Eat Like Ushi

After Dimmi arrived on the scene in an attempt to unify some restaurant bookings, I've been lucky enough to use 2 of their $50 vouchers. The first was at Soju Girl in Canberra and the second at Akachochin. There's only a few decent restaurants in each city that accept it and in Melbourne the pick to me seems to be this, Woodland House, The Roving Marrow, Circa and Newmarket Hotel.

After visiting Japan so many times in the past (and eventually just buying my own sashimi to cut at home from fishmongers), it has been a long time since I ate out at a non-Japan place for sushi/sashimi. There is the exception of one sushi train in Canberra on a whim, but otherwise the quality and price at restaurants doesn't seem worth it sometimes.

Nonetheless since my last Japan trip was early 2012, the sashimi cravings hit and so the booking to Akachochin was made. I haven't spent a lot of time (first real visit and second at all) along South Wharf so it was quite nice to explore somewhere new for me. It's a quiet area (on a Wednesday night) and I wonder if it exceeds to failed expectations of the Docklands as a nightlife area. I hope so.

Akachochin is misrepresented on Google Maps but it didn't take long to find. The outdoor covered area overlooking the moonlight and water is very pleasant and the overhead heaters look primed and ready to allow this during winter.

The mocktail of hot green tea with honey yuzu was a nice warming blend, heavy on the yuzu (which is good) and light on the tea.

- Hiramasa Namerou (signature Kingfish tartare with wasabi stem & moromi miso & served with rice crackers) $16 - thin crackers to place little chunks of fish flavoured with miso;
- Sashimi Moriawase $33 - 9 pieces of sashimi (3 salmon, 2 tuna, 2 kingfish, 2 snapper) served with crumbly and tempestuous wasabi and your choice on the table of tamari or standard soy. Overall I felt a bit disappointed by the price and expected perhaps toro (if lucky), more distinctive flavoured kingfish and crunchier textured snapper;
- Special of Calamari Tempura $15 - good quality seafood and tempura that had no salt in the batter. Dipping it in the dashi and then sweeping it along the salt crystals scattered around the plate made it delicious;
- Zucchini Mustard Yaki (deep-fried chunks of zucchini with seeded mustard & saikyo miso gratin) $12 - nice charred vegetable with a very strong mustard flavour with seeds for texture. The gratin looked like cheese but tasted/textured more like mayo;
- Akachochin Gourmet Chawan Mushi (steamed egg custard studded with prawn, scallops, fish, chicken, ginko nuts & kikuna) $22 - perhaps the word studded gave me visions of lots of ingredients, but there was only 1 of each. It is a largish bowl, the flavour is nice and texture is softer than the firmer versions I'm used to.

Overall the flavours of the dishes were good. I think the moriawase wasn't great value and I'd stick to their other specialties (which take more cooking/preparation). I do think I need to revisit the fish market and recreate my own chirashi.

When did Brunetti become so insanely busy? My last experience (several years ago admittedly) was around the corner off Lygon Street. Now it occupies a huge space in the Nova building and spilling out onto the street.

The cakes and desserts are all upon entry - this means the arduous task of navigating through the horde to pick a number ticket, then stand around trying to look at the casings before ordering eventually. They do ask you not to take a ticket until you know what to order, but on a busy day you'll have time to look.

I had the pistachio biscotti (lovely icecream and nuts with an average crumb) and a new light dessert essentially made from pear.

Further down the way is a pasta section, a coffee section, a bakery (which I bought a really excellent seeded rye loaf $6) and a pizza station.

Across the road happens to be Pidapipo gelato as an alternative more orderly queue.

For my mother's birthday I wanted to pick something a cuisine she wouldn't usually go for. In fact the last time I took her to something similar was the incredible Pitt Cue Co in London (http://eatlikeushi.posthaven.com/pitt-cue-co-london-08-2012-12-2012). Fast forward 3.5 years later and it was a good time to take her for more American-style BBQ. I read that there was live music that evening and I did have some reservations of loud music and the inability to hear each other. This was confirmed walking through the front door but abated when heading through to the more dedicated dining section at the back.

Unfortunately it seems the BBQ jackfruit on the online menu was not available anymore (or seasonal - that may mean they use fresh rather than canned fruit which is great?) so had to make do without it.

