Nobu

Crown Towers Melbourne, 8 Whiteman Street, Southbank

As one of the most well known restaurants in the industry, as well as having big names such as chef Nobu Matsuhisa and actor Robert De Niro behind them, Nobu has long been a restaurant that I have had my sights set on for quite some time. I had the chance to visit Nobu during my birthday this year, which I took advantage of to try a wide range of their dishes on offer.

Nobu

The sushi bar

 Akayuki - Red Snow

Apchee mocktail

Beef tataki with ponzu & garlic chips $28.00

The beef tataki is a dish that I have ordered at almost all the Japanese restaurants that I visit. At Nobu, the beef tataki has a very generous amount of garlic chips and ponzu sauce, which gives it both the lovely flavour of the ponzu sauce, as well as texture from the garlic chips.

Seafood ceviche $18.50

The iconic Nobu seafood ceviche, which has earned praise in many of chef Nobu Matsuhisa's restaurants was the highlight dish of our night. The combination of textures from the different types of seafood made the dish very pleasant to eat, while the slightly acidic dressing gave the dish a good amount of depth.

Snow crab taco $7.00ea / Southern rock lobster taco $10.00ea

Japanese scallop tiradito $24.00

The Japanese scallop tiradito was one of my two favourite dishes of the night. The lovely and fresh ingredients were accentuated with the small amount of spice from the chilli. A great example of excellence in simplicity.

Crispy soft shell crab, spicy ponzu dip $29.00

The crispy soft shell crab was best described as "fun" to eat. The crispy fried coating of the soft shell crab was a nice textural change from most of the previous dishes, as they were noticeably lacking textural differences.

Gippsland beef tenderloin yakimono with wasabi pepper sauce $44.00

The Gippsland beef tenderloin was cooked perfectly and wonderfully tender. The lovely aroma of wasabi and black pepper permeated throughout the dish, which gave it multiple layers of flavour.

Seafood toban yaki $35.00

The seafood toban yaki was the only disappointing dish of the night. The seafood was slightly overcooked and the dish left an odd aftertaste, which was quite unpleasant.

Nobu tasting plate $30.00

We ordered the Nobu dessert tasting plate at the end of our meal, which came out with a nice birthday message for us. The tasting plate was a combination of four of their favourite desserts, including the Nobu Whiskey Cappuccino, Nobu Chocolate Fondant and others. My favourite dessert from the selection would have to be the Whiskey Cappuccino, which made good use of different layers of flavour, such as the coffee creme brulee, espresso bean crumble, milk ice-cream and the signature Suntory Whiskey Foam, which imparted a light, yet complex flavour to the dish.

With professional staff, creative flavours and incredibly fresh ingredients, there is not much more that you can ask for. Apart from one slightly disappointing dish, the entire night was a smooth and pleasant experience, I will definitely be coming back to try some of their other dishes!

Food Rating 9/10

Overall Rating 9/10

Da Rin

169 Bourke Street, Melbourne

One of the many Korean fried chicken restaurants in the city, Da Rin has lots of competing restaurants in the CBD. Unlike the other restaurants which only serve variants of Korean fried chicken, Da Rin also serves many Korean favourites, such as ddeokbokki and budae jigae.

Quirky interior

Squid tuigim $15.00

The squid tuigim was cooked well with a crispy outer layer but that was where the good parts ended. The squid itself was almost flavourless and did not have any seasoning, which was not aided by the addition of the dipping sauce, as it completely overpowered the dish.

Jeyuk bokkeum $18.00

The jeyuk bokkeum was a dish of spicy pork neck and vegetables served on a sizzling plate. The pork was cooked well and the dish was seasoned well. I enjoyed how the spicy sauce had a subtle sweetness and was not very overpowering.

The experience I had at Da Rin was not great. The mediocre food was combined with slow and mediocre service, which left me disappointed. With the abundance of Korean restaurants and fried chicken restaurants in the CBD, there are definitely better places to go.

Food Rating 6/10

Overall Rating 6/10

El Rincon

69 Victoria Street, Melbourne

El Rincon, literally translating to "the corner", in reference to the location of the restaurant by Melbourne's Queen Victoria Market, is a small Spanish restaurant, cafe and bar which has recently opened in the CBD.

As well as boasting one of the largest collections of sherry in Melbourne, the restaurant is uniquely Spanish in regards to the different aspects of the restaurant, ranging from not only their food, but also their decor and even the tiles.

The chef and owner of El Rincon comes from the southern part of Spain which is close to the border of Gibraltar, which is where a lot of his traditional recipes draw inspiration from. On the night I was dining here however, El Rincon had a guest chef from San Sebastián, which is not only known as the gastronomic capital of Spain, but of the entire culinary world.

 Selection of wines and sherry

 Running Bull Sangria

El Rincon is the home of Running Bull Sangria, which is an alcoholic drink of Spanish origin. Found only at El Rincon at the Queen Victoria Markets, the sangria is made from a traditional family recipe and is absolutely lovely and refreshing.

