Hori Corn Chocolate

EG's parents took a recent trip to Hokkaido, and bought us back some local treats. So let me present one of the specialities of the region, Hori Corn Chocolate.

The gift box contains the same chocolate done two ways - in a long finger and a bite sized nugget.

It was a rather interesting snack consisting of popped corn and other chewy corn kernel bits smothered in Hokkaido milk white chocolate. It apparently comes in a regular milk chocolate variety as well.

And taste? Well, my feelings are a little ambivalent. The puffed corn is a little on the stale side, although it does amazingly taste corny (in a good way). The chocolate is also sweeter than we would probably have it here.

I give it points for uniqueness, but wouldn't be too fussed not to have it again.

Mochi, Wagashi and err...Moffles?

Fuji Bakery
Phone (02) 9975 1095

I picked up the most gorgeous mochi (rice cakes) at the recent Japan Festival in Box Hill. After developing an appreciation for such things in Japan, I was quite upset that I couldn't seem to find any freshly-made artisan ones here in Melbourne. Alas, we probably still can't find them as these ones came all the way from New South Wales.

This is a Sakura (cherry blossom) flavoured mochi wrapped in a real pickled cherry blossom leaf. It imparts a definite fragrance and saltiness to the sweet rice dumpling which is filled with sweetened azuki (red bean) paste. Unlike many of the mochi I have seen, the grains of the rice remain intact instead of being pounded to a paste. Isn't it just beautiful?

These are kashiwa mochi so named after the oak leaf they are wrapped in. They are traditionally made on the 5th May to celebrate Children's Day in Japan. Like the sakura mochi above, you are not meant to eat the leaf. Inside the pounded glutinous rice exterior was the same sweetened azuki (red bean) paste, although I detected a definite honey flavour to it.

Finally, an assorted pack of mochi, although I don't know whether some of these might be called something else (wagashi perhaps?). Towards the back was a green mochi filled with azuki, perhaps flavoured with mugwort (I'm guessing here). To the front were two rather unusual sweets. The one to the left was filled with the honey azuki paste mentioned earlier and the exterior was gingerbread in flavour. Yup, that's right. Gingerbread. And the one to the right tasted just like white bread, and it too was filled with azuki paste and sprinkled with goma (black sesame seeds). Traditional? Hmm...perhaps someone can enlighten me?

Just as an aside, apparently a new craze has hit Japan, and that is the moffle - a cross between a mochi and a waffle. Ooh...I must try me some! Sugoi!

Three More Kit Kats

This is the 20th different flavoured Kit Kat I've managed to sample (not including versions we get in Australia), and I'm restraining myself from jumping on ebay to order more to fuel my sick obsession (there is apparently a soy sauce flavoured version!). The first two in this post were sourced locally from Great Eastern on Russell St.

First up is Strawberry flavour, which is not my favourite. It is a little too sweet and fruity and kind of like doing a triple shot Strawberry Quik.

Simple white chocolate Kit Kat - simple in design and taste.

This Bitter Green Tea Kit Kat came via EG's parents who recently came back from Hokkaido. They found it at Narita airport, and apparenty it is limited to the Tokyo region.

I absolutely adore the green tea flavour, which happens to just go ever so well with chocolate in the Kit Kat form. I think this version was done in conjunction with Itoh Kyuemon, a famous sweets shop in Kyoto.

You can look at my other Kit Kat posts here, here, and, oh yes, here.

Japan Festival

Japan Festival in Melbourne
Sunday 18th May 2008 - Box Hill Town Hall & Tafe
http://www.jcv.org.au/japanfestival/

I'll take a little break from my Japan posts to report on...er...the Melbourne Japan Festival. Held last Sunday at the Box Hill Town Hall and TAFE, it is an annual celebration of all things Japanese. Amidst displays of bonsai, ikebana, taiko drumming, kimono contests, market stalls, Japanese language schools, tea ceremony schools (to be blogged shortly) and aikido (to name just a few), there was of course, the food.

This charcaol hibachi was whipping up a furious smoke - the smell of yakitori drawing all and sundry for tasty sticks of teriyaki chicken.

As you can see, they were delectably caramalised and awesomely good.

Takoyaki (octopus balls) were a popular snack at the festival - about four or five different vendors were selling them. Some chose to deep fry the little balls, but these guys were using a more traditional method utilising cast iron skillets (like what we witnessed in Osaka here).

They were actually pretty darn good, though I did miss the usual garnish of katsuobushi shavings. Surprisingly both the batter and the chunks of octopus were really tender.

Little bowls of ramen were a hot ticket item - a small bowl of miso or shoyu based stock and noodles for $5. The shoyu ramen was heavy with shitake flavour, which was an unusual little addition to a traditionally salty soy stock.

The yakisoba were absolutely fantastic. Fried on a BBQ hotplate, they are seasoned with (of all things) worstershire sauce! Large chunks of onion and cabbage had been stirfried into the mix, and it was garnished with aonori (seaweed flakes), beni shoga (picked red ginger) and Japanese mayonnaise.

I thought this was an interesting selection of treats. On the one hand you have the battered hot dog (American Dog) and a curry croquet, and on the other, takoyaki and lobster miso. An interesting blend of the traditional and the not so traditional.

