Japanese Adventures @ Shujinko

225 Russell St, Melbourne VIC

9654 0989

Open 24 Hours

The infamous 24 hour ramen shop, it's the perfect restaurant after a night out if it weren't for the long queues. Dining here for a late dinner, the atmosphere was definitely loud with the occasion Japanese greetings from the workers, a comfortable environment. 

Tsukemen ($14.50)

various vegetables, and special seafood sauce with thick and chewy noodles

Ordering the Tsukemen for myself, I found the dish to be quite underwhelming. The broth lacked flavour and depth, whilst the noodles, in my opinion did not match well with the broth. I've had plenty different types of Tsukemen before but unfortunately this is rated quite low in my list. 

(5.5/10)

I also had the gyoza which I forgot to take a photo of, and it was pretty good. Delicious flavour and made the dish even better with the dipping sauce, I would highly recommend it on the side. 

(7.5/10)

Food - 6.5 / 10 

Ambiance - 8 / 10

Service - 8 / 10

Total FoOodie Points - 22.5 / 30

Japanese Adventures @ Tetsujin

 4, Emporium, Little Bourke Street & Caledonian Lane, Melbourne VIC

9663 9993

 11:30am - 10:45pm Sun - Thurs

11:30am - 11:45pm Fri - Sat

New Japanese establishment Tetsujin has recently opened up around the start of this year on the top floor of Emporium. Having both a sushi train and Japanese BBQ in the same restaurant but on separate sections, it's a innovative concept that has everyone raving.

The sushi plates were all $3.30 unless they are marked with another price

The interior for the Sushi train side is truly refreshing, with bright lights around the sushi stations and to be able to watch the chefs prepare all types of sushi in front of you is simply superb.

The waitresses are really nice and are always attentive when it comes to things we need. With the electronic ordering system, it makes ordering and calling waitresses a lot easier.

(From top left to bottom right)

Grilled eel nigiri  (7/10)
The eel was tender and flavoursome with a (teriyaki?) sauce that complimented the dish in a great way. Though I have came here a few times after and the eel turned out to be quite inconsistent in terms of quality.

Seared Salmon Nigiri (8/10)

Compared to the other sushi train competitor I reckon Tetsujin's seared dishes are the star of the restaurant. The seared salmon nigiri was simply divine and I saw the sushi chef make it fresh right in front of me.

Seared Spicy Salmon Nigiri (8/10)

same as above, made fresh to order, which I highly recommend (order from the screen). The spicy sauce added a nice punch to the nigiri which made it more enjoyable.

Seared Scallop Nigiri (9/10)

This was absolutely the best sushi I had on the night, not also was it made fresh, it was tender and melted in my mouth.

(Top to bottom right)

Wasabi Crab Stick Nigiri (5.5/10)

The wasabi sauce overpowered the nigiri and I wasn't able to taste the crab stick due to it, so it was disappointing for me.

Salmon Nigiri (7/10)

You can't go wrong with a classic salmon nigiri, because if you somehow do, that's a no-go zone. The salon was tender and tasted quite fresh.

Seared Salmon Nigiri (Variation 2) (7.5/10)

I don't remember the exact name of the nigiri but it was another seared salmon dish. The sauce was the only difference, with this one having mayonnaise and teriyaki sauce. The sauces worked well together and gave a sweet aftertaste which was enjoyable

(Top left > Right >Bottom)

Lemon Lime Bitter (7.5/10)

The lemon lime bitter was nice and refreshing. I wasn't sure if they used actual syrup but it definitely tasted like it did.

Chicken Kara-age (9/10)

The chicken was absolutely stunning, it came straight out of the fryer so it was piping hot and was really tender. Though from the last few visits the quality of the chicken have down-graded and a bit inconsistent, so it's a bit of a shame now.

Lobster Salad Gunkan (3/10)

My least favourite sushi on the night, though to be honest I've never had lobster salad before so I had a high expectation, but ended up tasting very disappointing.

Prawn & Salmon Roll (6/10

Nothing outstanding, quite average and didn't give me a "wow" factor.

Tetsujin still remains as one of my top sushi trains in Melboune, competing against Sushi Hotaru. I would like to try out the BBQ some time so i'll be reviewing that soon.

Food - 7.5 / 10

Ambiance - 9 / 10

Service - 9 / 10

Total FoOodie Points - 26.5 / 30

 

Japanese Adventures @ Oko Oko

644A Swanston St, Carlton VIC

9942 0086

11am - 9pm Weekdays

12am - 9pm Weekends

A favourite uni-lunch spot for many, Oko Oko remains at one of the few okonomiyaki specialty restaurants in the CBD. With a spacious and colourful interior with a focus on orange which gives a bright and casual vibe, you'll feel quite comfortable eating here.

