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 :)
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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25 Market Ln
Melbourne, 3000
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