I had my favourite kamo seiro with chilled soba noodles. It comes out on a tray with a hot bowl of duck broth, the bamboo mat of chilled noodles and a small bottle of the shichimi togarashi to spice things up. I love the chilled version because the noodles retain their bite whereas the hot version I find overcooks them. The broth is so flavoursome with slices of pink duck breast and pieces of eggplant and some enoki mushrooms.

Steve had the teriyaki chicken set lunch which is a small bowl of teriyaki chicken on rice and a plate of either warm or chilled soba noodles. He went with chilled and thoroughly enjoyed it.

It was a tasty lunch that feels light on the tummy but satisfies the tastebuds. Welcome to the neighbourhood Shimbashi. We're going to be great friends. 

It's been a long time that Emporium has had Calia hiding behind construction work. All that time has resulted in an attractive and appealing shop front with a bistro style restaurant and retail outlet with classy looking offerings.

A midweek lunch with friend / colleague tempted us in and we were quickly seated at a large shared table. Service was pretty quick and friendly.

Bowls of food are served around the $20 mark with a couple of more extravagant options. Our YOLO attitude saw us splurge the 30 plus dollars on the Calia chirashi bowl and the Calia Wagyu bowl. 

Both dishes were beautifully presented and came quickly so perfect for a lunch hour. The sashimi is undeniably good. Stonkingly fresh, the toro just melted in the mouth as it should. The soy based dipping sauce was delicious and the rice just right. Often I find the rice a bit too vinegary. This was a joy to eat. It's definitely a light lunch though but I don't begrudge the $35 as the quality is definitely there. 

My friend also did not begrudge the $32 for the Wagyu beef and declared it delicious. The perfectly cooked egg did look very appealing and I know I'll be going down this route next time.

Whilst I don't think the price point a turn off and it's on balance with the quality of produce, and the fit out is evidently classy, it still feels like a restaurant in shopping centre so there's no big sense of occasion or 'destination dining'. I think it will appeal to those from cities with swanky malls where it's the norm to have fine dining venues within them; the Hong Kong, Singapore type of shopping centre. My parents would love it as it's quick, good service, can bring the children and not feel they're going to be a problem and the food quality is there.

For me it doesn't feel like I'm going somewhere special for my feed although the actual feed is a good one.

The white table cloths and old world decor make it an occasion type restaurant for family birthdays where generations come together or grown ups night out or an intimate date. It's not stuffy, far from it, but it is classic.

We loved the sound of the dishes on the Tasting Menu so it was easy to go with that. The dishes came out promptly. Service was friendly although the one waiter who serviced our area was a little stretched when we were at maximum capacity and it wasn't always easy to get his attention. When we did manage to attract him, his response was speedy so it wasn't a bad experience.

The formula of the Tasting Menu hasn't changed from our previous visit. We started off with a series of small bites:

• Oyster shot with mirin and sake
  
• Ora King salmon and kingfish tartare
  
• ‘Black truffle’ potato croquette
  
• Tempura zucchini flowers with goat’s milk fetta
  
• Wagyu bresaola, enoki mushrooms, pickled daikon

The oyster shot was a yummy blend of sweet and salty with a deep savouriness to the liquid. Oyster shots are never the most attractive of dishes, reminding me of the animals preserved in liquid formaldehyde found in old museums and high school biology labs and this was the same. I guess the clear brown consomme like liquid and the shot glass contributed to this! But at least it tasted good!

Next I worked on the warm tempura zucchini flower which was a classic rendition with familiar flavours that have been proven to work and ever consistent, worked again.

The bresaola was well balanced in flavours too with some saltiness from the cured meat, a tang and a crunch from the pickle and then the earthy mushroom.

The salmon and kingfish tartare on a cracker was pleasant enough but need a little citrus kick I feel.

​The small disappointment was the small croquette that looked like a black truffle but didn't have much flavour to it and I found the filling a bit mushy and gluey. A small morsel though so not bad enough to have a huge impact on the overall enjoyment of this first course.