Interior 1

Interior 2

I absolutely love the entrance side of the restaurant. With it's colourful and playful interior decorations, it's a relaxing and family friendly location.

I recently just came back from Japan so I was craving okonomiyaki for a long time. Obviously the quality is no where near as amazing as okonomiyaki in Osaka or Tokyo, but I came with little expectations to not disappoint myself.

Chicken Kara-age ($5.50)

Crispy fried chicken pieces served with sweet & spicy sauce

The Kara-age was quite disappointed, it was dry and didn't give that tender feeling that fried chicken should have. A shame as the sauce paired really well with it.

(4/10)

Classic Okonomiyaki Pancake ($5.90)

flour, egg, cabbage, corn and fresh potato with ingredients. Topped with housemade okonomiyaki sauce and mayonaise

The okonomiyaki was actually pretty dry, compared to other restaurants it ranks pretty low but that might just be the items I ordered. The first few bites were decent but there was a lack of sauce near the end. 

Especially since the okonomiyaki was actually quite dry, I ended up having a quarter of the pancake left without anything to accompany it.

(5.5/10)

Cheese Okonomiyaki ($7.90)

This okonomiyaki pizza is topped with mozzarella cheese, baked until golden.

To be honest, after the first 2 dishes I was skeptical whether the food here are made fresh or just prepared poorly. The cheese okonomiyaki was definitely overcooked which resulted in the cheese being hard instead of soft and less 'burnt'. 

(4.5/10)

I like to give restaurants a few tries before I completely judge them as some days can be a hit or miss. Hopefully it improves by the next time I come here.

Food - 4.5 / 10

Ambiance - 8.5 / 10

Service - 7 / 10

Total FoOodie Points - 20 / 30

Japanese Adventures @ Bankara Ramen

305 Swanston St, CBD, Melbourne VIC

Phone N/A

11:00am - 12:00 Midnight Everyday

With just so many ramen joints opening up or already in the city, I've lost count for places that I need to try. But recently I just ticked off a recently opened chain store Bankara Ramen, which just opened up on Swanston street.

Renown for being an international franchise with atleast 80 stores over the world, I decided to come here to see what this place has to offer.

Exterior

The food display is just like the displays in Japan if you've ever been there, and I absolutely love it!. Just from the outside it let's you know what the dishes look like and is a perfect way to lure in customers such as myself.

Interior

The service here is pretty inconsistent, for example, my first visit, the service was amazing. The waiters greeted us, explained to us the different types of seasoning on the table and what paired well with what, poured water when it was close to empty, it was simply amazing service.

 But then on this visit there was none of that, the amount of customers was the same but there was barely any of the customer service mentioned before. Perhaps it's because we were seated on the upper level?.

To be honest, for a ramen joint, the food is pretty overpriced for what you get. As most ramen restaurants in the city usually serve classic ramens for $10 max, but here it's more than that, also mentioning that the extras / upgrades are pretty overpriced as well.

 Classic Tonkotsu Ramen ($13.8)

Tonkotsu ramen topped with pork chashu, black fungus and seaweed

I've been told that the Tonkotsu ramen isn't that good, but to be honest I absolutely love it. The broth is amazing and smooth, combined with the thin noodles and tender pork it's a comforting dish.

(8/10)

One of the cool things i've noticed is that for each type of ramen, they have a specific type of noodle that is paired with it. Which is pretty awesome as most ramen places use the same noodle for every soul base which sometimes doesn't work well. 

 Premium Kakuni Tsukumen ($21.8)

Cold noodles served with a side on rich broth, kakuni, pork chashu, seasoned boiled eggs, bamboo shoots and seaweed

I'll be frank about one thing, don't upgrade to the premium. The premium gives you the kakuni and egg, and to be honest it just isn't worth the extra $. The kakuni is tender, but it's quite average. 

The dish itself was pretty good and I enjoyed it, though I prefer the Tsukumen at Mugen Ramen, the tsukumen at Bankara is pretty high up in the list if you can deal with the price.

(6.5/10)

Chuka Soba ($13.8)

Chuka Soba topped with pork chashu bamboo shoots and seaweed

To be honest, it wasn't as good as the other dishes. The soup wasn't that great and the overall dish was quite disappointing. I don't recommend this but I do for the others.

(4/10)

Food - 6.5 / 10

Ambiance - 6 / 10

Service - 7 / 10

Total FoOodie Points - 19.5 / 30

Japanese Adventures @ Shimbashi Soba

17 Liverpool St, Melbourne VIC

9654 6727

Lunch: 11:30am - 2:30pm

Dinner: 6:00pm - 10:00pm

Everyday

When you think of having some good quality Japanese soba, then you think of Shimbashi Soba, a popular Japanese soba specialty restaurant which has customers raving about their handmade soba.

