Marae Izakaya

1003/1341 Dandenong Road, Chadstone

Along with the expansion of Chadstone shopping centre almost 2 years ago came the addition of the Dining Terrace, an area which houses many big names in dining, such as Fonda Mexican, New Shanghai and Burger Project, as well as Marae Izakaya. Marae Izakaya is a Japanese style restaurant which boasts a diverse range of dining styles, from bentos, to al a carte dishes, as well as an impressive omakase sushi train.

The prices are a bit higher than other sushi trains that I have been to, but that is most likely attributed to the premium that comes with being located in the heavy traffic of Chadstone shopping centre. The dishes are definitely of a higher quality than other cheaper sushi trains that I have frequented, so the higher price you pay for the dishes has definitely not gone to waste. 

However, due to the high volume of people that were dining there when I visited, I found the range of items on the train was quite lacking. I'm not sure if this was because their menu simply had less items than I expected, or if they were adjusting to the high amount of customers they had. Either way I would definitely have enjoyed it more if there were more choices for me on the train, instead of having to order separate dishes.

Food Rating 8/10

Overall Rating 7.5/10

Nishikian

425 Springvale Road, Forest Hill

Nishikian is a Japanese restaurant that I have seen hundreds of times but never had the chance to visit. They are located on Springvale Road in Forest Hill, directly on the way to Glen Waverley, which is one of the reasons I haven't had the chance to visit them, as Glen Waverley is one of the biggest restaurant destinations in the east.

Kaisen don

Pork belly skewer

Beef tataki

The food at Nishikian is a mixture of traditional Japanese flavours and some odd new dishes with different techniques. While some of the food we found on their menu was closer to traditional Japanese dishes, you would be hard pressed to find some of the others in any other Japanese restaurant. While I do appreciate creativity in restaurants, sometimes it doesn't work out quite as planned. I personally did quite enjoy some of the dishes, such as the beef tataki and the skewers, however, some others were less impressive, such as the tuna roll and the hot pot.


Although Nishikian is located quite a distance from many other Japanese restaurants, with the closest being in Glen Waverley, I don't think I will end up visiting them again. While our meal at Nishikian was definitely not bad, the quality and number of other amazing Japanese restaurants in Melbourne means that there really isn't a reason for me to visit them.

Food Rating 6.5/10

Overall Rating 6.5/10

Gyoza Gyoza Doncaster

Westfield Doncaster, 619 Doncaster Road, Doncaster

A long time ago when only the Bourke street location was open, Gyoza Gyoza was one of my favourite places to visit for some Japanese-style gyoza. Since then they have expanded and opened a few new branches in the city as well as Westfield Doncaster and Chadstone. 

Pan-fried pork and garlic gyoza $4.80

As Gyoza Gyoza is a restaurant that specialises in Japanese gyoza, we had to try the pan-fried pork and garlic gyoza. The filling of the gyoza was quite fragrant with a nice texture, and the skin was the perfect thickness, which made the gyoza a tasty bite. I did however find that most of the gyoza only had a tiny bit off filling which was a little bit disappointing.

Soft shell crab mini burger $6.80

I was also slightly disappointed by the soft shell crab burger. The soft shell crab wasn't as crispy as I would expect and the other ingredients in the burger weren't quite balanced. 

I wont deny that Gyoza Gyoza definitely lives up to their name serving delicious gyoza, albeit with some serving size issues. The problem I found though was that although they are a gyoza specialty restaurant, their menu has a huge amount of different dishes ranging from the soft shell crab burgers we tried, to beef tatare and oysters. This problem inevitably leads to some dishes of low quality finding their way through, which is a problem many restaurants with large menus face.

Food Rating 7/10

Overall Rating 7/10

Mr Miyagi

99 Chapel Street, Windsor

For me, Mr Miyagi has long been one of those restaurants which has had mixed reviews. On one hand, they have many stellar online reviews which has put them on my list of restaurants to visit, while on the other hand, many of my friends and colleagues who have visited Mr Miyagi have been left with a sub-par experience. With such polarizing reviews I decided that I would need to visit and judge them for myself.

