Italian Adventures @ Gradi

Located in the luxurious Crown Casino, Gradi is a restaurant that offers a more casual and affordable option compared to the premium fine dining restaurant that Crown has to offer.

Whilst it isn't on par with top restaurants such as Nobu, Rockpool, etc. Gradi still lives up to its reputation and stands dominantly with their outstanding customer base.

Arancini ($6)

Crumbed rice ball made with pork sausage, peas, mozzarella heart on a spicy rose sauce

The Arancini was an delightful entree, small in quantity but it made up for the quality of the dish. The combination of the spicy rose sauce was amazing and each bite just made me want more.

(4/5)

Margherita Verace ($26)

San Marzano tomato, buffalo mozzarella, basil

We chose the Margherita Verace as it we heard it was great. Sadly it wasn't as great as anticipated  and was pretty average. the mozzarella was smooth and delicious but the pizza as a whole didn't give that "wow" factor i was hoping for.
(3/5)

Spaghetti Alla Carbonara ($35)

Traditional spaghetti carbonara with egg, Italian guanciale and pecorino sardo

For the price for the dish, its safe to say that it wasn't worth at all. It was lacking in both quantity and quality and i was dissatisfied with the Carbonara. It lacked flavour and the pasta wasn't al dente

(2/5)

Carpaccio Di Manzo ($21)

Beef carpaccio with genovese pesto, croutons and cherry tomato

Another dish i had high expectations for, but sadly turned out to be something disappointing. The Beef carpaccio was lacking in flavour which resulted in the bland taste. I'm not sure if its me, but the texture was really thin which i wasn't expecting, perhaps the dish wasn't for me.

(2/5)

Food - 5/10

Ambiance - 7/10

Service - 6/10
Total FoOodie Points- 18/30 

Japanese Adventures @ Taketori

Walking along King st, we decided to dine at Taketori because of our cravings for Japanese food. From the moment we entered we were greeted with an enthusiastic waitress and shown to our table.

I forgot to take pictures, but the interior of the restaurant was really nice, it could've came off as a fine-dining atmosphere. Difficult to explain, if you ever do come here, you can see for yourself.

Agedashi Tofu ($9)

Deep fried bean curd with dashi sauce

The Agedashi Tofu was disappointing, it was lacking the crispiness it should have and the overall flavour was bland. 

(2/5)

Ika Fry ($10)

Deep fried squid ring served with spicy mayo

The Ika Fry was average, nothing that great but nothing that would make it bad. The spicy mayo was actually a wasabi mayo which i didn't like as much.

(2.5/5)

Takoyaki ($8)

Teriyaki octopus balls served with shaved bonito

The Takoyaki was a crowd pleaser, topped with what i will assume is wasabi mayo and teriyaki sauce it was a pleasing combination. 

(3.5/5)

Tori KaraAge ($9)

Lightly marinated crispy chicken served with fresh mint leaf

In regards to entrees that were ordered, the Tori Karage was my favourite our of the 4. Served hot and crispy it was a delicious treat, though 'fresh mint leaf' was nowhere to be found and i will that it was the dipping sauce. The dipping sauce, was confusing, it didn't work well at all with the chicken and was just conflicting flavours.

(3.5/5)

Tempura Udon ($17)

hot udon in soup served with battered fried prawn

Quite average, the soup base was mediocre and was lacking in flavour. For $17, you can find better udon elsewhere. The udon itself was nice and smooth.

(2.5/5)

Food - 5/10

Ambiance - 7/10

Service - 6/10
Total FoOodie Points- 18/30 

 

Japanese Adventures @ Mugen

Famous for their delicious Tsukemen, Mugen in my opinion, is my one of the best Tsukumen restaurants in Melbourne. Tsukumen is pretty much like ramen but separated, so the ingredients is all dipped into a bowl of broth therefore giving the name the 'Dip Ramen'.

Located in a secret alleyway on Flinders lane, Mugen also serves up different Tapas style dishes which will keep your tastebuds rolling.

The Glorious Food Table

Gyoza (8pc) ($15)
House Made Gyoza, Served with Mugen's Special Sauce
 +
 Wafu Tsukumen (360g) ($15)

Soy Sauce broth, House made thick noodles served with Slow Cooked Pork (Chashu) Bamboo Shoots and Seaweed

This is my second time coming here with friends, and i can definitely say the Wafu Tsukumen is my favourite, compared to the other broths. The soy sauce broth enhances the flavour of the noodles by a whole new level, whereas the other broths such as curry, tend to be overpowering. 

For $15 you get a generous portion of noodles, alongside a Chashu, seaweed and bamboo shoot. Overall the dish is beautiful and tastes great, though the chashu tends to be dry most of the time but that's due to the nature of leaving it out.

(4/5)

The Gyoza was presented neatly on a plate accompanied by Mugens special sauce, which was some sort of spicy blend. It was a crowd-pleaser and a great accompaniment with the ramen.

(3/5)

Tebesaki (8 pcs) ($15)

Japanese Deep Fried Chicken Wings

We had an extra order of Tebasaki near the end of the meal, they were crispy and flavorsome. Nothing to extraordinary, it was an average dish.

(2.5/5)

Food - 7.5/10

Ambiance - 7/10

Service - 8/10
Total FoOodie Points- 22.5/30