I didn't know about this place till I randomly walked past it and i'm glad I did, because I wouldn't have found out about this place if I didn't.

Outside 

To be honest the prices are a bit steep for soba but it's pretty worth, but if you're interested in coming here and wanting to spend a bit less, then I highly recommend in coming at lunch hours as their lunch menu is a lot cheaper than the dinner menu.

Interior 1

Also a great mention is that they have daily specials which sound mouth watering.

Interior 2

The atmosphere is pretty casual with a large shared table for those that haven't booked, if you're looking for a table for 2 then you'll need to make sure you call up beforehand.

Complimentary Mashed Potato

A first actually, that I've went to a Japanese restaurant in Melbourne that provides a complimentary side dish. The mashed potato was great to start off with.

Salmon Yukke ($9)

Marinated spicy salmon sashimi

The salmon was definitely fresh, you can tell by the texture of it, but the flavour disappointed me. I felt that the marinade overpowered the taste of the salmon sashimi and was too bitter for my liking.

(6/10)

Okonomiyaki ($13)

Japanese style pizza topped with special sauce and mayo

The okonomiyaki was quite average, it had a great texture but it lacked in flavour. There wasn't enough sauce for the entire dish and lacked a punch which most okonomiyaki dishes give.

(5/10)

Chicken Soba ($17)

Warm soup noodle with dumpings & chicken fillet

To be honest, i'm not a big fan of warm soba dishes. I feel that the texture of the noodle itself is a lot better chilled but that's just my personal preference. As my friends who had this dish said it was pretty good, overall the dish was pretty satisfying, the soup was delicious with a great combination of ingredients.

(7/10)

Tempura Seiro Chilled Soba (Large) ($23)

Chilled noodles with assorted tempura

Feeling really hungry as it was the only meal I had for the entire day, I ordered a large size which is an extra $4, and they sure give a lot. Chilled soba always hits the spot on a hot day, and with crispy assorted tempura on the side, it was a refreshing meal. 

The soba noodles itself had the perfect texture and the dipping sauce was perfect in enhancing the flavour of the soba. The assorted tempura, the prawn to be precise was my absolute favourite. Crispy and succulent, it was amazing.

(8/10)

Lemon Lime Bitters 

I was hoping for a home-made lemon lime bitter instead of a bottled one, so it was slightly disappointing. Nonetheless, it was still pretty good.

Food - 7/10

Ambiance - 6/10

Service - 8/10

Total FoOodie Points - 20.5/30

Japanese Adventures @ Ajisen Ramen

130 Bourke St, Melbourne VIC

 9662 1100

              11:30am - 9pm Mon - Thurs

  11:30am - 10pm Fri

    11:30am - 9:30pm Sat

11:30am - 9pm Sun

Located in the prominent location of Melbourne Central, Ajisen Ramen has been serving up their specialty ramen for years. With at least 700 stores world wide, it's no surprise that the store is bustling with customers.

Tori Karaage Ramen ($12)

Ramen served with deep fried chicken, egg & vegetables

Fried chicken with ramen? yes please. I feel like the soup which Ajisen ramen specialises in is a bit too heavy for my liking. Noodles were cooked to perfection, the egg was delicious but sadly the deep fried chicken was dry. I've dined here many times but on this occasion, the chicken felt like it's been left out for a long time which didn't give that crispy and tender texture.

(6.5/10)

Tonkatsu Ramen ($12)

Ramen served with deep fried bread crumbed pork, egg & vegetables

Everything asides from the meat is the same as the previous dish, the tonkatsu was delicious but a bit towards the dry end.

(6.5/10)

Yaki Gyoza ($7.80)

Freshly made deep fried pork dumplings served with gyoza sauce

The Yaki Gyoza was pretty average, very crispy and hot but lacked in flavour.

(6/10)

Grilled Salmon Bento ($13.80)

Grilled salmon with yakitori (chicken skewer), wafu salad, seaweed salad, gyoza & rice

The bento was lacking in appeal, grilled salmon was slightly overcooked but nonetheless still good, yakitori was tender and delicious, gyoza was quite average and the salads were very basic.

(6/10)

Spicy Miso Ramen

Ramen served wih spicy minced meat, egg & vegetables in Ajisen miso soup

The Soup base worked pretty well with the chilli oil from the spicy minced meat, therefore complimenting the ramen itself. the egg was slightly overcooked compared to other ramen, overall a decent dish

(6/10)

Ajisen ramen is a pretty good place for students and city-goers but to be frank, there are better restaurants elsewhere in the CBD.