I didn't take a photo of the next course because it was more a dish of foam so it wasn't easy to see the individual tortellini:

• Mushroom wonton-tortellini, peas, truffled Parmigiano-Reggiano sauce

Where the previous fish dish was light and bright, this pasta came with a punch. Flavour wise the cheese foam was intense and rich. The tortellini filling was creamy and decadent and the peas added intensity with a sweet finish. It was delicious but I couldn't eat more than the three pieces served and for me the sauce was just on the side of manageable. Any more cheese in it would have been too overwhelming for me.

It was a little weird to have the noise of a 21st birthday party come through to the refined dining room and even weirder when I wen to the ladies' bathroom and could barely get in with all the young ladies vying for the mirror, reapplying lip gloss and spraying hairspray and perfume. I was transported back to the 90s when I would have been one of them which was a strange sensation given I'd just had a very grown up and civilised meal. This little experience just didn't quite sit with the whole fine dining package.

There are three, two hatted restaurants all within 15 minutes walk of home for us - Cutler & Co,, St, Crispin and here. At all three the food is of a strong standard. I struggle with the darkness of the dining room at Cutler & Co. on an evening and here I felt the ambience especially with the nightclub ending of our meal was also a little off. I think my favourite for food and ambience would be St. Crispin but it's a pretty tight two hat race.

Called in on Saturday just after 6pm after a cinema date with my girlfriend Kirsty. It was a belated birthday get together and we thought we'd have a couple of drinks and some food.

Sake was pretty empty and we were given a choice of sushi bar or table and opted for the comfort of a table.

A quick peruse of the menu and cocktails were chosen:

Pink Blossom - served short
Choya umeshu, fresh strawberries and cranberry juice shaken with passionfruit and lime

Miss Wednesday- served over ice
Japanese shochu, rose and lychees shaken with vanilla and fresh lime. Our twist on a lychee Caiprioska

They were delicious - fresh, fruity, fun and exactly what we were looking for. Service was pretty prompt and quick although they brought us still mineral water when we just wanted Victoria's finest vintage. Our waiter was knowledgeable and proficient and really aside from the water and an attempted delivery of a dish we hadn't order, it was a pretty slick set up.

The dishes we ordered come out pretty quickly so it's a good place if you're wanting something pacey. If you want a longer leisurely meal then perhaps ask them to go slow.​​

• Prawn shumai | ponzu sauce
• Wing | vintage soy | mandarin

I've had the prawn shumai at the Hamer Hall premises and I like the noodle casing and prawn filling. Definitely a crowd pleaser.

We ordered two yakitori, the wings and the fillet (unpictured). Both were delicious. The wings had a sticky sweetness whereas the fillet was smoky with a hint of citrus.

Again the rest of our dishes arrive quickly and it's fun to be able to pick and nibble Asian tapas style.

• Rice cracker crusted tuna | pink grapefruit | vintage soy
• Kingfish jalapeño | yuzu soy | jalapeño | coriander
• Spider maki | soft shell crab | sudachi | shiso
• Crispy duck | green tomato | hassaku | nasturtium 

The sashimi is all spankingly fresh. I don't taste the pink grapefruit in the tuna so it makes it fairly standard tuna sashimi. Tasty but not necessarily creative and the pink grapefruit could have made it more than ordinary.

The duck was a bit difficult to eat as it was two big pieces so easy to share but with just chopsticks we couldn't cut it and I tried to bite it but it was just a bit too tough to do that. 

It was all executed well and everything tasted good so it hit the expectations but it wasn't mind blowing but I'd happily eat it all again.

• Chocolate aero | crystalized violets | Madagascan vanilla 
  

We share dessert and it was a very good dessert, Chocolate, honeycomb ice cream - really it's a true crowdpleaser and a delicious way to end things.

Our bill came to $275 and it did include all the food plus 4 cocktails. It's a pricey evening and I've always thought Sake to be expensive but enjoyable and little sister Sake is definitely from the same genepool. It's a slick operation but it's also pretty slick on the wallet.

