450 Malvern Rd, Prahran
Phone 03 9510 2528
The definition of the verb kazaru is ‘to decorate, to adorn’, which offers clue to the concept of Kazari Collectibles; a contemporary and traditional gallery space that showcases some amazing Japanese and Asian inspired works. So what does this have to do with food? Well, at the [...]
“Sohan o sashiagemasu,” (I shall begin to serve the humble meal) pronounces the host as he kneels on the straw tatami mat in front of the head guest and offers a black lacquered tray, his head slightly bowed.
The head guest turns to second guest and says “O-saki ni,” (excuse me for going ahead of you) [...]
5 Market Lane, Melbourne
Phone: 03 9650 0848
I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with Shoya (you can read about previous experiences here, here and here). They have often taken my breath away with the quality of their ingredients and execution of their dishes, hence the reason I keep returning. At other times, well…I am [...]
Found this weird little treat at Greater Eastern on Russell St. It is a sweet and soft, delicious tasting (well, it says so on the pack!) potato cream maccha omelette. While the cream was obviously sweet, it was definitely potato flavoured which was a wee bit disconcerting. It felt like I was eating a [...]
This is the Kit Kat Torokeru Zeitaku Kaoru Koucha, or “To be enchanted with fragrant black tea”. This deluxe version comes two to a box, in a thicker finger individually wrapped in foil. The taste? Well, I kind of like it! It’s quite strong and most certainly fragrant, with the heady aroma of a steaming cup [...]
I have written about Shoya before (refer here and here), but this is the spring rall (sic) of scampi which is part of the matsu special lunch set ($33). Inside the spring roll wrapping is a de-shelled butterflied scampi stuffed with a delicate mix of pork mince and fragrant herbs. An ume and mentaiko mayonnaise adds [...]
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 [...]
Fuji BakeryPhone (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 [...]
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 [...]
Japan Festival in MelbourneSunday 18th May 2008 - Box Hill Town Hall & Tafehttp://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, [...]
