Yokozuna Japanese Cuisine (formerly Umaimon)

Address: 159 Oxford St, Darlinghurst NSW
Tel: (02) 9357 7808
Opening Hours: Tue - Sun 12pm till 10pm

Formerly Umaimon which was located near St Andrews Catheral School (corporate building), the owners have moved to a new location in the heart of Oxford St, Paddington.

Run by a small Japanese family, serving authentic and honest food at very reasonable prices.

Pictured below: Dumplings under a thin crepe shell - culinary genuis! I suspect the batter is light fried in a wok to produce the shell which has a charred, crispy savoury taste under which reveals a bed of Japanese gyoza.



Above: on the left is a special mackeral sushi - very finely sliced dried mackeral topped on an inside-out sushi roll. On the right is a raw salmon & avocado roll - these are both quite large so don't attempt it on your own! They are made fresh so be sure to sample!

Below: Fillet fish with tomato chilli - the fish fillets are always fresh, cooked to perfect and very tasty. Also highly recommended is the fish fillet with tartare sauce - Japanese style does not have that overpowering pickle/dill taste as normal tartare sauce does.

Pictured below: Beef steak - the sauces are always very savoury and light in true Japanese style.

Mao's Restaurant (Chinese)

Address: 263 Brunswick St, Fitzroy VIC 3065
Tel: (03) 9419 1919

Strolling through Brunswick St, Fitzroy there was not much open on a weeknight except bars and a few random restaurants. The menu sounded enticing enough so ordered 2 mains to share:

Hunan Chicken - light, hot/sour sauce which is typical of the Szechaun/provincial regions in China, served with mixed vegetables (see picture below).

Below: Cointreau Duck served with macadamia nuts - very unique as it had almost a popcorn flavour to it - shame the duck meat looked more like a highly processed beef - disappointed!

Conclusion: the descriptions are really let down by the bland flavour and catering towards westernised palates of sweet & sour pork & lemon chicken. Unless they pick up their game and buy better quality meat and mix up the stirfry dishes a bit more, I probably won't be paying for the calibre of these dishes again.

Spicy Fish Restaurant

Address: 209 Little Bourke St, Melbourne VIC 3000
Tel: (03) 9639 1885

Scallop & eggplant claypot – signature dish with hot, sweet & sour flavours with a claypot temperature (even though it arrived in a metal pot); scallops perfect texture (I prefer cooked through, al dente & consistent scallop textures found in Asian cooking of scallops).

Also: Spicy Szechaun Noodle Soup – hot, sour soup – not all that flash but included it for comparative purposes. Soup was too watery for the noodles to adequately absorb flavours.

Gemelle

Address: 79 Bathurst St, Liverpool NSW 2170
Tel: (02) 9602 5294
Website: www.gemelle.com.au

This is a very unusual location for a restaurant of this meticularity and calibre - who would think Sydney's west would house such a hidden gem?

Tomato Bruschetta (pictured above) – perfectly seasoned balsamic vinegar in the tomato on a bed of pepper/herbs

Calamari pasta (special, pictured above) – has mince meat type texture, quite large for an entrée serve, very tasty but not overpowering seafood flavour. Pasta pieces cooked to al dente perfection.

Fillet di Manzi (above) – eye fillet steak with rocket, parmesan & balsamic jus: cooked medium, extremely thin steak – needs more sauce but texture & natural flavours otherwise very pleasant.

Chocolate gateau (above): firm chocolate mousse, coffee anglaise, raspberry coulis coffee with raspberry - really strange, but chocolate mousse extremely rich & dark.

Hot apple pie – closest thing to my dear friend’s own recipe – thinly sliced apple layered over a circular piece of puff pastry, baked to a crispy texture and topped with a scoop of vanilla icecream – bliss.

Oriental Spoon

Address: 254 Latrobe St, Melbourne VIC 3000
Ph: (03) 9654 9930
Website: www.orientalspoon.com.au

Note: May be under renovations, please call ahead to confirm

Chicken Bulgogi (pictured above) – ‘lean chicken skinless chicken fillets marinated in chilli paste, cooked with vegetables’: thinly sliced threads of chicken, really punchy spice in light stirfry sauce – almost smoky flavour

Tuna & Kimchi fried rice (pictured above and below): cooked tuna, light fried rice, served with miso mushroom soup

Spicy Seafood Udon (below): really thick but ligh chilli soup with peppery undertones, seafood does not conflict or overpower broth.

Clean, well-presented honest Korean meals in decent portions to satisfy those with a bit of hunger or just to share.