Shoya - Kaisen Chirashi

25 Market Lane, Melbourne
Phone: 03 9650 0848

The simple things in life are often the best, such as the Kaisen Chirashi ($21.80) lunchtime set at Shoya. Fat tiles of tuna, swordfish, kingfish, salmon, arc shell (perhaps?!?), prawn, tobiko and a few other unknown piscatorial treats. All of it fresh. All of it tasting like the sea. Sitting on top perfect grains of bitey white rice and spikey slivers of toasted nori.

You can read about a previous visit to Shoya here.

Yayoiken

Various locations

The subject of this review was located in Kyoto, Japan

http://www.yayoiken.com/ (Japanese only)

I wish to dispel the myth that Japan is a very expensive country. Don't get me wrong - there are certainly things there that will cost you an arm and a leg. However, as with most countries, if you do as the locals do, things like eating out can become very affordable.

Yayoiken is one such example. Recommended to us by our friendly ryokan owner in Kyoto, and previously visited by other food bloggers like Helen from grabyourfork, Yayoiken is a chain of teishoku-ya, located in numerous places in Japan, and all serving simple, homely and cheap lunch and dinner sets. How cheap? Try around 700 yen (AUD$7) for a set that will contain a meat/fish dish, miso soup, side dish, pickles, and bottomless bowls of rice from a huge help-yourself rice cooker. The chain is also opened 24 hours!

Cheapness in the prices certainly doesn't mean cheap and drab surrounds: Yayoiken is a clean and very pleasant space to dine. Key in your food choices from the vending machine, insert money, then hand your ticket to the waitress, who will show you to a table. Menu choices are vast - everything from tonkatsu and yakitori to healthy grilled whole fish, stir-frys and desserts. They even have breakfast sets!

Over the course of two dinners, we enjoyed some very tasty food:

A simple and healthy stir-fry of pork and veggies was full of flavour, nicely accompanied by a tofu side dish. I had three bowls of rice with this dish!!

The tonkatsu here was obviously not as good as some of Japan's speciality tonkatsu restaurants but it was nevertheless crunchy and yummy. Can you believe that the set above costs less than AUD$10?!

The classic Oyako Don was a no nonsense rendition of this moreish chicken and egg dish. Look how lovely that miso soup is!

What I really love about Japanese eateries is that you can always get fish at very cheap prices. Here, a beautifully grilled and butterflied piece of fresh white fish (we couldn't identify what type) went wonderfully with a wedge of lemon.

For me, Yayoiken debunks the myth that eating out is expensive in Japan. It is a simple chain that serves delicious, straightforward food that is a cut above your normal fast food places, and is certainly cheaper than similar Japanese cafes here in Melbourne.

Don Bay Japanese Lunch Place

Shop 5, 440 Collins Street, Melbourne
(down Gurner's Lane)
Phone 03 9670 3456
Mon-Fri 11am - 3pm

Don Bay is an unassuming little Japanese cafe at the bottom of a stairway in a dingy laneway in downtown Melbourne. Most would probably walk right on by without even realising it was there. So you can imagine my surprise when I popped in and found the place full of hungry patrons.

The whole experience is decidely Japanese, from the friendly call of "irrashimase" when you step through the door, to choosing your food from a picture menu. The decor is functional and somewhat dated, and seats only a handful of people (note: you may have to wait in line if you want to eat in).

This is not your typical sushi sushi experience - it is authentic and retro Japanese diner fare. We're speaking lots of deep fried goodness tempered with a few Japanese curries/hash, bentos aplenty, sukiyaki, oyakodon, yakitoridon and other dons, teriyaki, gyoza, croquettes, soba/noodle salads, udon soup and a small selection of sushi. Japanese drinks such as Calpis and unsweetened green tea are also available.

The katsu curry don (one of my favourites) is a crumbed pork fillet on rice, doused in a Japanese curry beef sauce. It may not look pretty, but this is one of the best katsu curry dons in town. The sauce wasn't just a packet mix (well...it probably was well, but it had been pimped), and had real flecks of gravy beef and chunks of carrot. The pork fillet was tender and crumbed crunchily with a thick layer of panko. A small side of red pickled ginger sat to the side.

I'm just bummed this place is on the other side of the CBD from where I work, else I would probably venture there more often. Also note that it is only open for weekday lunches - another bummer.

Nihonbashi Zen

87 Little Bourke Street, Melbourne

Phone 03 9639 7050

Time to interrupt our Japan holiday posts with a Melbourne dining experience, although as you can see I haven't veered too far from the current theme. We were craving a taste of the food from our recent trip, and decided that Nihonbashi Zen might satiate that need.

The restaurant is located in a small basement off Little Bourke Street in Melbourne's Chinatown, and is very Japanese in feel. Sombre lighting, Shinto vermillion walls, ikebana highlights, black lacquer and ebony coloured furniture make for a sophisticated space, whilst white linen tablecloths adds a necessary contrast. We sat at the counter, a long blond wood affair that ran alongside the kitchen, which offered a chest high view of Chef Hirokazu Yano in action. It was a shame that we couldn't see what his hands were doing though.

Nihonbashi Zen specialises in kushiyaki - skewered dishes cooked on the grill, stone grill or hot plate. You can ordered them in pairs a la carte (there is a huge selection), or venture down the banquet/degustation road. We decided on the latter.

Chef Hirokazu is renowned for sourcing and using only quality produce, and for creating one of Melbourne's best Sake wine lists (he directly imports them via refrigerated transport from Japan). Both the Sake and the food is not cheap, but you can be assured that the quality can't be beat.

