Melbourne: Shoya Nouvelle Wafu Cuisine

Shoya is one of Melbourne’s best Japanese restaurants offering a wide range of degustation menus composed of both traditional and modern Japanese dishes at its finest. After hearing very good feedbacks from their relatives, J and her family decided to treat themselves to lunch on the last day of their trip to Melbourne.

After comparing the menus, most of us went for the Shoya Festive Course priced at $100 per person as it is probably offers the most for its value with salmon caviar, truffle, wagyu beef and Taraba crab leg etc. :p

The eel canapé and grilled perch were extraordinarily tasty… the luxurious flavours of the truffles, caviar, and foie gras perfectly complements and enhances the aromatic grilled fish… these should definitely be eaten in one big bite as it creates a great sensation on the tastebuds as the rich flavours from each layer of ingredient unfolds one after the other inside your mouth! haha

Unagi Canape- Grilled miso marinated eel canapé topped with crab meat salad, Salmon caviar and truffle

Golden Perch- Lightly grilled miso flavoured perch topped with tomato mousse, foie gras, and semi dried Mullet Roe

Look at this crystal ball! or maybe.. ice ball? haha what a great way to keep your sashimi nice and cold :D especially when it’s this fresh. their wasabi also seems to be freshly grinded  :)

Assortment of Sashimi

The stewed ox tongue was very soft and tender, flavoured with a hint of sweetness possibly from Mirin?   The spinach soufflé was more like a sheet of pastry :)

Beef Spinach Roll- Stewed Ox Tongue wrapped with spinach soufflé served with lemon, basil yogurt

It actually looks much smaller than it really was! The crab leg could probably extend from the elbow to the palm when stretched :O note how the salt is mixed with green tea powder!

Crab Tempura- Whole ‘Taraba’ crab leg deep-fried in tempura style

The fish steak of the day was tuna toro (which is the best part of the fish from the underside, graded according to fat content, similar to wagyu) :D

Fish Steak- Chef selection of fresh fish fillet, served then laid on a bed of teriyaki sauce and sesame vinegar

The wagyu also had a sweet flavour to it similar to the ox tongue. It was served with a slice of pastry, possibly a potato quiche?

  Wagyu Beef Steak- Wagyu eye fillet dressed with black truffle, enoki, shiitake miso sauce

The light and mildly flavoured mixed rice was a perfect way to end the series of savoury dishes :)

Mixed Rice- Mixed tasty steam rice with chicken, vegetables and mushrooms

Today’s dessert were a chocolate mousse cake and a sea urchin cheese cake. Though none of us could really taste the sea urchin, the cheese cake was fluffy like most Japanese cheese cakes. And the mousse cake was velvety rich in chocolate :D

Chef’s Dessert

The Shoya Special Business Lunch Set at $65 was similar to the Festive Course menu, just without the Stewed Ox tongue and fish steak… well and there was only half a crab leg and the wagyu from the Festive course was of course of higher grade and had no truffle. But it was already very satisfying :D  

The lunch sets were more simple and basic, but were also of high quality :) … The Kaisen Oyako Set ($24.80) included Kaisen Oyako Don, Mini UDON, Chilled Bean Curd, Savory Egg Custard, Dessert.

Kaisen Oyako Don- Sushi rice topped with Salmon Sashimi and salmon roe

The Ume Set ($32) included Sashimi, Seasonal Grilled Fish, Tempura, Teriyaki Beef, Savory Egg Custard, Mixed Steamed Rice, Miso Soup and  Dessert.

Does anyone else think that the presentation of the sashmi looks kind of like a bird? or maybe my imagination is just a bit too crazy :P hehe.. and also note that the white-ish looking thing beneath the leaf is acutally a frozen half orange!

Assortment of Sashimi

The seasonal grilled fish was eel :) with edamame

Grilled Eel

 

The teriyaki beef is prepared in the same style as the wagyu beef in the business lunch set.

