NOBU Melbourne

Most of us would have heard of Nobu. It is a chain of restaurants started in the US, a collaboration between Robert De Niro and Nobu Matsuhisa, a chef known for his fusion cuisine - traditional Japanese dishes with a twist, incorporating South American (Peruvian and Argentinian) ingredients. Nobu's flagship Manhattan restaurant is apparently a renowned hang-out for A-list stars...a place for star-spotting :)

Well, we can't expect to run into Paris Hilton in Nobu Melbourne, but Grant Hackett and his wife was there on CC's birthday :)

So anyway, with all the hype, CC decided that she would like to have her birthday dinner (this was last year) there...and that was our first visit to Nobu.

I have to say...while going through a few websites in my research for the restaurant's address and menu, more than 90% of the reviews were negative (I am NOT exaggerating) and most of them complained about the service...many had good things to say about the food (nevertheless, some weren't impressed by the food either).

I will go through the food first, and then you will get my honest opinion :)

So...first visit was on CC's birthday last year.


started with edamame $6

I don't know if they actually charged us because I wouldn't order this...the waitress sort of just brought it along I think...because we started with edamame the 2nd visit as well. Anyway, some of the items are no longer on their menu so I can't quote the price for some of them!

So basically, in Nobu, you order a whole bunch of stuff and everyone shares. There are no entrees or mains (or anything filling for that matter...but wait, I'll get to that)

The cold dishes :


prawn cocktail...we did not like the bitter leaves


yellowtail sashimi with jalapenos


I LOVE this...but I can't find it on their online menu...don't tell me they took it off! It is one of the few reasons I would go back to Nobu :(


beef tataki - also can't find it on their online menu...maybe it is known as another name...reason no.2 for my revisit :)

Sushi - very standard, nothing special at all


scallop & smelt egg $14, eel & cucmber $13

Hot dishes :


2 pieces - gone in one mouthful $4.50


fresh soft shell crab karaage $20


the famed black cod with miso $42 - melts in your mouth...all of us love it!


this is a cold dish...which we ordered at the end because we were not full at all and this was the only thing they had with noodles in it...and even then, only a few strands...mostly made up of something that tasted like archichoke to me (I haven't eaten much archichoke in my life)...didn't like it

Dessert :


wam chocolate satandagi with almond ice cream $18 - not too memorable


mochi no youna $15 - interesting dessert with 'miso sponge'...I thought it would be weird to mix something salty with sweets, but turned out to be yummy!

There are a few things I really like there, so when mum and little sis came to Melbourne, sis & I brought them there for the must-trys :)...and hence my 2nd visit.

Unfortunately, being hopeless at directions, we got lost after finding the carpark to Crown closed (which was where I intended to park) I drove into some tunnel that took me goodness-knows-where, and we had to navigate our way back to crown AND continue hunting for parking. Finally we made it to Nobu, incredibly late for our booking...and we had to give up the table in less than an hour. Needless to say, it was a very rushed dinner...which spoilt the experience.

Again, we started with edamame ...and my 'must haves'

1. yellowtail sashimi with jalapenos - no good photo this time all the photos are a bit blurry this time round

2. beef tataki



3. black cod with miso



New things we tried :


mushrooms cooked in sake - I love mushrooms...but the taste of the alcohol was too overwhelming


seasonal vegetables with spicy garlic sauce $18 - erm...like any old chinatown restaurant, just much smaller serving...I would never order this but mum insisted on vegetables


beef gyoza ~$37 - they have a whole range of different beef, I remember the wagyu one was $72...this was not bad, different from other gyozas I've had


prawn tempura with sauces - unimpressive...even the bowl is not up to standard...tsk tsk


scallop sashimi - I really like this...I think I just like the freshness of sashimi...mmm...only thing, it wasn't cold enough for me


soft shell crab sushi $20 - it was good, little sis loved it :)

So, my take on Nobu Melbourne?