- Trio dips $10 - lovely tortilla chips with a tangy spicy salsa fresca, plain unadulterated guacamole & thick cheesy cerveza con queso;
- Texas Fries (chopped jalapenos, melted cheese, spring onion, chipotle aioli, pit chilli beans) $16 - heavy seasoned but delicious combination of fries and chilli. I'd usually expect some beef mince but this was fine without it;
- Southern Fish Stew (crispy skin barramundi, tiger prawns, local pipis & potatoes) $30 - a slightly lighter dish of excellent fish and a few seafood and other garnishes in nice thick sauce/broth;
- Sunday Roast (beer brine roast poussin, celeriac puree, braised Brussel sprouts, heritage carrots, Americana popover) $25 - a tender bird with some very fine caramelised Brussel sprouts. The popover (assuming that is the equivalent of an English Yorkshire pudding) was quite disappointing though being chewy and not that useful other than a vessel for some sauces;
- BBQ Beef Brisket $20 - exceptionally tender meat which went well alone or with the chilli sauce;
- BBQ Lamb Ribs $15 - the meat was good however the thick slabs of fat surrounding it meant picking for morsels;
- BBQ sides - chipotle coleslaw $4 (standard), German-style potato salad $4 (a bit plain), smoked mac & cheese with bacon crumb $5 (nice and slightly heavy).

Unfortunately the pulled lamb was sold out that evening, but I'd select that over the lamb ribs next time. I'm interested to try the pork ribs too as I think The Gem would handle them very well. Otherwise anything else they serve I'll be happy to eat.

Upon leaving the live band had started kicking off and some swing dancing was happening. A lovely scene.

In an area I'm not used to visiting, this electric coloured building and decor serves delicious Vietnamese food. The price point is a bit high (perhaps reflective of the location off Chapel Street) but I had no issues with the flavours. At 630pm on Tuesday the place had lots of spare tables and a smattering filled up closer toward 730-8.

The lemongrass and ginger hot tea served on arrival was refreshing, cleansing and healing.
Roll your own BBQ pork (thit nuong) served with peanut sauce ($4 per roll) was a bit small but tasted good.
Pomelo salad was sensational with some prawns and nuoc mam.
Rockling with dill and caramelised pork belly were also fine dishes (rockling with dill seemed more unique for Vietnamese cuisine to me).
Special of Eggplant claypot had nice flavour with a tangy sauce.

All dishes we had were served with some kind of carbohydrate (rice, rice paper, noodles) and some salad with herbs and dipping/pouring sauce.

Paid $45 for food (+ tea) which seemed very reasonable overall.
No photos this time.

I've only heard of Maidstone previously when I met a girl who lived there. This was all the way back in 1998 and the only reasons I remember this (and her name) is because she was exceptionally cute and we happened to be in the same Chemistry class at The School for Excellence. Sadly that was the only time I saw her but life moves on 18 years later.

With great enthusiasm I found myself heading to this mysterious suburb in search of a South American restaurant. It's located on a small strip of shops and there is nothing else there to go for (in the evenings at least). The hosts are from El Salvador (I think I recall) and the food seems to represent the Central and South American continent. The mural photos on the walls are particularly interesting to look at and make a trip to South America the highest travel priority (as it has been for a few years).

My favourite a Latin drink in horchata started things off. After trying it first in the Mission districts of San Francisco (http://eatlikeushi.posthaven.com/poc-chuc-san-francisco-10-2011) and then the mothership of Valencia (http://eatlikeushi.posthaven.com/horchateria-de-santa-catalina-valencia-10-2013). I imagine this one was made with rice milk and cinnamon (although I've read El Salvador use morro seeds, whatever they are) and less likely the tigernuts that I saw in Valencia. In any case the drink is nice, refreshing and not syrupy at all. There is a bit of textural grit to it (which I don't mind) suggesting perhaps it is ground seeds? The guava smoothie was also very nice and seemed freshly made also and not poured from some bottle. It wasn't overly sweet either which is always good.

- Platanos Fritos (madura plantains served with refried beans & sour cream) $8.5 - London introduced me to fried plantains at the Saturday Upmarket in Shoreditch and since then I've wanted them every opportunity I get. Although quite expensive for the amount of actual plantain, they were delicious and sweet. The beans and sour cream are unnecessary in my mind and just detract from the main star;
- Parrillada Pa'Dos (sizzling plate of asado beef with chicken ribs, spanish chorizo, prawns, quail & vegetables served with chimichurri salad) $40 - a big plate of meat which could've used extra chimichurri given the volume. In order of favourites, the beef asado was an exceptional cut of 2 beef shortribs, tender, flavoured and outstanding. The chicken wings were similarly nicely seasoned and grilled. The prawns, quail and two little chorizos were all ok but not nearly as memorable as the other two (particularly the rib).

I got a $2 side of tortillas which made it more fun to eat the meat in a wrapped form.

There's a few dishes that sound good for next time. I'd probably lean towards a main with the beef shortribs (if available, the Guanacos Carne Asada seems closest but not the same) or the chicken (porcion de pollo).