Chimmys Cafe/Bakery/Restaurant

Address: 342-344 Bridge Rd, Richmond VIC 3121
Tel: (03) 9427 1391
Website: www.chimmys.com.au

You can tell by the array of pastry/bakery awards plastered on the walls of Chimmy's that this establishment means business. Staff are always friendly and there is a vital buzzing energy about the place.

Bard’s Tempest Tea – similar to English Breakfast, with a slight reminder of Russian Caravan. Unique and fragrant but not too ethnic/overpowering with milk.

Breakfast (pictured below) – Field mushrooms, thyme, truffle oil, crumbled fetta & avocado on toast : a really good flavour, thyme maskes the potential conflicting flavours of fetta & mushroom


Note: Upon 2^nd visit I was bitterly disappointed with the mushroom breakfast – the mushrooms were served individually and not marinated well enough leaving a dirty, bitter aftertaste, fetta cheese was left in cubes giving the whole dish a slimy texture.

Big fry up (below):


Old School Omelette – Ham, cheddar cheese, tomato, spinach & relish on toast


Seasonal Fruit Salad – one does not often feel motivated to have fruit for breakfast, nor does it usually constitute a meal - but the presentation and mix of flavours you see below makes it suddenly very enticing.


Crumbed prawns with spinach, avocado, chilli & lime aoli - pictured below:


Almond Croissant – warm, floaty layers of puff pastry sprinkled with icing sugar and slivered almonds - bliss!

Shyun (Japanese)

Address: 126 Koornang Rd, Carnegie VIC
Tel: (03) 9569 6530
Website: http://shyun.net.au
Closed Mondays

Teriyaki Chicken with brown rice sushi roll – tasty & fresh, brown rice gives it a chunkier, fatter, fibrous & grainy texture.

Curry Udon (Pictured below) – Literally a thick curry sauce with udon noodles inside – served ‘al dente’, bouncy, chewy thick cut udon noodle. Curry surprisingly lighter than the texture looks, moderate spice – pleasant, substantial meal with out feeling too heavy. Served steaming hot – just be careful eating it with chopsticks because if you are a retarded lefthanded user you will manage to flick the curry sauce all over the table as well as your clothes (wearing dark colours is advisable). An enjoyable, simple dish – no meat, broccoli tastes slightly barbequed/charred – best I’ve ever had!

Huff Bagelry

Address: 112 Koornang Rd, Carnegie VIC 3163
Tel: (03) 9568 3866
Website: www.huffbagelry.com


Cauliflower frittata, cheese, tomato, rockets, mayo on a poppy seed bagel delightfully toasted to a crisp – there is something orgasmic about a crispy, dense bagel filled with ingredients that work and flavours that melt in your mouth!

They also render a more-than-acceptable coffee and some homemade treats for the sweet tooth.

A highly desirable Sunday brunch destination!

Cookie

Address: 1st Floor, 252 Swanston St, Melbourne VIC 3000
Tel: (03) 9663 7660
Website: http://www.cookie.net.au/site.html


I had high expectations of this place considering how hard it was to get a table, be seated and treated like a human being in this place. Book in advance and be prepared to spend some time at the bar!

Below: Smoked eggplant & banana with chicken & prawns: very unique flavour, sweet banana infusion with tangy thai dressing on a bed of rocket. A fusion of East & West, busy salad.

Spicy cashew, tomato, cucumber salad: perfectly roasted cashews in a light refreshing salad of diced Spanish onion, cucumber & tomato with coriander & chilli slices.

Below: Drunken Noodles with minced pork & green chillies (Med): very meaty, not all that tangy, bland noodles.

I clearly overordered for one person, and upon asking if I could take the rest away, was declined due to the establishment ‘not having the appropriate takeaway licensing’. It was a real waste of food, while paying top dollar for it (the ingredients are not premium ingredients, just regular condiments found in any standard supermarket). I was disappointed considering how difficult it was to book a table here. There is clearly not enough space for meals and drinks, so I would rate this venue as a drinks destination with ‘tapas’ as its most functional purpose.

Cafe Andiamo

Address: 36-38 Degraves St, Melbourne VIC 3000
Tel: (03) 9650 8060


Pictured below: Arancini – rice ball with mozerella cheese & ham battered in chicken schnitzel breadcrumbs & fried. Dressed in a tangy napolitana sauce; almost pasta like. Rice/ham/cheese filling was not too rich, but certainly very filling.


Pictured above: Chicken Parmagiana – crispy, yet light enough to leave you wanting more, best parma I’ve had!