Since moving North side, we've struggled to go South of the river in spite of the appetising lure of Hanoi Hannah, Saigon Sally and Tokyo Tina. We've been able to resist their charms thus far. But this Saturday we found ourselves in Windsor at a 40th birthday party and decided to pop in for a late feed. Well late for us old fogeys but it was more just after 10pm and Chapel Street was pretty pumping!

Tina was still bustling in spite of the off peak hour but we were warmly showed two places at the bar. Steve is doing Febfast and I didn't want to cause him too much grief so in spite of the impressive drinks list and the fact it was Saturday night and we were in a bar it was green tea for two. And we didn't feel too out of place!

We ordered pretty quickly and our food arrived even quicker! I love it when food comes out speedily. And the service is smiley with lots of checking in to make sure all is good.

Our first two dishes to arrive are:

• ​ORGANIC SOBA SALAD Salmon Sashimi, Pumpkin, Snow Pea, Ponzu Ginger Dressing
• WAGYU BEEF TATAKI Miso Mustard, Pickled Onion & Nectarine 

My initial reaction to the soba salad is that it looked dry but and lacklustre but actually it was really tasty Fresh flavours, pickly tones and zest. Yummy. The tataki was also tasty with a sweet richness from the miso mustard. I like my beef tataki cut a touch thicker but I'm being picky!

Traditionally Hawaiian and basically a form of ceviche, Tina's twist was to have it on top of warm rice. With fresh lime, coconut milk, shreds of chilli, sprigs of coriander and fresh sweet tomatoes this was delicious. The fresh snapper and fresh coconut shavings were really brought out of their potentially bland selves and joined the flavour party! And these are my kind of flavours.

We found Tina hospitable and the food delicious. Worth the journey and I'm a little bit jealous that there in spite of all the wonders of the North side, we don't have a Tina!

I found myself in the area one mid week lunchtime and decided to pop in for a quick bite to eat. It's a little confusing when entering as takeaway is in one direction that looks like it leads to the dining area but actually have to head in the opposite direction and walk round.

Pretty hospitable welcome and as a solo diner was shown to a seat at the sushi bar and the chefs there greeted me with a warm smile and were friendly throughout my short time there. Not chatty but would check to make sure I was happy and ok.

The place was pretty busy, kind of pacey busy but not overwhelmingly so. My order was taken quickly and the chirashi sushi arrived promptly. It exceeded my expectations in presentation; so prettily displayed with jewel like colours atop a rectangle brick of rice.

Flavours were traditional, clean, fresh and light. I enjoyed the different types of fish; salmon, kingfish and tuna with a prawn, some avocado, tofu and wood ear fungus. The rice was nicely cooked and not mushy.

In all, it was pretty classic and well executed. If in the area I'd pop in again. Not the cheapest of lunches at just under $20 for the dish but the quality was there. The only thing is that eating rice with chopsticks from a plate isn't the easiest I find. I prefer a bowl with chopsticks or cutlery with a plate but that's just a personal thing that reveals my weak chopstick abilities!
​

First A team lunch of 2016. A team is a group of 4 former colleagues and now instead of all 4 working for the same company we have divided and conquered and now between us we are split evenly across 2 companies. Every so often we enjoy a get together to see how far we've come!

This time we decided to sushi train it and try Tetsujin. First impressions were good. The dining area is airy and bright and not crammed together. The conveyor belt is large so there seems to be lots of food and the service seemed pretty efficient.

In terms of sushi, we made our way through what we wanted. There's the usual blend of seared and raw fish with the odd vegetarian option. It's all rolls or nigiri and sticks to traditional seafood or veggie with some desserts. Sashimi and other sundries can be ordered via the iPad.

We ordered some tempura udon, vegetable croquettes, agadashi tofu and the items arrived quite quickly and piping hot. I enjoyed these dishes and felt they were well priced and well executed.

The actual sushi train items got boring quite quickly and after one round of what we fancied we struggled to feel compelled to eat any more and not because we were full but because there wasn't that much that was appealing.