Assortment of Tempura

Savory Egg Custard

The dessert was a choice of ice cream. The sesame ice cream was very nice and was probably house-made. The flavour was very strong, the texture was very smooth and creamy with actual pieces of crushed black sesame :)

Shoya also serves a many other styles of authentic Japanese dining including bbq, a la carte and you could also rent your own chef! (wow :O!) It was definitely one of the best dining experience J has had in Melbourne this time :) really looking forward to going back next time! hehe

Nibble on Nibbles! xx

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Shoya Nouvelle Wafu Cuisine
25 Market Ln
Melbourne, 3000



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Melbourne: Meko Dining - Fusion Cuisine

J was down in Melbourne for a couple of days to visit her relatives during the Easter break.  Being a member of a foodie family, the first thing we did upon our arrival was undoubtedly going to be dinner hehe

Meko might not look like much from the outside, but they certainly do serve some quality Japanese fusion cuisine.. and for pretty good value too :)

The dinner banquet menu for $29.90 included the Beef Tataki as an entrée and the main was Garlic King Prawns pan fried in garlic butter sauce served with steamed rice and vegetables.  The beef tataki is thinly sliced beef that has been briefly seared so that it remains raw on the inside.  It is only briefly marinated so the dish really depends on the freshness and the flavor of the beef itself. The meat at Meko was tender and fluffy and the dish was enhanced by some shaved parmesan cheese.

Beef Tataki

We also ordered some Meko platters to share. The platter was huge and very filling even though it was just an entrée, included were some salmon sashimi, sea scallops with fish roe, mussels, salmon tartare, smoked salmon, gravlax, hokigai, oyster shooter, cold cooked prawns, prosciutto with melon, chicken karaage (Japenese deep fried chicken), cherry tomatoes with mozzarella cheese, grilled capsicum, beeg tataki and goji berries (some sort of dried berries) salad with seaweed.  The sashimi scallops fresh and sweet, the beef tataki was as nice as the ones from the dinner banquet menu and the salad and cherry tomatoes were particularly refreshing once you’ve had a bite of everything else on the platter hehe :P  it was also very thoughtful of them to serve it on a lazy susan, making it much easier to share :)

 Meko Platter (minimum 2 serves, $23.50 per serve)

We also had some drinks while waiting for the main courses. The Summer Garden was a very colourful mocktail made with orange juice, pineapple juice, soda and grenadine and the Flamingo, which we expected to have looked prettier, was a sweeter mix of mango, banana and guava juice. 

Summer Garden Mocktail ($8)

Flamingo Mocktail ($8)

Lemon, Lime & Bitters ($4) 

A while later, our main courses arrived :D The garlic king prawns came with a very tasty sauce that tasted a bit like a prawn/lobster soup- perfect together with the rice. 

The duck was slightly overcooked but went nicely with the Japanese plum sauce, which worked in a similar way to an orange sauce.

Breast of Duck Umeboshi ($28.90)

A piece of white turnip puff added slight a Japanese twist to the piece of grilled beef with black pepper sauce.

House Aged Eye Fillet of Beef ($28.90)

The braised ox tail was very tender and the ginger, mandarin peel and star anise made an interesting and distinctive combination.

Braised Ox Tail ($26.90)

The tempura of whole flounder must be the most impressive of all dishes in terms of presentation :) The meat of the fish was separated and cooked as a tempura, the meat was still very moist and juicy; and the rest of the fish was deep fried till even the bones were really crispy and edible :D

Tempura of Whole Flounder ($27.50)

Everyone was pretty full and satisfied with our meals until we all got tempted by the baked Alaska that was being served to our neighboring table so we ended up ordering one …… and some of the other desserts too hehe :P

Baked Alaska ($12.50)

Tri-Colour Ice-cream: Green Tea, Red Bean and Black Sesame ($9.00)

Dark Chocolate and Vanilla Mousse with Soy Bean Cookies ($12.50)

Having never tried any chili flavoured desserts, J opted for the platter of three crème brulee with vanilla, green tea and chili chocolate. To her surprise, she couldn’t actually taste the chili flavor, though it definitely gave the sharp tanginess! 

Taste of Crème Brulee ($12.50)

This was another interesting and spicy one- black pepper panna cotta with rhubab compote and ginger-scented mango salsa.

Black Pepper Panna Cotta ($12.50)

Though it might seem like just another local restaurant, Meko was definitely more than that… the dishes were nicely prepared and presented.. the owner always wore a smile on her face and the place has a somewhat homey atmosphere.. you can feel that owners have put some thought into their food and the restaurant, making our visit quite an enjoyable experience :)

Nibble on Nibblies! xx

Ps: Stay tuned for more posts from Melbourne :)

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Meko

Shop 31, Wantirna Mall 

348 Mountain Hwy 

Wantirna, Victoria 3153 

Bite Me Burger Co.