Our first dish, sashimi, was some of the best raw fish I've eaten in Melbourne in some time. The salmon was deliciously fatty and melting tender in the mouth, sitting high on a pile of finely shredded seasoned daikon and seaweed. The firm red bricks of tuna were so fresh, they almost cracked when I picked them up with my chopsticks.

Tofu cheese was next, a delicious light curdy tasting block of tofu. I don't quite know how it is prepared, but it certainly has the taste and texture of fresh cheese curds. It is absolutely divine! It sat in a pool of dashi and light shoyu, and was garnished with crisp shards of nori.

Our first kushiyaki arrived sizzling on a hot plate, marinated in a heady savoury sauce. To the front, a stick of Angus beef was so good I had to close my eyes to savour the taste. Behind, a stick of tender spring lamb, once again cooked to perfection.

Our second plate of kushiyaki consisted of three double skewers of bacon wrapped goodies; Tasmania potato, firm asparagus and okra. Now as much as I love bacon, this was perhaps overkill. This was akin to eating six rashers of bacon - I don't think I can even do that for breakfast! Other than than, the chicken kushiyaki was wonderfully moist and caramalised.

Dessert was an amazing scoop of home made red bean ice cream served in a neat little suribachi (Japanese mortar). I'd go back for this ice cream alone.

Service can be a little sketchy - despite having three on the floor in a small space, there was still a bit of confusion and mishap. After we'd finished our dessert and the plates had been cleared away, we requested the bill and were informed that we should wait as there was one more dish to go. I was understandably excited - could there possibly be two desserts?!? Alas, after 20 minutes the waitress, after seeing that we still did not have dessert, checked with the chef, and realised she had made an error. She apologised, but no other recompense was offered.

Despite that, it is a great little restaurant with some smashing authentic Japanese cuisine, and I look forward to going back to experience the delights of the a la carte menu.

Tsukiji - the one in Prahran and not in Japan

237 High Street, Prahran
Phone 03 9510 2318

Some may have noticed a certain affection for Japanese cuisine in our blog of late, but that is only because in 28 days, EG and I jet off for four weeks in Japan - not that I'm counting ;-) So it was no surprise when trundling down High Street, Prahran on the tram that I spotted a place that blipped on my Japan-radar.

Tsukiji is a small shop named after the Tsukiji Market in Tokyo, Japan, which is the biggest wholesale fish market in the world. The market is renowned for moving approximately 2000 metric tonnes of fish and seafood per day, and whilst Tsukiji (Prahran) is not so prolific, it does provide a pleasing range of piscatorial products.

Tsukiji (Prahran) straddles a few different business fronts - it is part sashimi fishmonger, Japanese grocer and lunch spot. A custom made pine sushi-style counter seats ten in single file - a utilitarian spot to stop and eat and admire the black and white photos of the Tsukiji Market in Japan. The menu is small - you have a choice of a few handrolls of the day, curry don, miso, sashimi set, una don (eel on rice - which looked VERY good) or takoyaki (octopus balls). There are also a few sweets - Japanese ice-creams and taiyaki (red ben cakes).

We couldn't resist the $10 sashimi set or the opportunity to order in Japanese (we have been taking classes) - "Sashimi seto futatsu kudasai". They obviously understood as a few minutes later two trays arrived (above). The set included a rich miso broth that was studded with shards of spring onion and tofu, a small dish of seaweed salad and a warm bowl of Japanese pearl-like rice. The best bit was the plate of super fresh sashimi - tiles of firm red tuna, salmon, king dory and blue-eye. What I found most interesting was the two different cuts of blue-eye, which showed just how not all parts of the fish are equal. One part was tender and soft, whilst the other was firm and to the tooth. A good skill of the chef no doubt. The dish was absolutely delightful - it was pureness and simplicity on a plate.

As mentioned above, Tsukiji also operates as it's namesake, a market for fish and other seafood products. It is not like your regular monger though, as you won't find much in the way of whole fish etc. But you will find trays of ready cut chunks of fish, prepared for sashimi/sushi. There are your popular items such as tuna and salmon, but a few unusual ones pop up, such as whole small whiting, octopus, arc shell, clams, scallops etc.

Along with the cafe and fishmongery is the grocery part of the store, selling large bags of rice, an impressive array of sauces, seaweeds, noodles, and Japanese junk food. There is even a couple of hunks of frozen wagyu in the freezer. Tsukiji is a nicely set out store that has certainly added to our excitement for our forthcoming trip.

Shoya - Yakiniku

25 Market Lane, Melbourne
Phone: 03 9650 0848

"Spread the meat to the grill with fizzle to the sizzle. Wait till heat get smokin' flava with da juice drippin' to the charcoal. Then eat up with dippin' to da bangin' soy sauce."
- Ghengis Khan gets hip - The Japan Times Online

Vegetarians - I advise you avert your eyes just for a moment as I delve into the world of yakiniku, the Japanese art of grilling various cuts of meat for ones' carniverous pleasure.

I was not familiar with this style of dining, so my more experienced companions chose the smokeless grill at Shoya. You see, one small problem with the traditional style of yakiniku is that you come out of the encounter smelling somewhat like a grease-pit, as it is all about cooking the meat to your liking. The smokeless grill on the other hand solves this quandry - a gas flame cooks the ingredients whilst a vacuum sucks the smelly smoke downwards. Also, it is a fairly healthy style of cooking, as the grill allows the fat to drip clean through.