Water service was a little slow and I wish they'd just put a jug on the table because the little glasses are small and you can't order water on the iPad unlike Hotaru Sushi. There's a BBQ and bar area which I didn't take a peek at but would be open to trying.

At $3.30 for the sushi items, it's a touch more expensive that Hotaru but the seating and ambience is a touch better so I don't mind the $0.30 premium but in terms of quality it's about on par. It's not bad but it doesn't have me pumping to return either but I wouldn't be opposed to going back.

I had a delightful lunch here on Friday. I'm a first timer and went with my friend Stef who has been before. We ordered:

• Gyoza (6pcs) 餃子 Pan fried dumplings
• Salmon Yukke サーモンユッケ Marinated spicy salmon sashimi
• Kamonan Soba Warm 鴨南蛮きのこそば Warm soup noodle with sliced seasoned duck meat and mushrooms
• Sesame Seiro ごまだれせいろ Chilled plain noodle with sesame sauce

The gyoza tasted fresh and not pre made. I loved the duck noodles and it was Stef who suggested I order that as she loved it when she had it.The broth is really delicate and light but so tasty with tender pieces of duck some yummy mushrooms and a couple of slices of aubergine. The soba noodles that Shimbashi make in house and are famous for were silky and tasty. I think they were a little softer than I'd have liked but I think that has a lot to do with the hot broth so maybe next time I'd go for the chilled option to have more elasticity and bite to the noodles.

Steve had the Sesame Seiro which she enjoyed. The Salmon Yukke was nice enough but a touch over seasoned and over dressed by the marinade which hid the natural flavours of the fish. 

Our food arrived quickly and service was efficient. This is a great little gem and such a good place to drop in for a casual but satisfying meal.

It's a cold, dreary, damp Thursday night and Steve and I finish work and decide to brace the wet and wild and walk home stopping off en route, kind of, for dinner. 

One of Steve's Japanese colleagues has told him about Gypsy & Pig and rates it as a favourite. 

It's an intimate dining are with just a couple of tables and then seating around the kitchen at a bar. It's cosy and warm and the pig decor is fun and cheerful. It's pretty full and we're given two seats in the corner of the bar area with instructions to leave in an hour. However a few minutes later, the  waitress tells us that if the two young men seated opposite us leave in the next half hour, we can stay on.

We choose some dishes from the menu but also a couple of special from the portable blackboard the waitress brings round. Steve's even got a little print out of recommended dishes that his colleague emailed him for us to take guidance from.

We start off with the kingfish sashimi that's on the blackboard and the sliced fresh tuna with special soy dressing and shaved Parmigiano Reggiano. It's a puzzling dish and we're not sure what to expect and I fear the dairy will not blend well with the fresh fish. Actually it works well enough, The cheese isn't too creamy so it's really more about adding salt to the fish. I'm not 100% convinced with the texture as it's bit powdery in the mouth and sliced tuna is thin so isn't meaty enough to counteract the floury texture. Maybe if the tuna was cubed or thicker it would be better.

The kingfish sashimi is much more purist in nature and is served traditionally with wasabi and soy. Simple cleansing flavours and the freshness of the fish shines through.

We move from the clean flavours of sashimi to deep fried goodness and the stuffed chicken wing with Kurobuta gyoza. Almost too hot to handle, the juicy chicken and sweet meat stuffing is cut through with a punchy, citrussy soy dipping sauce. This chases away the damp air and provides some cheeriness amidst the miserable midweek weather.

And then it's all about the pig, puh,puh, pig! And in this case Kurobuta pig which is what Wagyu is to beef and we choose two different types of offering. We have the roast belly pork with an apple slaw and saikyo miso and also the deep fried crumbed Kurobuta eye fillet.

The crumbed round discs of meat are presented on a wire rack to keep them crispy and accompanied with a mound of shredded cabbage. We are introduced to the condiment tray in front of us and invited to dress the cabbage with a spiky, tangy dressing and drizzle the meat with a barbecue sauce. 

