the subtle taste of coconut which was pleasant but there wasn't that much of it. I felt that it was all wombok, some carrot and fried shallots and none of the other ingredients. The dressing wasn't all that special and could have come from a bottle. In all honesty, my Vietnamese salad is fresher and more authentic than this. 

Crispy pork belly was more greasy pork belly and when chewed it releases oil leaving the mouth greasy. The overwhelming taste sensation was just sugar sweetness with no balance. Didn't get the flabvours of any pickle or ginger to take away the sugary greasiness. Not pleasant.

And if it couldn't get any worse, it did. Fried whole quail came out looking like it had been out in the sun far too long. Mahogany brown and ever so wrinkled, this poor quail had met a grizzly death! The leg bone just snapped it was so over cooked, The fibres of the meat stood out individually when shredded and picked apart. Small slaving grace was the rice roll accompaniment that was soft and silky with a few mushrooms on top - more a garnish than salad. Really the state of that little bird was not acceptable so we flagged our waiter, explained the problem and he just seemed confused. I asked him to take it away and he asked me if he should tell the kitchen! Damn right he should tell the kitchen but then he just walked away to the bar and didn't take the dead bird with him? WTF?! So we asked another waitress, one who seemed a bit more with it and she apologised and took it away. SHe came back to let us know we could have another one and they would comp it. Too right, they should comp it. In fact quite frankly that's not really a gesture we should be grateful for. We declined an additional dish as we were pretty over it by this point.

So we quickly paid our bill and left and made way to Red Silks for a second dinner that was far more successful!

So in summary, Hochi Mama looks good like its pho plings; all hip and fun but Stef and I found it style over substance completely and were really disappointed. It's over priced for what it offers and is just not good enough. Hochi Mama? Nochi Mama more like!

when Steve told me last week that he suspected it might be go go go, we signed up for Friday night dinner pronto. So don't read previous reviews if you've come to this one via Urbanspoon / Zomato. Fitzroy Town Hall Hotel only re opened last Friday i.e. 30th October so anything before that isn't true to tale.

A colourful arrangement of beautifully charred vegetables arrived with mellow cloves of roast garlic atop some creamy and cool goat's curd rounded out with the soft and sweet tang of balsamic. Very simple but lovely to look at and delicious to eat.

We then moved onto the Raw Ocean Trout, Tuna and Kingfish, Chilli, Ginger, Soy and Black Bean. This was an interesting variation on the more common soy and sashimi with the black bean adding a strong saltiness but didn't fight or intensify the soy. There was some pickled ginger in there which helped cleanse away some of the salt. We were feeling most at home and enjoying the good food which actually just got better! Read on!
​

There were two types of market fish available - Blue Eye fillet and a Baby Snapper. We went with the whole Baby Snapper which came with an asparagus and broad bean salad. Such s delicious looking fishy. It was cooked beautifully so the flesh was still juicy and snapper can dry out, and the skin crispy with the right amount of char. Our waiter reminded us not to neglect the silky slippery fish cheeks and with a whole fish, both Steve and I could enjoy a cheek each.

To be honest, this would have been enough food but we couldn't come eat at a Sean Donovan establishment and not have steak. It's different to The Wayside and The Station in that there isn't the wide choice of different cows and steaks to choose from and it's more the cuts. There was a flat iron, a fillet, a rib eye on the bone and a special of Scotch fillet. Steve and I decided to go hard and go big and ordered the 500g rib eye to share and it came with beets, radicchio, hazelnuts and blue cheese. Lucky for me the blue cheese is contained in the salad so I could avoid it.

As we were sharing, they chef kindly sliced the steak for us and it was cooked perfectly with the brown char on the outside and gradually changing tones through to the deep red centre. I love the ombre effect of beautifully cooked steak, This was tender yet flavoursome and Steve declared the beetroots great too.

With super full tummies, we thought to hell with it and let's go dessert. We'd originally decided to go with chocolate mousse, honeycomb and caramelised macadamia nuts but then we were told about lemon tart and framboise sorbet. After a fun discussion about framboise and fraise and decided which was which; raspberry, strawberry with the waiter we had to make a decision. Such a hard choice and Steve vetoed ordering both.

So we went lemon and we did not regret it! So citrussy the curd was silky smooth like silken tofu with that sexy wobble but a real wicked tang and crispy thin pastry. A touch less creamy than the highly esteemed Philippa Sibley version and just shy of that versions richness this was a good thing for us given everything we'd eaten our way through. And the raspberry sorbet was just a gorgeous contrast to the lemon. Would I have liked a crunchy brulee top on the tart? Maybe but that's just being picky. It was actually perfection on a plate without it.