Shoya itself is perhaps one of the better Japanese restaurants in this town, but unfortunately I think it is let down by a distinct lack of customer service. This is not an uncommon experience it seems (check out Cin's review and the comments over on Ed's site). That being said, I love the very dark and very Japanese multi-level/multi-partioned dining space, and the food can really be something quite special. The service - well, there may be a few mistakes, a few misordered items, and a lack of wanting to rectify the issue. Although on this particular night they sent out a less than acceptable dessert (ten minutes after everyone elses dessert arrived), with the promise that a perfect one was on it's way, and it arrived about twenty minutes after that. It was bloody good, but in the end we had to wait over forty minutes for it.

Anyway, back to the meatfest.

The yakiniku menu is quite extensive. If you've got a big stomach you can go the "Gouka Tokusen" special set menu for $55.00, which apparently will have you crying for mercy at the end. Alternatively you can pick a la carte, ordering several types of sliced raw meat, fish or vegetables. You can then dip the cooked ingredients into a number of sauces which vary from the sweet, the salty, to the hot.

The first of the meats to arrive was the 500 day grain fed Wagyu rosu - six slices of highly marbled beef. This didn't take too long to cook, and after a suitable saliva-inducting sear had been acheived on the outside, we whipped it off before over-cooking. It was a total melt in the mouth experience.

Tsura hoho niku, or beef cheek on the other hand was a rather interesting cut of meat. Obviously the cheek of a cow gets a lot of work chewing cud all day, so it is a very flavoursome and muscular cut. Obviously this would make slow cooking a preferable method of preparation, allowing the gelatinous nature of the fibres to tenderise. So it was interesting to have this on the yakiniku menu, especially as the idea is to cook it quickly. That being said, it was an extremely tasty morsel, if somewhat chewier (obviously) than the wagyu.

Negi tan, or ox tongue, was prepared using spring onion and salt. The tongue was almost wafer thin, and didn't need much cooking at all. Despite the fact that I was eating something rather gross by some peoples standards, I found this to be one of my favourites. The flavour was delicate and it cooked really well on the grill. Mmm...I'd have this one again in a heartbeat.

This is a good photo that shows how the BBQ grill actually works. The vents on the side are responsible for sucking the smoke away, and the fat from the meat falls straight through the grill. The heat is obviously hotter in the middle of the grill, and you can place slower/longer cooking items on the sides.

We also had the kurobuta rosu, which is black hair pork loin. Unfortunately the photo didn't turn out so great, but the pork tasted bloody good!

The Wagyu soseiji, which was basically just a beef sausage, arrived partially cooked. A quick slice with the knife saw chunks layed on the grill for a final heat up and sear. It came with a side dish of wholegrain mustard, but I felt went so much better with a sidedish of smoky sweet chilli.

It was not all about the meat mind you, and we did have some vegetables dishes. This was just some simple sliced zucchini, onion, carrot and eggplant.

Some salady sides included a seaweed, lettuce and radish salad, or negi wakame salad. The addition of pine kernals added a lovely nuttiness to the saltiness of the seaweed. Delectable.

The mentai potato salad had as totally enraptured. Whilst there was meant to be some spicy cod roe in it (as far as the menu was concerned anyway), we didn't see it. But we certainly didn't miss it as this plate of creamy potato rocked. It was garnished with long shreds of daikon and bright green edamame.

We finished out meatfest with some onigiri, which frankly is some of the best I've had in this town. The rice was still blissfully warm and flecked with big flakes of grilled salmon, or ume (sour plum), okaka (bonito flakes and soy) or mentaiko (spicy cod roe). Made fresh and made to order is the only way to go.

With a couple of glasses of wine and desserts, we came out of the experience at about $60 per person. I think that is great value for a dining experience that is a little out of the ordinary.

Sake Bar Kura

1 Malthouse Lane, Melbourne
Phone (03) 9654 7454

Sake Bar Kura is quirky little hidey-hole restaurant located at the end of a derelict laneway (Malthouse) which runs off another lane (Flinders). The industrial/rustic Japanese entrance, complete with sauna-like cladding and kooky sake barrel, seems kind of surprising in the environment. Which I guess is one of the reasons this eatery is quite popular with the white collar lunch brigade.

The lunch set menu ($15) consists of pickled vegetables, entree of the day, grilled or fried fish, miso soup, main dish (13 to choose from) and fruit. I think that $15 is a reasonable price to pay for such a selection, but perhaps it is just a tad over what I would normally spend for lunch on a regular work day (I usually aim in the $6 to $10 bracket).

The venue itself is rather funky. The timber cladding on the outside follows inside to some very rustic (and extremely heavy) tables and bench seats. A certain amount of design has been influenced by Japanese aesthetic, partnering clean lines with natural elements such as a faux slate walls and bamboo featurettes. A little technosavvy device on the table will alert staff when you need them, which I initially thought was rather neat, yet felt reluctant to exercise. Call me old fashioned, but I like the game of catching the waiters eye when they wizz past.

But let's get down to it - the food. Today the lunch set included pickled zucchini and daikon, a meat ball with braised fennel, and deep fried fish/prawn ball. Of the three, the deep fried fish/prawn ball was probably my favourite, but then that old adage of "deep frying leading to goodness" is never far wrong. Personally, I think the pickled veg could have had more pickle about them - the flavour just vaguely dabbled in sweet and sour.

