Speak of Japanese food in Melbourne and I will most probably diss its authenticity. However, since I have reached Melbourne last Thursday, I’ve eaten at two of these restaurants. Some bloggers even label these restaurants as “fake Japanese”. Hahah I really cannot withhold my laughter when I read these post. But then again, in food its final judgement always lies within its taste. Good or bad. The first restaurant is a classic that the guys and I have liked since the first time we visited Melbourne two years ago. This little outlet situated along the few Melbourne Central exits facing Swanston street has the most unauthentic Dons I’ve ever eaten but damn it tastes good.
The kitchen is not Japanese, its Chinese. And the logo, I recently noticed is a cute fat piglet! :D
The Gyu Don! Not like I have not had better but this one tastes really good! And.. cheap!!
The Curry Katsu Don! Mmm the fried chicken was nice but the curry was OK only. Again, Samurai sets unachievable benchmark for half a decade.
Gyoza! My first few picks since I ate at Menya! This was Chee Rong’s recommendation. I liked it too!
Lastly,
This Agedashi Tofu, is not your common fried bean curd with Soy and radish mix. Instead they put use a sauce which tastes like Tonkatsu sauce and topped it with pickled ginger @.@! The old one tastes a lottt better I have to say. But this one was not too bad! Overall this place is a whole lot of love. The only problem I had in my recent encounter was that the scrapped the burnt bits off the pot and served it :(!
The second restaurant on the other hand is something my friends in Melbourne introduced to me when we finally had a small reunion last Sunday. Its called Big MaMa and its just located along Swanston St. near the old public bath area. And ohh yeah babehh!! Big Mama is big on taste!
Xin Ling, Kelvin and I visited the restaurant for dinner again today and we ordered several MUST TRY dishes according to bloggers and friends. But before our dishes arrived, my friends and I found the appetizers served to be appealing to youngsters who are not too amazed with the Korean Kimchee.
Crispy crispy something that was yums!
This omelette was not salty but it was delectable! So glad my buddies introduced this place to me :D!
After all the appetizers were out, the mains did not take too long to arrive! Then comes judgement day!
The Good:
Yumm! The Chilli Chicken Kaarage! Not the real thing but I liked how the chicken was all crispy and coated with chilli sauce!
The Mediocre:
The Stone Pot Herbal Spring Chicken was the Mediocre dish. The glutinous rice stuffing was poorly cooked and the herbal taste was not up to my expectations!
The Bad:
The Teriyaki Chicken was a highly recommended by bloggers and I must assert that this is =X. I did not like it even a little bit. Its more of sizzling hot plate chicken rather than Teriyaki.
Other dishes I had in my previous visit include the Sweet and Sour fish, the Chap Ge (noodles) and the Beef with bean curd in Clay pot. I loved the Chap Ge and the Beef in Clay pot soup in particular!
Overall its amazing how even the most unauthentic Asian food tend to be delicious when the combination is good. Not the real taste but the flavour is definitely attraction! Everyone loved it and I believe its going to have a lasting impression! (and that includes the horrible teriyaki chicken)
WenY