There aren't many places who serve "modern Malaysian" cuisine, but Blue Chillies has been doing it for years. I stumbled across here with my parents probably around 2001 with my last meal there somewhere between 2007-2009. Although the years have gone by and the owners have changed hands (the floor and management staff may be the same), I still fondly remember the duck in this beautiful sweet and tangy sauce. If Longrain's deep fried pork hock in soy caramel sauce has an equal, this could be it.

With great anticipation I ended up back here on a quiet evening. Lo and behold the duck still exists and lots of other dishes sound fantastic too.

- Black Pepper Soft Shell Crab (with ground peppercorn sauce and aromatic curry leaves) $15 - a reasonable starter although the sauce had a better flavour than the intrinsic crab flavour (both a good sauce and an underpowered crab);
- Pork Ribs (wok roasted and caramelised with chilli jam) $36 - the ribs were huge for pork but the meat texture was quite firm and chewy and the sauce not deep and caramel enough. An expensive dish and one I don't think I'd get again;
- Salt & Pepper Okra (coated in a light rice flour batter and wok swirled with garlic, chilli and spices) $19 - the vegetable dish was made more palatable by frying into a soft slightly crisp batter. The seasoning was nice overall but I could've used a touch more salt and chilli in it;
- Thrice Cooked Duck (served in a sauce of wild ginger flower, lemongrass, chilli and lime juice) $30 - the final dish brought out was as dreamy as I remember. I'm not sure what thrice ways the duck is cooked, but I'd guess steamed, roasted then fried. The combination of textures with excellent duck flavour and then the incredible sauce to top it off makes it wonderful. Nothing has changed in years and for this dish nothing needs to.

Next time I would order the thrice cooked duck every single time. I'd complement it with duck rendang (if not considered duck overload), or a fish dish (barramundi or crispy fried snapper) and try the spicy eggplant as the vegetable option.

My bao journey continues. From Momofuku to Yum Bun then throughout London, Europe, Bali and back in Canberra and Melbourne. Wonderbao (http://eatlikeushi.posthaven.com/wonderbao-melbourne-10-2012) has been the posterchild for bao in Melbourne and with its benefits and limitations, some new contenders is always welcome.

For some reason the place is only open Sunday-Wednesday. I'm not sure the rationale behind this but I would've thought since it's located in a bar that Thurs-Sat would be more prime but perhaps everyone goes to the city and not Footscray on those days.

Pork belly is the mainstay for bao but these guys do it differently. Instead of the usual hoisin, sriracha and spring onion, there's seems pulled and tastes strongly of soy-heavy masterstock. The beef brisket could be more tender and had a touch of Chinese medicinal flavour to it - luckily the chimichong sauce (whatever that is) brings an excellent tangy fresh element to it and nearly makes that dish.

I've been told the fish (in particular) and the chicken are the best ones so I'll have to try those next time. My favourites have always been the standard pork belly followed by duck (forget about soft shell crab) so I was a bit disappointed that these standards aren't there (but maybe that's to avoid the label of simply copying others).

The bread itself is lovely, big and soft and no complaints there. The bottom is much much hotter than the top (whatever that means).

I was in the mood for a nice souvlaki or doner kebab. The memories of Yarralumla Pide House were lingering and making me salivate. I was working night shift so needed something relatively quick. A search of Footscray came across an extraordinarily highly rated Footscray's Best Kebab House (no fooling you in the name) but I didn't have the time to walk. Instead I found a South Melbourne store that was semi enroute with a drive.

Turkish Kebabs (aka Kebabs on Clarendon) was well rated and even on a Friday night the streets were quiet and parking was exceptionally easy.

For some reason I succumbed into ordering the iskender, which had some nice chicken and lamb from the spit, very good pieces of Turkish bread underneath, and topped with yoghurt and tomato sauce (my preference is for garlic/tzatziki and chilli). It took about 20mins to make (which they informed me at the start) and I thought for the price of $17.5 it came with salad and dips and things but unfortunately it didn't classify as a meal, so got a $4.5 of tabbouleh on the side. It was ok, full of parsley, but seemed to lack a bit of zing and zip.

For $22 it was a solid meal but just seemed too highly priced. I think I would've enjoyed a standard $10 doner in Turkish bread with long strands of meat mixed with garlic and chilli sauce.

During the Melbourne Food & Wine Festival this year there was a dedicated event to icecream. Messina and others represented the local market and the international act was Big Gay Ice Cream from NYC. Other than the attention grabbing name, the high regard (and cookbook) made it an attractive deal.