I chose the Katsudon for my main - a panko crumbed pork fillet served with a demiglass (sic) sauce on cabbage and rice. The pork itself was wonderfully tender and juicy, but what really added interest was the demi-glace. Past experience of katsudon sauce has been a dark brown worcestershire-like brew. But this one was full of the taste of tomato and was very very picquant (vinegary?). It really was quite interesting. I don't know how traditional it is (and to be perfectly honest, this sauce was far from being demi-glace as I know it), though I have read that the Okayama version of the dish uses this style of sauce.

EG went the attractively plated Sashimi don - slices of fresh salmon, tuna and kingfish with wasabi, ginger and soy on rice. As you can see it was attractively plated (...though I still think you can't beat the ridiculously cheap sashi don at Don Don), and the fish was wonderfully fresh. The warmth of the rice beneath went to warming the raw fish on top.

To finish, we were given a quarter of an orange. Yup. One quarter. Obviously $15 doesn't allow for much more than that ;-). Oh, and another puzzling thing. We ordered green tea and were given two western style cups with a green tea bag in it. What the?!? This just didn't make sense. Once again, call me old fashioned, but what the heck happened to teapots?

So whilst the food was somewhat interesting, I think it misses the mark in some areas. It would do well to foster the location with some more interesting, inventive and value for money food. And teapots. Yeah. That would do it.

Shira Nui

247 Springvale Road, Glen Waverley
Phone 03 9886 7755

Is your mouth watering? Can you taste it? This is the maguro steak nigirizushi at Shira Nui. Put simply, it absolutely rocks.

Seared on the grill and left beautifully rare, the quick flash of the heat made the long thin tuna steak crack and fissure into barely held together flakes of reddish brown flesh. Sprinkled with a salts and spices, it sat sliced on an oblong mound of warm seasoned rice. A strip of thin nori hugged the two together, and a fresh garnish of sliced green onion added colour and bite. OMfG.

Shira Nui is a place that has long held the reputation for providing some of the best (if not THE best) sushi in Melbourne. EG had been a number of times, but I was a Shira Nui virgin. Since we met he had regaled me (incessantly) with tales of exquisite sushi and of entrusting oneself to the mastery of chef Hiro Nishikura's omakase. And now it was my turn to find out what all the fuss was about.

The restaurant is located in the very suburban Glen Waverley, which I think is fast becoming a hotbed of a culinary interest. The exterior is rather non-descript, as is the interior. But I feel comfortable - the angalise coloured walls, the long blondwood sushi counter, Japanese glass ball fishing floats and ceramic fish hanging from the walls, a hunger-inducing cabinet full of chunks of raw fish, rustic Japanese ceramic ware, bottles of sake lined up in a row, and the friendly welcome of "irasshaimase" when we walk in.

Chef Hiro-san is the man responsible for Shira Nui. Now I cringe as I am about to write this, and heck, it's probably been written a hundred times before. But there is a certain warrior quality about Hiro-san - whether it be in the samurai-like swish of his forearm long sushi knife, the single minded focus on the task at hand, the gruffness when he barks "soy" or "no soy" at you, or the way he eyes you up, checking to see whether you are worthy and appreciative of his sushi making skills. I pity the fool who dips the non-soy sushi into soy. They are liable to have their hand chopped clean off!

But despite the gruffness, there is a very likeable cheekiness to him as well. He is quick to laughter and quip, but only when it appears you have achieved that venerable stage of respect between appreciative sushi eater and masterful sushi chef. It is a balance and a relationship. That is what I really love about eating at a sushi counter (or a tempura counter for that matter) - the direct relationship with the person who creates your food. At the end of the day, it is not just about the food. It is about the food AND the experience.

On a side note, I often get asked by readers whether the chef minds when I take a photograph. Does this explain it?!?

Seriously (or not seriously for that matter), we were actually having a good ol' chuckle with Hiro-san and his very able sidekick (pictured above, name unknown). It started with the ol' V sign popularised as the sign to make when posing for photos. This then went on to paparazzi like protestations, which was when I snapped this photo. Apparently many people take photos in his restaurant - and Hiro-san seemed quite perplexed as to why people would want to do such a thing. I shrugged my shoulders and told him because his food was too beautiful not too. That got a smile.

Anyway, the tuna mentioned above wasn't the first sushi we had during the omakase (it was the sixth). So to start from the beginning...

Our first pair of nigirizushi was shiromi. The slices of delicate white fish were so translucent you could see the daub of bright green wasabi beneath. It was seasoned simply with freshly squeezed lemon juice and salt, and draped wide around the rice. Obviously, this was a "no soy" sushi - the subtly of the fish would have been destroyed otherwise. And lesson number two, this sushi should always be eaten in one mouthful. Otherwise you will not get a perfectly seasoned "bite", which is how Hiro-san designs his sushi.

This is what good sushi is all about; magnificently fresh produce, superb slicing technique which allows one to enjoy the texture of the fish, hand pressed rice and perfect seasoning. True respect for the ingredient and an absolute pleasure to devour.

To accompany our sushi we shared a magnificent bottle of sake that was both dry and sweet. Damn if I could remember the name, but it was served hot to counteract the very chilly weather outside.

The pan salmon with shichimi togarashi, a Japanese 7-spice blend that is both peppery and citrusy, hit me smack bang in the cortex. I could have melted off my chair it was THAT good. It had the taste of the flame on it, being somewhat caramelised in places, and was insanely balanced in spice and sweetness, yet overwhelmingly salmony. I can hardly describe what an absolute joy it was to eat.