This dinner started off good and just progressively improved reaching a pinnacle of deliciousness with the fish and steak and staying at that dizzy heights of delight with dessert.

​Fitzroy Town Hall Hotel, 200 metres away from home...dangerous yet so so welcome. We're so glad you chose our neighbourhood! See you very soon. That chocolate mousse is waiting for me!

Port Fairy from our sojourn to Tower Hill where we'd completed a brisk walk so needed a feed! In spite of it being 1pm and prime lunch hour, we secured a roomy table in the cute courtyard. Whilst the place was busy it wasn't frantically so and we were able to relax and browse the menu as well as enjoy the fresh air.

So the menu promised a little bit of British at the end of the Great Ocean Road. In honour of the United Kingdom, Steve ordered an English Breakfast tea, I had an Irish Breakfast tea and for Scotland, Steve decided to eat his way through what was called The Flying Scotsman.

In essence it's a Ploughman's and it arrived on a road board with giant pickled onions, a pile of pink ham, Stilton, Cheddar, a salad, baguette, chutney and triangles of butter.

There were plenty of other Ploughman's variations but I plumped for the bacon and Brie baguette and we decided to share some potato skins. Other temptations were Welsh rarebit, bangers and mash, fish and chips...

A highly enjoyable lunch spot that was quick and satisfyingly homely.Simple far but done with warmth and generosity; exactly as a tea room should be!

Sunday night dinner took place at the Merrijig Kitchen. We were a little early but our table was ready after long deliberation by the waitress who greeted us and also served us for the remainder of the evening.

I think that was the first sign of things to come really service wise. Somewhat hesitant and given we were in Port Fairy, seems apt to describe it as "away with the fairies". Ever so pleasant she was but no sense of purpose or urgency. She'd float in and out of the dining room in spite of it being full and really take her time with things including clearing our main course plates and then another spate of waiting and us watching her float around before she offered us the dessert menu. Not quite the zen like calm of a professionally run dining room and just more irritatingly slow.

Strange really as whenever the kitchen door opened. we'd hear meals be called out and the real sound of hustle and bustle When I visited the ladies and walked past the kitchen it was a hubbub of activity and action yet front of house just didn't have that buzz.

Anyway whilst I'm on about the not so good, I guess I'll also call out that our table wasn't the best one for a relaxing evening as it was just inside the dining room so every table that arrived and every party that left would walk by and in this small and cosy room it was a bit annoying.

I've called out what didn't make me merry at the Merrijig and I don't want to dwell so let's talk about the good stuff...

Oh and in case you're wondering what those two cups of liquid are; it's a welcome palate cleansing spiced pear tea. Prettily presented, it was a tad too sweet for me but a nice touch.

We chose well for our entrees:

• Char grilled quail with Spring garlic, globe artichoke hot pot and house made fig leaf ricotta
• Tassie scallops in their half shell with brown butter and pickled cauliflower

I had the quail which was deliciously savoury and so well seasoned with a tasty jus. The ricotta added some creaminess. I wasn't sure what artichoke hot pot meant but enjoyed the bitter fruitiness of it cutting through some of the saltiness. 

Steve opted for a trio of local oysters (unpictured) and ordered two of the scallops but we were generously served three as it was the last one. Lucky me - I was the worthy recipient. It was a small scallop but it was delicious with notes of buttery goodness and sea saltiness and then finished with a tang and a crunch from the pickled cauliflower. And I loved the colours in the presentation too.

• Roasted Portland Hapuka fillet with a potato and saffron bisque

Main course were as above with me going for the steak and Steve continuing his seafood theme and going with the hapuka. The other fish was Mirror Dory with a farro risotto and Spring greens and I think I'd have gone with that choice had I wanted a fishy on my dishy. Steve's verdict on the fish was that it was cooked well and flaked beautifully. The bisque was a bit watery and light on flavour and probably more broth than bisque but the fish itself made up for it.

I enjoyed the steak with the salsa verde and I think there were hints of cheese either in that or the green beans that it came with. I liked the surprise cheese element and the steak itself was tender and flavoursome.

Food was going down well so we decided to finish things off and share the rhubarb and strawberry trifle. A trifle is one of Steve's favourite desserts so it has to be good. What was good about this one were the strawberries. At first sight, it wasn't really a trifle as we couldn't see the layers of sponge or custard. When we dug in, we were pleasantly surprised to find some sponge (not very much) and some creamy stuff (not the stuff on the top) so that might have been the custard. It was pleasant but not really a trifle and Steve called it fruit, cream and a compote.

There were definitely some tasty highlights at the Merrijig and the food was on the whole cooked really well with some satisfyingly savoury flavours coming through. Service was a bit here and there as mentioned previously and dessert wasn't robust enough but in all, we enjoyed this country fare.