Generally, they do have a few things that make me want to go back - i.e. miso cod, yellowtail sashimi, beef tataki...unless I can find them somewhere else. Otherwise, there are options elsewhere for the similar things e.g. soft shell crab roll - nice but is it worth $20 for 6 pieces?? (I don't think so) Ambience? I wasn't impressed...when I was describing it to my mum, I went 'the tables are like the ones at the hawker centres (in penang)'...as in the design :) Many people complained about the snap-apart chopsticks...and the lousy service...I guess in short, paying fine-dining price when the restaurant doesn't present itself that way. I have no huge complaints about the service...it was good on CC's birthday and all the rush the 2nd time was my fault mostly (sigh)...maybe wasn't as attentive as most fine-dining restaurants.

Another thing, the portions are really small so either be prepared to pay a lot, or eat something else before or after...haha. Actually, be prepared to pay a lot and still not feel full...We paid about $350 for 4 the 2nd time and still had room for desserts, a cheese platter and drinks somewhere else.

I just ask Mouse and San to describe Nobu in 3 words :

Mouse : miso black cod

MM : about the restaurant! not the food!

Mouse : well, that's all it is to me *shrugs*

finee...

San : won't feel full

haha...

Well, I have to go up to 4 words - poor value for money

There you go :)

-MM-

Nobu Melbourne
Crown Melbourne Australia
8 Whiteman Street
Southbank
VIC 3006
03 9696 6566

Japanese food at Causeway Bay

Just before I retire for the night, I'll quickly share a few more photos...from a Japanese restaurant in Causeway Bay (銅鑼灣). I must say that it has been a long long time since then and I do not remember where this place was (i.e. name of restaurant/address) :( The place was pretty, the food was pretty (especially the ones on display) and hence I like! The taste...I would say average but they did have some interesting things...and I love the ambience!

We were at a lost when it came to deciding where to go for dinner...given that it was our first/second night there. We strolled along the streets of Causeway Bay and wandered into this plaza (a Wellcome supermarket was nearby I remember) with quite a few restaurants...and the pretty window display of this japanese restaurant caught our attention...girls...:)




THIS is incredibly cute...almost wanted to order it...:P


our booth...


We went for the set dinner at HK$99, which includes entree, main, a drink & dessert...pretty decent, though expensive compared to food at the good old HK cafes.


for entree : tofu salad with black sesame sauce...

What I find interesting about this place (and I haven't come across anywhere else) is their seven colour (or more?) curries. Basically, they have curries of all colours including red, yellow, green, purple, black, orange, brown (etc?).


orange (pumpkin) curry with eel


purple (yam) curry!! (doesn't look that great but interesting taste!)



hmm...looks like I had brown curry?? Why am I so unadventurous?? Isn't the glass pretty?


more pretty glasses


ice cream for dessert


Pretty food makes me happy :D

If any one knows where this place is, feel free to remind me :)

Hui Lau San up next!

Eat Drink Bento

Hi all. Haven't been blogging for quite sometimes =( Sorry peeps, as a lot of things just suddenly came up (mostly good things *big smiles*) and I was just exhausted dealing with them. Also, thanks to Mouse for keeping this blog updated =D

Now, let me share with u this post =)

When Turtle came back to Melbourne for his graduation ceremony, around 1 month ago, we went to this not-so-traditional Japanese cafe near his apartment. This was my first time to try this restaurant. Mouse n Turtle been there b4 and thought that the food there was pretty ok. So, here I go, exploring this place.

The menu offer Japanese food as well as other Asian favourites such as "Peking duck" and "Homemade char siu pork". Me, MM and Mouse had each order their lunch bento set. The lunch bento box was each accompanied by rice/soba noodles, miso soup, house entree on mixed salad (which is tempura sushi + salads) and muffin.

Teriyaki chicken, $13.50

MM's bento box is here. As it has been quite long, MM didn't really remember the food hence she didn't have a lasting impression of the food. Of the top of her head, it was not good value for money. Food was only so-so at best.

