There’s a new Japanese eatery in town right in the middle of the CBD and looks over Bourke Street called Yokocho which wants to take diners away from the hustle and bustle of the city and into the “alleyways” which Japanese hard-working citizens seek refuge in a quiet eatery. Yokocho is a little bit hidden away where you need to go up the escalators in the Mid City Arcade. Yokocho isn’t quiet at all and buzzing with noise so you’ll definitely hear it whilst going up the escalators. Going through the doors, you can walk straight through to the rooftop and boy, was it perfect weather for some cocktails.
Speaking of cocktails, we tried the Sakura Collins which is a gin based cocktail and boy was it refreshing! It was very summery and oh so sweet and it could definitely make bees cries! For those sweet tooths out there, I definitely recommend this cocktail.
Sakura Collins – $19
A beautiful platter of assorted sushi and sashimi came out and it looked so vibrant. With various nigiri, sushi rolls and sashimi, there’s a little bit for everyone. All very fresh and generous portions too.
Large Assorted Sushi & Sashimi – $58
Some yakitori came out and I only remembered to take a photo of one plate (oopsie daisies). The yakis were quite fragrant and charred (yummo!) and was oh so juicy. Baby A definitely enjoyed these.
Yaki Favourites (L) – $40
Thigh, thigh & leek x2, chicken crackling x2, pork belly x2, beef, leek, asparagus & bacon
Next up was the Mentaiko Udon which was udon with spicy cod roe. When it says spicy, these were absolutely spicy guys! Since it had roe, I found it way too fishy with a creamy texture. I wasn’t a huge fan of this dish.
Mentaiko Udon – $18
Udon with spicy cod roe
Another Udon came around and it was the yaki udon which had beef and veggies. This was oh so delish and I couldn’t stop eating these. It was a smokey flavour with the familiar hint of teriyaki in it.
Yaki Udon – $17
Stir fried udon with beef & veggies
My absolute favourite dish of the night was the yukke which was raw beef with egg yolk. Boy oh boy, you crack the yolk, stir it in the beef and BAM it was heaven in your mouth.
Yukke – $15
Seasoned raw beef with egg yolk
And then there was fried chicken. Baby A was so excited when this came out, however, it was a touch soft and needed a touch more seasoning. He was a bit disappointed with the chicken karaage.
Chicken Karaage – $13
Fried chicken with avocado & kimchi mayo (3pc)
Finally, the assorted tempura came out with fried soba with pink sugar (I think it was?) creating a sakura tree (how amazeball does that look?). The tempuras were lightly battered and didn’t feel too oily at all which was a good sign (I can’t do tempuras full of batter). You could still taste the veggies and the insides of the tempuras which is a bonus for me.
Assorted tempura – $32
Lightly battered prawns, fish & veggies served with a warm soy & daikon broth
Yokocho is definitely hip and happening with it’s location coupled with their drinks menu. Definitely try the Yukke, it is to die for and their Yaki Udon. The staff are super friendly so if you have any questions, just shout out.
Disclaimer: I was honoured to be invited to dine by Yokocho and all opinions expressed are my own.
101/200 Bourke St, Melbourne VIC 3000
Tel: (03) 9663 7790
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