Saba, or Mackerel with white seaweed was so wonderful to look at, I didn't want to eat it. I kept snapping away with my camera, listening as EG moaned with delight beside me. The mackerel itself was firm and unctuously oily, sprinkled with ground sesame seeds, pepper and sliced spring onion. But instead of nori, a translucent sheet of sweet white seaweed wrapped around the fish and rice. The seaweed is a type of rare and expensive kombu which is sliced thinly and steeped in a sugar syrup/mirin reduction. Wow - what a perfect accompaniment to the oily mackerel.

Uh huh...I know this one will do it for you as well. Yakiniku or grilled wagyu beef was like a kiss from BBQ heaven. I'm sure the beef, being very thinly sliced, only got the quickest of flashes on the grill. But the taste of smoke, the beefiness, the sweetness from a plum/onion type jam on top. Yeah baby.

Akagi or Ark Shell was a very interesting sushi. It didn't have a strong flavour, tasting mainly of the sea in a very pure way. Visually, the bright red-orange flesh was very impressive. But what got me was the texture. It felt "snappy" in the mouth, like you were biting down on a really strong jelly. It was denser than calamari, but probably of a similar vein.

Ama Ebi or sweet red shrimp freaked me out just a little, as I had never seen these type of shrimp before. Their tails seemed completely alien to me. But damn, they tasted bloody good! It was sliced in half and splayed lengthways across the rice and layered with salty fish roe. I absolutely adore biting down on the little sacs of salty brine, feeling them explode in your mouth.

Hamachi zuke, which I will confess to not knowing whether it was king fish or yellowtail, was magnificent. Even though EG had been to Shira Nui a number of times, this was a new one for him. The fish had been criss-crossed ever so slightly on the face, and then given the blow torch treatment. The fish was cooked on the surface, but still raw underneath and on the tail. Another "no soy" moment to truly marvel in the texture and delicacy of this beautiful sublime piece of fish.

The kaki sushi was done gunkan or battleship style. The rice is wrapped cylindrically upright with a wide sheet of nori, making for a cup to hold fillings. In this case the oyster, which had been cooked under the grill, was placed, with juices into the cup. A squirt of Japanese mayonnaise and a bit of blowtorch action, and voila, an incredibly creamy, delicious, briny sushi that will just about knock you over with its richness. In fact, I think only one of these would be sufficient. Two is almost too much.

And it was at this point that Hiro-san raised an eyebrow and queried, "More?". Oooh...okay, twist my arm... "Bring it on".

Round two in our battleship sushi was hotate, or scallop. The scallops had been glazed with a sticky red miso-sesame paste, which tasted earthy yet salty at the same time. I have a particular soft spot for these bivalve molluscs, and Hiro-san didn't disappoint.

"More?"

EG and I look at one another. We doth protest, although obviously not enough.

"I have a special one for you. Very light. Spicy."

"Ohh." We exchange a look and grin. "Ok. One more."

Asparagus with spicy cod roe (mentaiko) was the perfect way to end our sushi journey. The asparagus was cooked to a perfect crispness, and topped with cod roe that had been pickled with garlic and cayenne. Oh yeah...there was a lil' heat here, which was rather pleasant against the sweetness of the rice.

We couldn't say no to dessert (we have an extra stomach for times like these). EG went the cappuccino mousse, which really was a well-executed pannacotta. It sat in a pool of pouring cream, and a dice of fruits. It tasted very mild in the coffee department - perhaps more a latte than a caffe.

I couldn't go past the black sesame creme brulee. Served in a small espresso cup, the black sesame custard was only accessible by cracking through the burnt toffee topping. Oh yeah...this was fantastic. It too was served with a fruit salad and ice cream dice. It was a little on the small side, but seriously, I couldn't have done any bigger after such a feast.

I really like Shira Nui - I love the passion of Hiro-san, the slightly daggy interior, the hospitable nature of the staff, the kick-arse sushi. And apparently, so does everyone else. There wasn't a spare seat in the house that night.

I can't wait to go back.

Crunky

Lotte makes a lotta stuff, and in this case it is the Crunky Bar. So let me digress for a moment as I found the company quite interesting. Operating since 1948, Lotte is named after Char-lotte, a heroine of Johan Wolfgang Von Goethe. The company, which primarily commenced as a confectionary manufacturer, also diversifies into a McDonalds style fast food chain (famous for its shrimp burger), a baseball team and a company that produces disposable body warmers. Yes. I see their diversification strategy is really quite diverse.

Anyway, the etymology of the word Crunky is rather interesting, but I most like the description by Urban Dictionary - it is the state of being crazy + drunk = crunk, as in "Let's get crunky!"

So what is Crunky exactly? Well, it's like a crunchie only crunky. Well no it's not, but I just wanted to say that. Actually, it is a rather delicious chocolate bar filled with malty rice bubbles. Mmm. Yum.

And once again, it comes with opening instructions. If only life came with similar helpful directions ;-)

Tempura Hajime

60 Park Street, South Melbourne
Telephone 03 9696 0051

Tempura Hajime is perhaps the best kept dining secret in Melbourne. Opening two months ago with no fanfare or publicity, and relying solely on word of mouth, Hajime is the owners' vision of creating an authentic Japanese dining experience, specializing in tempura. Housed in a commercial office block in South Melbourne, the presence of Hajime is identified only by a discreet black door with a small glass portal revealing, in perfect symmetry, the sign of the restaurant's name hanging on the inside wall. This discretion is not surprising given that the owners, Noriko and Daisuke, had owned the equally publicity-shy Yu-U.