Lemongrass chicken, $15.50

I ordered this one. The menu describes the dish as : wok-fried chicken fillet pieces in a fragrant lemongrass marinade. Besides, Mouse also recommended this as she had this the first time she came n felt it was quite good. One bite, two bites... and I was v disappointed with this. The lemongrass chicken was pretty much tasteless. There wasn't any lemongrass taste/smell and I felt like I was just eating wok-fried chicken without any flavourings/seasonings. Luckily, the tempura sushi along with the salads were OK and the muffin too.

Teriyaki Chicken, $13.50

Mouse's lunch. She opted for the zaru soba (ie cold noodle) instead of rice *the pink arrow* =D Mouse thinks the chicken is fine...not spectacular. Teriyaki sauce is quite all right but taste sort of like the bottled sauce. Actually in Mouse's opinion, the quality of the food has gone down. She remembers it as being quite good the previous times it was there...didn't know everything was tasteless all of a sudden.

CC had also ordered a bento box~ sukiyaki, $13.50~ but we didn't take the photo. Similar to my lemongrass chicken, her food was flavourless too and the sukiyaki beef was practically immersed in this watery broth. It just did not look appetising. Obviously she wasn't too delightful with her food and had ordered another side dish- soft shell crabs- to eat with her rice.

Monk’s treat (steamed wombok, mix of mushrooms and mock meat), $8.90

As Turtle was feeling a bit sick, hence he decided to order this~ something not as oily. I did try this and it was rather pleasing. Light and healthy.

Green tea latte, $3.20

Both Mouse and Turtle had also ordered this drink *sorry tt the pic is blur*. I had a sip n found that the green tea was over-powering and has this very powdery taste. I love to drink green tea, but I guess powdery green tea latte is definitely not my cup of tea! Mouse thinks the first few sips is fine but as she went along, it became more and more powdery and towards the end, she can see green tea powder chunks. Ah, not very impressive, is that?

Eat Drink Bento had a relax environment and the waitress were friendly and polite. Unfortunately, the food was very much below the par, esp the lunch bento sets. I would say that I would not go back again, unless I have to.

Busy-but-Happy San

Eat Drink Bento
115 Hardware St
Melbourne 3000
Ph:(03) 96421136

Kimurakan Cafe

Kimurakan is one of my favourite lunching places for Japanese food - their lunch menu is quite extensive and the food is rather good - good value for money and good by itself!

We popped in for lunch a couple of days ago - and all, ALL THREE of us, feeling rather unadventurous and greedy - ordered the Kimurakan Bento ($12.50).

Ooooooo.

OOOOOOO FOOOOOOD.

Heck lot of stuff in the bento. There was veggies for a salad, along with fried tofu. That makes up the veggie compartment and I have to say the tofu is rather ordinary fried tofu, nonetheless it all went well together with the veggies.

In the meat compartment there's a crab claw ball (the frozen unauthentic kind from Asian groceries but tasted damn good anyway), a fried pork chop (tonkatsu), fried chicken (tori karage), and a spring roll! Kinda unhealthy, I know (bad Mouse bad) but I really really like the chicken. Like yummmy. The pork is a little dry and tough though.

Seafood compartment consisted of two big prawns and an oyster. The prawns were tangy and meaty and not much comments on the oyster cos I'm not a big fan of. And there's also a gyoza (fried dumpling) to boot in the middle!

And of course, rice. :D

The bento box comes with your choice of Ice Lemon Tea, Coke, Green Tea or Miso Soup.

Pretty good deal. :D

- Mouse

-----

Kimurakan Cafe
238 Little Bourke Street
Melbourne 3000

Tomodachi

Tomodachi means friends in Japanese. It is situated at the busy Melbourne Central, near Hoyts cinema. Tomo served modern Japanese cuisine where its food has Western and Chinese influences. They have the famous shushi train where the sushi chef will make the shushi on the spot and if you like something besides shushi, there is a la carte menu.