Food - 6/10

Ambiance - 6/10

Service - 5/10

Total FoOodie Points - 17/30

Japanese Adventures @ Wagaya

Mid City Arcade, 201/200 Bourke St, Melbourne VIC

9663 7756

11:30am - 3:30pm Lunch

5:30pm - 11:00pm Dinner

Everyday

The sister shop of the infamous Sushi Hotaru. Located a floor above, Wagaya is one of the new additions in Japanese restaurants in the CBD. With a modern and sleek interior, impressive touch-screen menu and ordering system, and superb food. Wagaya stands as an affordable dining option for those who seek modernized Japanese food.

Soft Shelled Crab Spider Roll (6pc) ($11.20)

Slightly disappointing, the soft shelled crab tasted quite dry and not freshly cooked. The renkon chips were also quite stale which was unfortunate as I had high hopes for this dish.

(3.5/10)

Seared Salmon & Scallop Box Sushi (6pc) ($14.80)

Simply good sushi, the scallop and salmon were both tender, soft and worked really well together as a sushi. Though the presentation is lacking, the taste was delightful.

(7/10)

Chicken Cutlet Curry & Rice ($12.50)

The curry was delightful, a marvelous trio with the rice and crispy fried chicken. I felt that the fried chicken here was definitely ranked pretty high for me since it was succulent, tender and crispy.

(7/10)

Prawn Tempura & Avocado Roll (3pc) ($6.50)

My friend had ordered this so i decided to take a bite, sadly it wasn't my cup of tea. I was never a fan of avocado and prawn sushi so no surprises there. I can't really rate this as it would be based on personal taste and i'm unable to compare but my friend said that it was quite good.

(?/10)

Food - 5.8/10

Ambiance - 8/10

Service - 7/10

Total FoOodie Points - 20.8/30

Japanese Adventures @ Yoyogi

211-213 Swanston St, Melbourne VIC

9663 7266

    10:00am - 11:00pm Sun-Thur

10:00am - 12:00am Fri-Sat

After going through renovations to the store, Yoyogi has opened up it's door with a new and improved interior and menu. I can't count the amount of times I've dined at Yoyogi in the past few years, because it used to be the 'Go To' place for cheap and generous Japanese food.

Though, with stores popping up left and right, staying loyal to one restaurant is far too difficult of a task.
 It's been almost a year since I've eaten here, therefore I decided to come back to see how much this memorable place has changed.

Katsu Curry Rice (Chicken) ($11.50)

Deep fried crumbed chicken with curry

The classic dish which brought back a lot of memories of Yoyogi, safe to say, it hasn't changed a single bit in regards to taste. Crispy and tender chicken, generous amount of rice & curry, there was more than enough for an individual serving. 

It was quite nostalgic, though I was hoping for something different because it renovated, but it seems like they'll be sticking with the original recipe.

(7/10)

 Cha Shu Ramen ($11)

Japanese BBQ pork noodle soup

To be honest, I was never a huge fan of the ramen here, The average soup, ramen and toppings never made me crave the meal. With loads of other ramen specialties in Melbourne, It's probably better to try somewhere else if you're coming here specifically craving for ramen.

(5/10)

Food - 6/10

Ambiance - 5/10

Service - 5.5/10

Total FoOodie Points - 16.5/30

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 

 

Japanese Adventures @ Hanaichi

Hanaichi is the go-to place if you're looking for great and affordable food (under $10) which is generous in portion and is prepared at a fast-food restaurant speed. Located in 2nd level QV, Hanaichi's popularity is as strong as ever with customers constantly ordering and waiting at the store.

Japanese Curry Chicken + Miso Katsudon ($9.80)

The store introduced a new half/half deal where you could order 2 different dishes on one plate. My friend had opt for the curry chicken & miso katsudon. Both dishes were strong in flavour and nice but because the dishes both had strong distinct flavours, it didn't mix well together.

(2.2/5)

Japanese Curry Chicken + Kay's Chicken ($9.80)

The Japanese curry chicken and Kay's chicken are the top dishes as most customers tend to order either one of these. The Japanese curry chicken had a great taste and mixed well with the rice, the chicken was freshly cooked and crispy. The Kay's Chicken sauce is addictive, i could eat a whole plate of the chicken and sauce but i would probably die from a heart attack from the unhealthy goodness. 

(3/5) 

Overall for the speed and price, its really good. Obviously you can better in proper restaurants but if you're in a rush or looking for takeaway then Hanaichi is the place for you.

Food - 7/10

Ambiance - 6/10

Service - 7/10
Total FoOodie Points- 20/30