Such was the warm and friendly welcome we received when we first entered, and also throughout the evening, our experience at Hajime felt like going to a friend's home for dinner. That is, if that friend owned a home that looked like part swanky Tokyo bar and part high-end sushi restaurant. Through the black door, you first enter a small reception area that has been converted into a bar, where you can stay for a few drinks on comfy sofas and chairs. The bar was softly-lit and minimally decorated, with discreet gorgeous ceramics providing juxtaposition to the dark grey slate walls. Sliding doors subtly reveal the kitchen and dining area, lending to the Japanese aesthetic of neatly concealing things until they need to be accessed. Another door led into a corridor, where one can reach the lavatories that were adjacent to a barrister's office. The feeling of being in this outside world to the hidden confines of Hajime was quite pronounced.

In contrast to the bar, the small dining area was brightly lit. Blonde pinewood counters were identical to a sushi restaurant, with only the copper oil guards betraying its tempura intentions. Barely seating 12, the details in the dining room were nevertheless impressive. The cooking was done with care, with Daisuke-san always checking whether the oil was hot enough before dipping in a piece of tempura.

Food was served in quirky and beautiful ceramic bowls and plates, artfully arranged on a pitch-black lacquered serving tray. First course consisted of tiles of the most sublime kingfish and salmon toro (underbelly) sashimi. Produce was of the highest quality; how often does one get served freshly-grated wasabi in Melbourne? Served alongside the sashimi was a poached chicken and cabbage salad, sweetened by a creamy sesame sauce.

A choice of three different types of ceramic cups were offered if you ordered sake (we had cold Sawanotsuru from Kobe). And after we had suitably imbibed somewhat in this potent brew, it was time for tempura - all 12 courses of it.

King prawn


Baby Corn


Plump scallop stuffed with sea urchin roe


Crispy asparagus


Purple sweet potato


Whole mushroom topped with minced prawn


Okra


John Dory rolled in seaweed, garnished with umeboshi


Eggplant stuffed with chicken mince


King Geroge Whiting


Plump oyster


Crunchy soft shell crab

Tempura dipping sauce was topped up as required, lemon juice was freshly squeezed from the funkiest bird shaped juicer, and pink salt flakes rounded out the seasoning requirements. Each delicious morsel of tempura was amazingly good. The camellia oil used for frying added not only a subtle sweetness, but a wonderful light taste. At no point did the food feel "greasy".

To lighten the load, a citrus dressed salad of crisp iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, avocado and assorted seaweed added the necessary sharpness to keep the tastebuds piqued.

A choice of donburi was to follow the tempura courses - either rice with a tempura vegetable melange and sweet soy sauce, or ochazuke, rice and vegetable as above, but with a ladle of green tea poured over. Mmm...this was sooo good.

Dessert went the fairly untraditional route of a yoghurt pannacotta with mixed berries and a cointreau sauce that kicked like a mule. I take my hat off to Daisuke-san - this pannacotta was better than the one we had at Stefanos recently. It had the wobble of a jelly belly - perfectly executed.

To finish was a hot pot of Japanese genmaicha tea, which is particularly good for its nutty flavour and aroma.

This is a place that does not cut corners. Straight away we were impressed by the unwavering commitment to authenticity and quality over quantity, and to doing things passionately, despite the risks involved. The wonderful Noriko and Daisuke enthralled us with friendly conversation that stemmed from good Japanese restaurants in Melbourne and industry gossip, changing to the delights of Studio Ghibli. We were utterly charmed, impressed and delighted, and would like to thank Noriko and Daisuke for one of our most memorable dining experiences ever!

Entry written in tandem by Mellie and ElegantGourmand

Sydney: Hontou Pancakes

Over the road from the Sussex Centre, Sydney Chinatown

Okay, obviously I have a penchant for carbohydrate laden products (see Emperor's puff). But how can one resist the aroma of pancakey goodness, especially when one is tempted by a range of fillings such as custard, chocolate, green tea or red bean. At $2 a pop (or 3 for $5), these puck sized obanyaki are absolutely delicious (and not too sweet either!).

The cooking station is set up along the front of the shop window - which is absolutely deadly for foodies like us. We watched (and we drooled) as the obanyaki were deftly filled and flipped. The obanyaki are individually decorated to hint at their filling - chocolate got swirls, and custard got squiggles.

The same place was also making takoyaki, small dumpling batter balls filled with diced octopus, green onion and other unnamed items. They are piled in a little container and drizzled with sweet okonomiyaki sauce and Japanese mayonnaise. As we had just consumed a big bowl of laksa and some obanyaki - well, we had to give this treat a miss...this time.

Japanese ITO Noodle Cafe

122 Bourke Street (cnr Market Lane), Melbourne
Phone 9663 2788

ITO cafe is another great spot at the top end of town for a quick lunch at not too stupid prices. It is part Japanese cafe, part American diner, meaning you can either plonk yourself at the counter/bar or plonk yourself in a booth.

All your regular Japanese staples are offered, such as ramen, udon, donburi, sushi, tonkatsu, suki yaki, teriyaki, curry, tempura, gyoza etc. There are lunch sets for those who want a little of everything (like me), which is what the little salmon steak number is above.