 Salmorejo and Ana's Tortilla

Salmorejo and Ana's tortilla are two dishes that are usually served separately. The soft tortilla made with eggs, potatoes and onions was a delightfully light dish, which was a nice way to start off the tapas.

Salmorejo is a dish which originates from Andalucia in the south of Spain, very close to where the chef and owner of El Rincon comes from. The base of the dish is tomato and bread, which is also used as a base in other Spanish dishes. The dish itself was seasoned well and expertly made use of contrasting textures to give a very pleasant mouth-feel.

 Spanish croquettes with Jamón serrano and chorizo

The Spanish croquettes contained both Jamón Serrano and chorizo, which I thought would be very salty. Although the first bite was indeed quite salty, it was quickly counterbalanced by the rest of the dish, which left a delicious and complex flavour, as well as lovely texture.

 Sardinas fritas

As the dish arrived, the Sardinas fritas was described to me by our host as an almost out of body experience. With a sense of excitement, as well as a beautiful dish placed in front of me I could not resist. As I took my first bite I was suddenly filled with satisfaction and realised what she had meant. The dish itself was a perfectly fried sardine which had been stuffed with potatoes, marinated capsicum and bacalao, which is known as a type of dried and salted cod. The combination of a lovely crisp coating with the tender fish and potato was elevated with the salty distribution of the cod. The sauce brought everything together and the addition a fried, crispy and slightly fishy treat was a good finisher. A truly ethereal experience.

 Albondigas

The Albondigas was the last savoury item we tried. Unfortunately for the Spanish meatballs, the preceding dishes all had depth and character to them, which made them special experiences. Although the meatballs were cooked nicely, the flavour was slightly one dimensional. By no means a bad dish, however it was eclipsed as the mediocre dish in a lineup of great dishes.

Spanish flan

To finish of the meal we were served their Spanish flan. Although the dish was not particularly complex or special in many ways, the light sweetness was a great finisher for the meal.

El Rincon is a great place to visit at any time of the day. The atmosphere was absolutely lovely and the unique Spanish flavour made me imagine spending an entire morning here with nothing but a coffee and a book to read. Whether you have just finished shopping at the Queen Victoria Markets or have a Spanish tapas craving, El Rincon has something for everybody and I would definitely recommend everybody try it at least once.

We were invited and dined courtesy of El Rincon.

Food Rating 8.5/10

Overall Rating 8.5/10

Petaling Street

600 Station Street, Box Hill

Petaling Street is a name well known throughout the Melbourne suburbs. The Malaysian hawker style restaurant has multiple locations throughout Melbourne, including the CBD's Chinatown and Glen Waverley's iconic Kingsway.

Curry Laksa

Hainanese chicken rice

The Hainanese chicken rice at Petaling street was a little disappointing. While the chicken was tender, it lacked flavour, as well as the spring onion and ginger oil which usually accompanies it. The rice also seemed to be neglected in this dish, as it was soft and did not have much flavour to it.

Kam heong clams

The clams themselves were nice, as they were cooked and cleaned well so there was not a lot of grit in them. The flavour of the sauce in the clams was a bit too strong for my liking, but that was most likely a personal preference issue, as I tend to avoid foods that are too salty.

The service was on par with some of the worst service I have ever had.  We were ignored for a good portion of the night and the waitress who took our order barely spoke a word to us the entire night, even as we were asking questions. With mediocre food and service which was far worse, I will definitely not be back, as Box Hill boasts many restaurants which are far better.

Food Rating 5/10

Overall Rating 4/10

Wong's Lucky Bar

921 Whitehorse Road, Box Hill

Wong's Lucky Bar is situated directly on top of the 109 tram stop at Box Hill Central. Being located here has its perks, as hungry high-school students often use this route on their way home. Serving mainly Cantonese cuisine, Wong's Lucky Bar has become quite well known for their incredibly cheap prices and filling dishes.

Spicy salt & chilli quail $7.80

Spicy salt & chilli chicken ribs on rice $10.00

The seasoning for the quail and chicken was a little bit on the salty side, which was not completely terrible. I enjoyed that the chilli had some heat to it, so the saltiness from the seasoning was not overpowering. The quail and the chicken were both cooked very nicely with a crisp outer coating while maintaining a juicy inside, however the rice on the chicken dish was cold and hard.

Sweet & sour pork $13.80

Although the sweet & sour pork had flavours reminiscent of Cantonese take-away restaurants, the ratio of batter to pork, as well as the tenderness put this dish one step ahead of the take-away restaurants.

Hainanese chicken rice $9.00

The Hainanese chicken rice was the best dish we ordered. Tender chicken was sitting in a flavourful sauce, served with a good chilli sauce and ginger spring onion oil. My favourite thing about the dish was that they did not neglect the rice, which had a lovely aroma and was not overcooked.

