Food adventures in Melbourne and wherever the tummy goes
Shujinko has made a name for themselves and has been popping up new stores here and there. In St Collins Lane, Shujinko Express opened up and they don’t have the whole menu because, well, it’s an express venue. There are a few seats inside and out and I can imagine that it would get full at lunch throughout the week. Now, back to Shujinko, choose your dish out front, pay and grab a seat whilst the staff brings your food over to your table.
On the long stretch of Burwood Highway sits a Teppanyaki restaurant that doesn’t catch your attention unless you’re actively looking for it. There’s plenty of parking in front and behind the restaurant, so that’s one less thing you have to worry about. Walking in you’re greeted with friendly staff, laughter and loud noise. If you walked in wanting a quiet night, you’re in for a big surprise.
DIY hotpot is picking up speed in Melbourne and every corner you turn, there seem to be more DIY hotpot popping up. David’s have their sichuann hotpot restaurant and have opened up DIY hotpots. What do I mean by DIY hotpots? Pull up a seat, sit down and let me show you a whole new world. David’s Spicy Pot does get busy so if you plan on dropping by in peak hour, be prepared to wait. We decided to have an early dinner and there were plenty of seats available.
Japanese cuisine is one of Mr D’s and my favourite food and when there’s a place close to home, we couldn’t say no. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to try the teppanyaki side this time but the a la carte side was quite cosy. The staff were efficient, quick yet very friendly.
Shonan Kamakura, a little Japanese eatery hidden away in Katherine Place away from the bustling main street. It’s small (yep, whatever you see through the window is what you get) but don’t let the size fool you. The service is efficient, friendly and very attentive. It doesn’t matter how small or big your group is, you’ll get the same service. Walking in you’ll be greeted by the bar (who doesn’t enjoy a good drink by the bar) and a mural of Mount Fuji on the side at the back.
Chez Olivier is a place which has been on my list and when I finally found an opportunity to go, I seized it and booked it without Mr D knowing (my bad!). Located in South Yarra on the busy road of Toorak road, there’s quite a lot of foot traffic and if you’re driving there’s free side parking if you can nab a spot.
There’s a new bad boy in town and they’re a little bit fancy and oh so authentic. Newly opened, The Wanderer Thai Bar and Kitchen has a very welcoming vibe with a fully stocked bar. It could be for a first date (or 5th or 6th date), catch up with friends after work drinkies, it could be basically for anything and you know that this is the place to be.
Mr Burberry, of course, was still celebrating his 30th months after he actually turned 30 but we weren’t really complaining. He picked Imbue in Maribrynong since it was local for the girlies and I would be at the parentals that night. It does get quite busy so make sure you make a booking (we missed out last time). There are few parking spots in the carpark but they do get full real quick so your best bet is to park in Aldi’s carpark. Now back to the venue, it’s dim, it’s comfy and it looks a touch fancy. The staff are really friendly and treats every customer that walks in like they’re a long time friend.
We were craving some Vietnamese food and whilst in the city we remembered twenty pho seven. However, when we got there, it has now changed to Straight Outta Saigon and is no longer 24hours BUT they were the same owners AND the menu has tweaked a bit. We thought to ourselves, well why not check it out and luckily we got a table immediately on a school night.
Dinner with Miss Pandan and it was her turn to choose and of course it was Japanese, more specifically, sushi train. We went to her favourite sushi train place, Sakura Kaiten Sushi on Collin Street and yes, there is a second one but Miss Train was adamant that we only go to the original one. She also warned me that it’ll be super busy so we got there just before it opened and there were already people waiting outside. Once the doors opened, we were all seated and the train started moving.