Three slices of teriyaki salmon (thin) sizzle on a hot plate along with steamed broccoli, tomato and Japanese potato salad. It is accompanied by a white miso soup and steamed rice. For dessert, three slices of fresh melon.

They also do a very tasty (albeit quite unfortunate looking) katsu curry don, which is panko crumbed pork fillet, deep fried and smothered (swimming?!?) in curry sauce. This is Japanese comfort food at its finest.

Service is super polite, though you might find yourself left alone once your meal/drinks have arrived. And the place can get rather busy during peak times, so make sure you arrive earlier rather than later to nab a seat. All up, it's not going to wow you with its originality. But what it does do, it does well.

Sashi Don at Don Don

321 Swanton Street, Melbourne
Phone 03 9662 3377

This dish gets my vote as Melbourne's most delightful looking bowl of food for under a tenner. In fact, the Sashi Don (salmon on rice) at Don Don is only $7.70. Uh huh...you read right...$7.70. But then you won't find anything over $8.00 at this jazzy, "quick as you order you've got it" cheap eats joint.

A generous bowl of steamed rice is covered in pickled ginger, sliced abura-age (seasoned fried beancurd), shimaya shibazuke (purple pickled cucumber), tamago yaki (Japanese omelette), fresh salad mix and succulent slices of sashimi quality salmon, presented in a wonderful rosette.

One can not help but feel extremely virtuous tackling this bowl of healthy good-looking goodness.

Yu-U

137 Flinders Lane (entry on cnr Olivers Lane), Melbourne
Phone 03 9639 7073

Yu-U is the kind of place that does so well in Melbourne. First, it's hard to find. The signage next to the door is the size of a postage stamp. Secondly, it runs off a Melbourne laneway - which is oh so cool these days. And thirdly - as you heave open the heavy rusty metal door and descend the dark concrete stairway, you are enveloped by a dark moody basement, slick with stainless steel, dark wood, polished concrete, clever lighting and a delicious smoky haze created by the yakitori grill.

Prime seating revolves around said grill; comfortable blue velour chairs and a long low bench gives you direct interaction with the cooking, fanning and basting of the little skewers. I am salivating and I haven't even read the menu yet.

There is a minimum charge of $30 per head at night, which is not too hard to do with the plethora of small plates available. A Chef's recommended course can be had for $43 per person, but don't ask the wait staff what is on the menu as they're unlikely to know.

My first choice was the Buri Sashimi; thick slices of fresh kingfish sitting atop of a pile of blanched spinach. The kingfish was firm and fresh and offered a great mouthfeel, the pearlescence of the skin a real delight for the eyes too. I partnered this with Asazuke, a cold salad of pickled cabbage, carrot, cucumber and seaweed. A heavy sprinkle of togarashi really made this one pop.

I didn't order this dish - but doesn't it look divine? Mushidori was sake steamed tender chicken slices topped with a leek dressing and shaved cucumber. It was served cold on a bed of juicy tomato slices.

Next was an item off the grill, yaki onigiri. Considered somewhat of pub snack in Japan, yaki onigiri is a charcoal grilled rice triangle/ball, sweet and salty on the outside due to a baste of a sweet soy flavoured sauce. The rice toasts on the outer giving crunchy goodness, whilst the inside remains soft and glutinous.

My last hot dish was Nasu Hasamiage, deep fried eggplant with minced chicken. Basically it was an egg-dipped deep-fried eggplant sandwich, containing a layer of seasoned minced chicken. Garnished with grated white radish and a very light sauce, it was quite the dish. Delish.

The finale (and how can one not?) was a scoop each of maccha and goma ice cream; green tea and black sesame respectively. The black sesame was particularly good - not too sweet with honeyed halva overtones.

Service at Yu-U can be somewhat haphazard; attentive with the water jug to the extreme, yet lacking in menu knowledge and non-anticipatory re: ordering and asking for the bill. My other gripe was the mood destroying music, both in volume and style. I don't quite know what the style was - it reminded me of twee 1960s elevator music. It was just so at odds with the vibe.

But I like it. It's a great space, and the food is clean, simple, fresh and funky.

Kenzan

Shop 28g / 350 Bourke Street, Melbourne
+613 9663 7737

Kenzan does a damn fine bowl of ramen, in this case Yasai Ramen with vegetables and tofu. A sublimely rich miso stock was the salty sea that supported silken wakame kelp, sliced spring onion, slender slivers of bean shoot, tender bean sprouts, carrot shards, kernals of corn, a boiled egg, small blocks of tofu and a tangle of wheat noodles.

This wonderfully busy little laneway restaurant suffers from good patronage though. So if you want a lunchtime feed on a weekday, I suggest getting there early to nab a seat before the office crowd (12 noon should do it). It is also not a place to laze over a long lunch either - you are there for a good Japanese feed, and quickly.

Kenzan is also one of the few places to do kickarse onigiri and handrolls. And due to ingenious wrapping/packaging that requires one to have an engineering degree to work out, your nori stays fantasically crisp around the well executed rice and fillings.

You may want to read Madame Anna's, or my trusty lunchtime companion of the day, impression of Kenzan here. We both think it rocks.

Sashimi Bentoh at Kimurakan Japanese Cafe

238 Little Bourke St, Melbourne
+613 9650 2038

More lunch fun in the city, and this time I think I'm turning J