The golden crumbed circles look like fishcakes or meat patties; neither of which are in my list of favourite foods - probably more middle of the road for me. But when I eat take my first bite it's far from average. The meat is pure fillet and juicy and tasty with the real porky flavour coming out. The piquant sauce adds a contrast and another flavour note.

The roast belly pork is also lovely and the fattiness that comes with belly pork that can either go thumbs up or thumbs down is definitely a thumbs up. And the sweetness of the miso and apple slaw layer and intensify that sweetness but it doesn't become overly sweet and the contrasting textures of bouncy meat and crispy apple help cut through the richness of the dish.

We chose to accompany the meaty dishes with a set side dish option of rice, miso and pickles.

Service is efficient and the food comes out quickly. In spite of the open kitchen and lots of grilling and frying of pork the dining room isn't smoky and we don't leave smelling of fried food. I like the endearing charm of the menu which has phrases such as "Extra...After finish Meat & Veg shabu shabu broth with" and the homely nature of the restaurant and the food. 

Given the speed the dishes arrive and the bento box appearance of our meal, this could all very easily be mistaken as fast food but far from processed flavours, the quality of the produce especially with the pork and the kingfish sashimi sing out loudly.

We leave with satisfied bellies and feel restored, revived and equipped to face the cold, wet night.

Stef and I had a Friday night date. We were off to see Absinthe at Crown Rooftop so wanted to have dinner beforehand. We decided on ramen adn wanted to give Ikkoryu Fukuoka a go. Great location for us in that it wasn't far from the office and kind of en route to catch a tram to Crown.

Brightly lit it stands out on the Russell Street incline and it feels a bit like entering a retail fashion shop for some reason. Still slightly fragrant with new paint fumes we were the first to arrive for dinner service and were shown to a comfortable square table that could have seated 2 or 4. 

We liked the spacious seating, the fun wall paintings and the fact that it made going for ramen, often a casual quick meal, more of an occasion. Lots of seating for large groups as well as at the bar and all with a zen like calmness which again is quite special for a ramen place.

Menu offerings are so traditional that they're unusual - does that make sense? Stef went with the Yuzu Zama Tonkotsu which is apparently a speciality from Kyushu. I went with the Black Garlic Tonkotsu where a special roast garlic oil is added to the tonkotsu base.

We topped our ramen with an additional egg and some izakaya style accompaniments namely the fried chicken bites and potato salad.

Ikorry Fukuoka also offer additional free noodles (kind of like getting seconds) so we decided to share one serve. You can also specify the texture of the noodles and we went with hard. There is an extra hard but hard was good for us.

So Stef's yuzu ramen was a mossy green in colour. She knew this though. I tasted some of the broth and as well as the usual porky goodness, there was a sour tang and then a warmth of spice. It was a kind of take on tom yam soup I guess.

My black garlic ramen, was as expected black in colour. I thought it might be super oily given oil is added to it but it wasn't. Really deep flavours and the garlic is this mellow flavour backdrop so it's not strong enough to keep away vampires but it's definitely there.

The ramen noodles are really good - quite thin and not really springy but still really good. The egg was cooked really nicely and the yolks richly satisfying, The pork had a sweet char siu flavour to it and I liked that it had a flavour to itself as sometimes in ramen it's the soup that has the flavour not the meat.

I started off really enjoying the back garlic ramen and found it savoury and satisfying. However by the final mouthfuls I found it overly rich and cloying so perhaps no extra noodles needed!

The fried chicken looked a bit naked when it arrived - some Kewpie would have been nice. But it was tasty and probably didn't need the Kewpie once tasted. The potato salad was dreadfully disappointing. $9 for one little ball of potato salad served at fridge temperature.

As we're on the subject of price now, Ikkoryu Fukuoka is not the cheapest ramen joint. And if you want extras like egg or any other toppings such as wood ear fungus, additional seaweed, pickles etc. then the price soon adds up and before you know it, it's almost $30 for ramen; albeit gourmet ramen! Having said that, I think they can get away with charging the premium because of the attentive service and the decor. Although not for the potato salad!