J&L are still looking for that perfect burger. Buns warm and crisp yet soft in the centre, meat patties cooked but still with the succulent juices and all the glorious fillings to make that burger more than just 2 slices of bread and meat...

So we set off to try Bite Me Burger. Offering a wide range of gourmet burgers as well as Pat and Stick’s Ice Cream and creative cocktails it looked like a very promising contender. Besides, how could we not go to a place that offered burgers called “Wagyu Me” or “Steak Me” or even “Pluck Me”? hehehe 

We entered the store and were greeted by mannequins wearing Bite Me’s very own merchandise T-shirts next to signs that says “Make the World a Burger Place!”- it is then when we knew this was the right place, even if the food don’t turn out to be a 10/10, their attitude is definitely a winner :D

J& L had planned this out strategically so we could try as many burgers as we can! Being a group of 6 (J,L, Y, P ,K and F), we would each have one of  the 6 Mini Burgers and then share the Mega!  On top of that, Y also had a caramel shake while P chose an Iced chocolate :) perfect drinks to go with burgers! We also ordered some hot chips to share, after all, what are burgers without hot chips! hehe

Caramel Shake ($5)

Iced chocolate with vanilla ice cream, topped with cream ($5)

Small Chip Me ($3)

Mini burgers: Mini Beef Burger, Mini Lambtastic, Mini Pluck Me, Mini Bloody Mary, Mini Jack Daniels, Mini Vegetari Anne ($26 for 6)

The Pluck Me was probably the best- Grilled corn-fed chicken breast topped with melted King Island brie, iceberg lettuce & seeded honey mustard. The chicken was juicy and tender, the flavours of the cheese and mustard were not overpowering, making it a very light yet tasty chicken burger!

Mini Pluck Me

The Bloody Mary sounded like an interesting one- Grain-fed beef, smothered in our Bloody Mary sauce including vodka, Worcestershire, Tabasco & tomato sauce served with cos lettuce. Though it turned out not as expected, the flavours were not strong and tasted more or less like the ordinary beef burger just with a subtle hint of Tabasco.

The Vegetari Anne somewhat resembled the flavours in a falafel kebab - Delicious lentil burger, grilled capsicum, haloumi cheese, rocket & chermoulah yoghurt.

Mini Vegetari Anne

All the burgers were quite tasty and filling even tho they were the mini size. We finished all burgers before realising we still had the Mega to come. The mega was “A pound (450g)

of delicious grain-fed beef topped with tasty cheese, bacon,tomato, iceberg lettuce, sautéed onion, pickles & your choice of tomato sauce or BBQ sauce. Served on a giant bun”

The burger was indeed “mega” and we had to split it into 6 slices – just like a cake! Haha :P

Each “slice” was quite thick and we were all pretty full by the time we were done.

MegaBite ($29)

MegaBite VS Mini Burgers

But of course, what’s a meal without dessert? 

So we end up sharing Pat and Stick’s Ice Cream Sandwiches. J and F’s Caramel Pecan had a very yummy dough which tasted a bit like digestive biscuits with little pieces of pecan in it, L’s favourite. Y and K went with Mochaccino, whose ice cream was rather bitter compared to the common coffee flavoured ice creams –J’s favourite. L and P had the Vanilla Choc, it was a simple combination but with good quality ingredients, it makes all the difference hehe- Y’s favourite. Haha, turns out we might have all ordered the wrong thing :P but next time we know which one to get!

Caramel Pecan

Machaccino

Vanilla Choc

Pat and Stick’s Ice Cream Sandwiches ($5 each)

It was overall a very filling and satisfying meal. Even though the service was really slow, and each time we tried to make an order, the waitresses would say “one moment please”… The décor was very vibrant and striking and the innovative burgers were definitely more than your typical bun and meat patty combination and dessert proved to be the perfect way to finish up. Looks like we’re not doing too bad to find that perfect burger ;) !

Nibble on Nibbles! xx 

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Bite Me Burger Co.

Harbourwalk, Star City Casino (next to Duffys)
80 Pyrmont St, Pyrmont NSW 2009