Edamame

Miyagi Fried Chicken

Although Mr Miyagi has a great range of Japanese inspired drinks and dishes, they are perhaps most well known for their Miyagi Fried Chicken. A long time ago I didn't really think too much of fried chicken, as although I love the dish, I felt that the creative liberty you can take with it is somewhat limited. However, as I discovered more and more establishments offering their own special variations I realised that it could be so much more. The fried chicken at Mr Miyagi was cooked so that it had a crispy coating with a juicy center, while the "MFC seasoning" added accentuation to the juicy chicken and the Kewpie mayo on the side tied it all together.

Now that I've visited Mr Miyagi for myself, I can honestly dismiss the doubts I had about them before. Their menu of both comfort food and beers, as well as their Japanese fusion dishes and cocktails is sure to have something for any occasion. Their staff were also lovely during the evening and one of the waitresses even chased us down the road as I had left my camera behind. Against the recommendation of my friends, I will definitely be visiting Mr Miyagi again!

Food Rating 8/10

Overall Rating 8.5/10

Okami Japanese

188 Moreland Road, Brunswick

Okami Japanese is one of the many Japanese buffets in Melbourne offering an all you can eat style dining experience. Although there are many other all you can eat style Japanese buffets, Okami is by far the largest of them, with 8 restaurants currently open around Melbourne.

Teriyaki beef

Sushi and sashimi platter

Chicken skewers

Beef carpaccio

The quality of the food at Okami Japanese is a lot higher than that of other Japanese buffets I have visited. I especially enjoyed the teriyaki beef which was tender and flavourful, as well as the beef carpaccio, which is a dish I order at almost every Japanese restaurant I visit. 

The one downside to Okami I found was that because their restaurant was so popular, the staff struggled to keep up with the orders of multiple tables. This made is so that the pace of the food coming out was incredibly inconsistent, as well as having orders getting forgotten or mixed up.

Even with the inconsistent service, I would still recommend giving Okami a try. Their quality of food, especially for an all you can eat buffet is quite high and for the price of $29.80, the meal is definitely a bargain. 

Food Rating 8/10

Overall Rating 7.5/10

Hakata Gensuke Chicken Ramen

200 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne

Although Hakata is generally known for their pork dishes and intensely flavoured pork based ramen, there are many people that cannot have pork in their diet. The Hakata Gensuke branch in Melbourne's QV is dedicated to only serving chicken based ramen, as well as replacing their popular pork gyoza with a chicken variant.

 Chicken gyoza $9

One of my favourite things about Hakata Gensuke is their gyoza and the chicken gyoza served at the QV branch of Hakata Gensuke is no exception.

 God fire tori $13

Signature tori ramen $12

The chicken based ramen served at Hakata Gensuke's QV branch is quite different from any of the ramen served at the other branches. Traditionally, the Hakata area of Japan's Fukuoka is known for their use of pork in their dishes. With the switch to chicken as a base instead of the pork used in the other branches, the flavour of the broth becomes much lighter. While I personally enjoy the deep flavour that the fat from the pork imparts on ramen, trying different types of bases is definitely something I recommend all ramen lovers.

Food Rating 7.5/10

Overall Rating 7.5/10

Spiral Beans

539 Plenty Road, Preston

Spiral Beans is the new iteration of what was previously known as Disco Beans. The collaboration between Disco Beans and Spiral Foods has created Spiral Beans, a restaurant serving health conscious, vegan friendly and gluten-free friendly whole foods with a Japanese twist.

Every part of Spiral Beans has a considerable amount of meaning or thought put behind it, from the local organic produce and food to the various design elements using Japanese inspired decor.