The problem that arose from our visit was that Wong's Lucky Bar has always been a restaurant that serves food quickly and well. While the food was of a decent quality, it arrived sporadically over the night. Most likely just a lapse in service on a busy night, I hope that the service has improved by the next time I visit.

Food Rating 7.510

Overall Rating 7/10

The Dessert Kitchen

105 Little Bourke Street, Melbourne

As part of an ongoing trend, Asian desserts have been a favourite after dinner treat for many people. In some ways, this type of niche is dominated by Dessert Story, which has caused some of the smaller and more creative stores to fall into some sort of obscurity. This meant that the opening of The Dessert Kitchen has excited many people and has also resulted in huge queues and waiting times. 

Busy and bright

Taro and sweet potato

Ice stream ramen

Although the name gave nothing away about what it was, I could not resist ordering the Ice stream ramen, based only on the look of the dish. Unfortunately the dish was almost flavourless, even after adding the syrup to the dish all I could taste was the sickly sweetness and nothing else.

Japanese green tea soba

The only decent dish that we were served, the green tea soba had a strong flavour which was refreshing with the beans on top. The dishes and mangoes on the side, although sweet did not really add anything to the dish.

The Dessert Kitchen has incredibly long wait times, as well as a time limit for diners, to deal with the huge crowd. Part of me cannot imagine why people are waiting so long to repeatedly go there, as the experience was mediocre at best. The immense sweetness of all the dishes overpower the relatively weak flavours of the food, while the service was almost non-existent.

Food Rating 5/10

Overall Rating 5/10 

Belleville

Globe Alley, Melbourne

Belleville is a restaurant and bar which specialises in their signature rotisserie chicken. Before heading to Belleville I was given high expectations from a friend, which described their chicken as "the best roast chicken in the city", which is very high praise. The entrance itself is hidden down Globe Alley in Melbourne's Chinatown and even after I found the entrance, I still had some trouble finding my way up to the restaurant.

Belleville - Globe Alley

Quarter rotisserie chicken $9.00

Unfortunately, as I was hyped up about the chicken at Belleville, I left with some disappointment. The miso-butter glaze worked quite well, but the chicken was overcooked and dry. A large amount of the skin had burnt to a char so it was hard to discern the flavours. For the sauce, I chose the "HOT AS F#@K" sauce also known as the "Liu Kang Fireball". The sauce itself packed quite a punch and was extremely spicy, but the flavours were still pronounced. Definitely not for the faint-hearted.

Tony Jaa taco $7.00

Named after legendary Thai martial artist Tony Jaa, the Tony Jaa taco had char-grilled octopus and prawns with freeze-dried mandarin, nam phrik and an "Ong Bak herb salad". Ong Bak is one of Tony Jaa's most well known films and in a way can be used to describe the fragrant yet aggressive Thai flavours of the taco.

Lobster bomb $4.50

The lobster bomb was a tasty treat on its own, however as it is supposed to be a dish based on lobster mac and cheese, the cheese was very overpowering. The Japanese mustard was a good touch and lifted the dish up a little.

The experience was fun with helpful and friendly staff, however even though most of the food was good, the roast chicken which they are known for was a little disappointing. I quite enjoyed myself there so hopefully it was only a once off problem, as I would like to return to try more of the menu.

Food Rating 7/10

Overall Rating 7.5/10

Tina's Noodle Kitchen

Box Hill Central, 1 Main Street, Box Hill

Back in 2003 Tina Li would open a small restaurant on Smith Street. With barely any space, she attempted to bring authentic Sichuan cuisine to Melbourne. Looking forward 13 years, the strong and bold flavours of Sichuan cuisine, as well as the allure of the fragrances emanating through the doors have established Dainty Sichuan as a household name throughout Melbourne.

The success of Dainty Sichuan has culminated in the establishment of many branch restaurants, such as Dainty Sichuan Hot Pot, Dainty Noodle Express and Tina's Noodle Kitchen.

Box Hill Central

 Chicken skewers

Pork blood curd combination noodle

The pork blood combination noodle contains a plethora of ingredients, including but not limited to pork blood curd, tender beef, spam, quail eggs, various mushroom and fungi, lotus root and tripe. The soup contains immense amounts of spices, Sichuan peppercorns and chilli oil, which I asked to be reduced, as the 1cm thick layer of oil was too much for a light lunch.

Tender beef noodle

The tender beef noodle was similar to the pork blood curd combination noodles, however a number of the ingredients have been replaced by more of the tender beef, as well as a completely different soup base. The noodles used in both of the noodle dishes were very light and smooth, which gave a pleasant mouthfeel.

The dishes offered at Tina's Noodle Kitchen do not hold back any punches. If you are eating here make sure you are ready for the impact of heavy flavours and extremely spicy dishes. Also as a non-Chinese speaker, I felt like the service was considerably worse than if I were with Chinese speaking friends.

Food Rating 7.5/10

Overall Rating 7/10