Coffee lovers and the like: you cannot leave Cafe Andiamo without trying the Kahuna coffee – a pure foodgasm in coffee form: perfect compliment of bitter & sweetness, strong but balanced mix of walnut & coconut. Sounds seductive doesn't it?

David & Camy Noodle Restaurant

Address: 605 Station St, Box Hill VIC
Tel: (03) 9898 8398
Trading Hours: Sun-Thur 11am to 9:30pm; Fri-Sat 11am to 10pm

#1 Peking Pork (pictured below) – nice, crispy on one side although can be too fried on the other visits

#64 Shanghai Mini Pork Bun (pictured above) – steamed too close together resulting in dumpling collapse/tear, not a lot of soup – if put enough chilli & vinegar it is quite palatable (Unfortunately Ding Tai Fung has set the benchmark for this style dumpling).

#36 Shanghai Fried Noodle (pictured below) – tasty, not hard/crisp noodle, strong sweet almost vinegary flavour enhanced by champignon mushrooms - suspect flavour is the trick to its glazed texture.

Note: Chilli is really hot & pungent - sensational! (Below)

Thanh Nga 9

Address: 160 Victoria St, Richmond VIC
Tel: (03) 9427 7068

Now before we get to the food - please be careful. Every 2nd shop on this road has the word "Thanh" in the shop title, and my friend who originally booked for this place accidently called up the wrong place and restaurants will claim to be Thanh Nga 9 even though it is not (that or they can't understand English very well).

A very clean cut, Vietnamese restaurant serving a combination of authentic dishes and some mixed in from other Asian regions to serve the masses (e.g. Honey Chicken, Mongolian Lamb etc).

For entree:


Signature Minature Pancakes ST Style - made from rice flour with crispy base filled with prawns, mung bean paste & sprinkled with crush prawns, served with fish sauce & coconut sauce. They are not really a 'pancake' but for lack of better description they are shaped as more like a hardened pastry cup which tastes like a deep fried fortune cookie.

Spring roll: miniature sized eaten with mint & lettuce leaf

Betal Leaf Beef: square of rice vermicelli – really pungent spicy meat, betal (dirt) leaf

Rice roll: really fresh mint taste (not bitter), smelly rice paper

Tangy Tomato Soup – strong tomato flavour even through broth, enhanced by shrimp flavour.

Chilli sauce – fried oily? texture, savoury

Coconut cake: similar to pancake, slightly sweet & enhanced by coconut dipping sauce

Thaila Thai

Address: 82 Lygon St, East Brunswick VIC 3057
Tel: (03) 9387 0659

This restaurant is no flash, fine dining destination (in fact it is shopfitted with a really authentic restaurant-in-asia feel) but the food is cheap, fast & generous.

The Pad Thai noodles pictured below are a particular standout - has a nutty, sweet flavour which is probably enhanced by the tamarind juice. The noodles are a slight chewy (but nice!) thin rice noodle which absorb the citric flavours well. Chicken has a really pleasant charred/smoky
flavour and is not too dry. Serving size can feed a family of 4, so make sure you ask for a takeaway box and have the rest for lunch tomorrow (there is no judgement here, everyone does it).

Chicken Yellow Curry - we don't know what this is because my friend just asked for their hottest curry. Wasn't send-all-your-senses into sniffling mode, but it contained some of the freshest and perfectly cooked zucchini ever. Usually people get zucchini very wrong and it becomes soggy and watery which is why most people hate the vegetable. The curry itself builds up to a gentle spice, but not overly chilli. The density of the curry is an authentic Thai one - not too thick, and not
too watery (as some restaurants can get it wrong, so when it comes out you think you ordered a broth soup).

In a nutshell this is a fantastic place. The staff are very courteous and efficient, don't let the outside/interior fool you (as it nearly did me). Thumbs up!!!

Bird Cow Fish

Address: 500 Crown St, Surry Hills NSW 2010
Tel: (02) 9380 4090
Web: www.birdcowfish.com.au

I really love this cafe/restaurant but I do highly recommend booking for a table in advance (although who books for breakfast) to avoid having the catty waiters turn their nose up at the door.

Pictured below is the 'Poached eggs with grilled Bangalow ham, Montpellier butter & Sonoma
sourdough toast'.

Bacon – free range, not as salty, lean, not too dry, stringier in texture – a lot to do with cooking style, suspect it might have been baked.

Bread – buttery, oily, with a pesto/drier herb spread and cheesy flavour , perfect density for that brunch meal!

Croque Monsieur (Baked ham & cheese sandwich) – ham, lightly smoked flavour with the addition of mustard which is a nice twist.

Food takes a little while to come out, however the chefs' use choice ingredients and you can be sure the food is cooked with love.