Spiral Beans

Clean and bright

Simple and elegant

5 elements plate

The 5 Elements plate uses many different methods of preparation and ingredients to provide a showcase of the 5 flavours; bitter, salty, sweet, sour and umami. The plate included pickled cucumber with ginger, beetroot with tofu, house made kimchi, potato, fried konnyaku balls and fish. Each element of the dish was thoughtfully created to present the range of elements, as well as the skills of the chef and although each separate element was created very well, the dish presented as a whole was on a completely different level.

Home made gyoza (vegan)

Tempura vegetables with grilled fish

Although the grilled fish in this dish was cooked well with a good flavour, it was definitely outshone by the tempura vegetables. Unlike many others I have tried before, the batter was only barely coating the vegetables. This allowed us to enjoy the full flavour of the vegetables, which was lovely in contrast to the huge amounts of heavy batter you might find elsewhere.  

Sashimi salad

When the sashimi salad arrived we were instantly amazed by the presentation of the dish. The beautiful presentation of sashimi reminded us of the colours of a spring garden and the clean flavours and textures only served to lift the dish up even further.

"Tuna" nigiri sushi

The nigiri sushi is a set of two different types of vegan and gluten free sushi. The marinated tomato topping was bursting with flavour, as tomatoes are naturally rich in glutamic acid, which is where the umami flavour comes from. This was a lovely contrast to the cucumber and ume nigiri, which had an amazing texture and slight acidity to it.

Kuzu pudding 

House made probiotic drink

I had come to Spiral Beans with some doubts in my mind, as the typical vegan restaurants I have visited before fell short in both their execution and the options they offered. I was however very pleasantly surprised, by not only the amazing range of dishes available, but also the immense amount of thought that went into creating both their individual dishes and an entire experience out of their offerings. I am definitely excited to visit again and would definitely recommend everybody give them a try, vegan or not.

We were invited and dined courtesy of Spiral Beans.

Food Rating 9/10

Overall Rating 9.5/10

Hakata Gensuke Hawthorn

4/860 Glenferrie Road, Hawthorn

As a person that loves ramen, I have tried Hakata Gensuke on multiple occasions. However, the Hakata Gensuke branch in Hawthorn offers the special aka tonkotsu, which incorporates the flavour of spicy cod roe in the soup, which I was very interested in trying.

Chicken karaage

Gyoza

The side dishes on offer were of the same high quality that you would find at any other Hakata Gensuke restaurant in Melbourne.

Original tonkotsu

Aka tonkotsu

I ordered the aka tonkotsu, which was a lot lighter in colour than I expected after seeing the photos and menu. Although it was quite light, the distinct flavour of the spicy cod roe shone through and was a dimension of flavour that I appreciated. Other than the flavour of the broth, the noodles were cooked exactly as I requested it.

I would definitely recommend going to the Hawthorn branch of Hakata Gensuke to try the aka tonkotsu ramen if you are a lover of ramen. The flavour profile is quite a bit different from any others I have had in Melbourne.

Food Rating 8/10

Overall Rating 8/10

Sushi Jiro

Shop 68, 1 Main Street, Box Hill Central, Box Hill

Not too long ago, one of Box Hill's few sushi train restaurants, Edoya Sushi Train closed its doors on Whitehorse Road. This left the newly opened Sushi Jiro as one of the only sushi trains left in Box Hill. Sushi Jiro does not only have a sushi train though, as the takeaway sushi on sale in their shopfront is a popular choice for commuters stopping off at Box Hill Train Station, as well as shoppers.

The quality of the sushi served on the sushi train has its ups and downs, and would best be described as average. While most of the dishes which contained raw ingredients were quite tasty, the cooked or seared nigiri was slightly lacking in flavour, which was a little bit of a disappointment. Apart from those things, the jellyfish salad and the surf clam did not taste quite as fresh as they could have been and there were no labels or names on the sushi train, so it was quite difficult to figure out what was what.

While Melbourne has quite a few popular sushi trains which I would rather go to before I went to Sushi Jiro again, it was definitely not bad. As the only sushi train in Box Hill though, you will have to decide whether you value your travel time more or a slight improvement in the quality of your food.

Food Rating 7/10

Overall Rating 6.5/10