Still remember I used to go to Tomo quite often when it just opened but since the 2nd semester of last year, I haven't been there until recently because I feel that the quality of the food had drop, either shushi or ala carte menu, after they changed their chefs. Anyway, me n my frens went there to have a goodbye dinner with Turtle before he left to Brisbane (Turtle n CC like to drink their sake there btw, so i guess they pick the restaurant =D ).

These are our dinners:

Edamame in Japanese or Soybean in English

Edamame are served when we were seated. It is complimentary=) The skin is not edible and you have to press the beans inside out to eat them. Apparently they are quite a popular snack because it is a lot a lot healthier as compared to chips! They are lovely btw.

Eel Teriyaki, $19.80

Mad ordered this as her dinner. How big is the Eel...and it looks yummy rite? The way Tomo cooked the eel is pretty similar to other japanese restaurants I tried, ie grilled n with the brown sauce. I found out that you can actually buy those eel (it is in a packet where the very similar brown sauce comes together with the eel ) from asian grocery and after u heat it up, it taste v similar, if not the same, like the above, and at a much cheaper price too! Anyway, I think Mad enjoyed it, which is the important thing =)

Chicken Katsu Bento, $20.80

Mouse's dinner. She thought the bento was ok, wasn't really amazing but nice enough. To her, it is an ordinary teriyaki chicken. Btw, all the bento came with 2 small shushi, 2 fried dumplings, 2 takoyaki (calamari balls), bean sprouts salad and some seasonal fruits.

Beef Teriyaki Bento, $19.80

This was what I had ordered. The beef are tender and nicely marinated. Not bad =)

Fish Katsu Bento, $22.80

MM's dinner. MM says she enjoyed the bento but she feels that the food does not worth that price as it is just normal fried fish. This fish bento also came with some mayo sauce and MM partucularly like the sauce.

Yaki Udon Chicken, $14.80

Turtle's choice. The noodle is quite fragrant. Turtle likes it but I think the portion is a bit small for him...

Prawn Teriyaki, $19.80

CC's prawns. The prawns are fairly huge and the shells look crunchy n golden from outside. I almost wanted to steal one of them =P

Mooncakes n strawberries (free)

This dessert is on the house (as Turtle and CC go to Tomo quite often for their sake, as I mentioned earlier, so they know the staff there quite well... hence the free desserts I guess). Its very nice. The mooncakes are cold and eating together with the strawberries turn out unexpectedly well.

Me and Mouse also have ordered desserts:

Daifuku, $6.80

This is delightful! Inside the daifuku is ice-cream and eating it with the red bean paste is delicious. I like.

Black Sesame Ice-cream, $6.80

MM and Mouse shared this ice-cream. This ice-cream is lovely, with just enuff sesame taste in it. Mouse felt contented.

After the meals, I feel the food has some improvements in it (the food was all not bad), however, they do not have the "wow" factors still.

Tomodachi
317 Melbourne Central Shopping Centre (Level 3)
Melbourne 3000
Phone: (03) 9663 1940

Don Don for a quick lunch

Left

Right

This was my lunch from Don Don Japanese Restaurant (Swanston st) ~ Chicken curry don, $5.70. I enjoyed it very much. The curry is very "smooth" and got quite strong curry paste's taste. Its not spicy, so for those that cant take spicy food but love to eat curry, i would recommend this. AND i have to mention the chicken. The grilled chicken smells absolutely delicious. They hav this grilled aroma n are well marinated with terriyaki sauce. Beautiful.

Don Don's sukiyaki beef, Don Don's bento box and sashi don(Tummy Rumbles) are worth trying too. Check them out =D

San

Don Don
330 Little Lonsdale St
Melbourne 3000 VIC
Phone: (03) 9670 7113

Don Don
321 Swanston St
Melbourne 3000 VIC
Phone: (03) 96623377