The signature dish from these guys during the MFWF was the Tim Tam Slam. Although they only setup shop for a few days, the Tim Tam Slam was still available to order freshly made on any day.

I did go on one of the non-official days and delightfully ordered this special. What I received was a pretty disappointing result. The icecream felt topped or mixed with cream and really didn't have much in the way of vanilla flavour let alone any visible beans. The standard Australian Tim Tam had been crushed underneath and plunked on top to make it special. Seriously if this is the best the USA can do in terms of icecream or gelato, there is a long way to go.

You can argue a few things here - they didn't serve it themselves (who knows how it was bastardised and ruined in their absence), the soft serve is different texturally to icecream and so I'm critiquing a different product here (yes soft serve is what 20 years ago McDonald's used to do for 30c and most of us have matured from that flavour, mush texture and price point). But if you're going to give your brandname and reputation to a product, it should be good. And sadly this was really ordinary.

(I know this isn't strictly a NYC branch issue but again, see last point.)

For comparisons, my last few years included: 
http://eatlikeushi.posthaven.com/gelato-trail-italy-07-2012, 
http://eatlikeushi.posthaven.com/dooleys-the-ice-cream-tub-apollo-bay-02-2016, 
http://eatlikeushi.posthaven.com/bibelot-melbourne-03-2016, 
http://eatlikeushi.posthaven.com/pel-gelato-and-sorbetto-hobart-01-2016, 
http://eatlikeushi.posthaven.com/frugii-dessert-laboratory-canberra-12-2015, 
http://eatlikeushi.posthaven.com/cow-and-moon-sydney-05-2015, 
http://eatlikeushi.posthaven.com/gelato-secrets-ubud-12-2014, 
http://eatlikeushi.posthaven.com/amorino-gelato-lisbon-10-2013, 
http://eatlikeushi.posthaven.com/gelataria-sincelo-porto-10-2013.

Allow me to describe just how excited I was to read about Tahina Bar for my upcoming visit to Northcote. It isn't an area I frequent often at all and choosing between here and Wild Yak Tibetan was easier than I thought.

Israeli cooking - there's only one name that comes to find for that which is Yotam Ottolenghi. For some reason the "foodies" and vegetarians I know in Melbourne have never heard of him. It's time to educate yourselves. Owning his cookbooks (Ottolenghi, Plenty, Plenty More, Jerusalem and Nopi), watching his mediterranean feast TV show and going to his restaurants (http://eatlikeushi.posthaven.com/ottolenghi-london-10-2013) makes me a bit of a fan.

I had read about Tahina's Israeli roots and excellent falafels. My second interest in Middle Eastern cuisine stemming from the incredible fresh hot falafels crushed in pita for 50cents in Jordan, to the discovery of a restaurant which spawned my favourite outdoor eatery in London (http://eatlikeushi.posthaven.com/yalla-yalla-london-02-2013-03-2013-05-2013-10-2013) and then to trying to find a replacement in Canberra (http://eatlikeushi.posthaven.com/habibiz-canberra-09-2015).

Tahina Bar seems like a takeaway place that happens to have bar seating and a few outdoor tables. There's two main specials - shakshuka and falafel. They serve a variety of these too which keeps things interesting as well as some other dishes and hipster smoothies (I'm not sure if there's an Israeli connection or just appeal for the local market).

- Red Shakshuka (poached eggs in tomatoes, herbs & spices with Israeli salad, spicy green salad, pickled cabbage, hummus, tahini & pita bread) $15 - savoury tomato base like sugo which was good but I didn't feel went well with pita. Maybe it's all the baked egg dishes (eg. cazuela) with sourdough that I'm used to;
- Falafel Salad (3 green parsley, coriander & mint + 3 red pepper & chilli falafels, with hummus, Israeli salad, spicy green salad, pickled cabbage, tahini, parsley & za'atar spice) $14.5 - I preferred the mild spice & chilli of the red falafels more than the green. The soft creamy falafel textures crushed well into the pita although I prefer the outsides much thicker and crispier which adds a huge textural contrast. Nonetheless this dish was delicious and the pita sandwiches were fantastic.

I ordered the $2 extra for pita and hummus with the falafel salad. I wonder if that stacked with the pita & hummus that comes with the shakshuka or if I paid extra for nothing. In any case the 4 pitas was enough for 2 people and 2 mains but it would be good to know.

Chocolate Wendy's Frosty (banana, cacao, cacao nibs, maple syrup, Himalayan sea salt, coconut milk, ice) $10 was a beautiful thick drink of dark chocolate. I'd happily have this again but the Monte Carlo and Purple Protein Boost also sound enticing.