Pabu Grill and Sake is a Japanese eatery that has been opened for 4 years and located in the heart of busy Fitzroy. The owner also influences the menu and regularly travels back to Japan for inspiration (dedication right there!). Pabu has released a new menu and I decided to take Miss Stooge 1 along since Miss Stooge 2 is away in Japan and this was the closest thing we’ll get to Japan. Inside the eatery, it was quite dark and mysterious feeling and I quite liked it. Little nibbles came out – edamame and renkon chippies. The chippies were really crispy and the sauce, wowzer, it was spicy!

Renkon Chippies & Edamame

Whilst waiting for the food to come out (Hurry!!!) we ordered some drinkies to quiet ourselves down. Miss Stooge got the Miss Miyagi which had a hint of honey and elderflower. I got the Oriental wave because I LOVE lychees!! If you love your lychees, get this because it’s lychee-fied!

Mr Miyagi & Oriental Wave

I also got the passion fruit freshca and it was super refreshing! Plus, if you don’t want any alcoholic beverages, there’s mocktails (just like this!).

Passion Fruit Fescha

First up, the gyu tataki which was seared porterhouse with citrus soy sauce. This was pretty average I found. I loved the sauce, very zingy and fresh.

Gyu Tataki

The fish tartare includes the salmon, tuna and kingfish. There was a hint of wasabi mayo (not too strong), lemon zest and mountain caviar but even with the ingredients, it was a tad bland and disappointing.

Fish Tartare

When the nasu dengaku came out, I realised it was a baked and grilled eggplant. Personally, I’ve never picked anything on a menu with eggplant because…it’s eggplant. THIS. WAS. AMAZEBALL! I wish I found this dish earlier because it was FANTABULOUS!!!

Nasu Dengaku

Little Ebi Capsicum came out which were tempura style tiger prawns with spicy mayo and sesame onions and sauteed onions. These were little balls of fried goodness and I’m not a fan of fried anything. Everything blended together really nicely and I was a little bit sad that I only got to have one piece (damn the whole sharing is caring!).

Ebi Capsicum

The Sumiyaki set came out which entails chicken yakitori and scallop wrapped in bacon! The chicken came out and they were quite juicy and bursting with flavour. The scallops wrapped in bacon were delish and quite salty. Maybe they need something to balance the bacon.

Chicken Yakitori

Scallops Wrapped in Bacon

Of course there was going to be wagyu and it was the Robinson Island Wagyu 7+ Marble with sea urchin and wasabi butter. This was tender and soft but it didn’t have a lot of flavour. I’m not a fan of anything pickled but Miss Stooge enjoyed the pickled radish.

Robinson Island Wagyu 7+ Marble

The next dish is my absolute favourite. It was cod misoyaki which was black cod with sweet miso, mirin and sake. This fish was cooked perfectly and when you have it, it just melts in your mouth (drools intensifies).

Cod Misoyaki

It was dessert time and lucky for all of us, we all got the dessert platter which consists of three desserts: Green tea creme brulee (GREEN TEA!!!), flourless chocolate cake and creme caramel.

The green tea creme brulee was the favourite on the table. The green tea wasn’t super strong but the creme brulee was very smooth. The ice-cream was the cherry on the top!

Green Tea Creme Brulee

I didn’t really enjoy the flourless cake (why is it flourless for??). I found it to be quite dry but the sesame ice-cream was quite sesame-y so be prepared.

Flourless Chocolate Cake

The last dessert of the night and again, not a big fan of the creme caramel. There wasn’t a huge caramel taste and it was quite solid and not as jiggly.

Creme Caramel

Pabu has some great dishes on offer – the black cod, the ebi capsicum and the green tea and other dishes were pretty average. The staff are super friendly, service was AWESOME and the vibe, very welcoming and casual which represents Pabu (pub in Japanese) where you can bond over some sake or food! If you’re in the area and craving anything green tea or a black cod, drop by here to satisfy your cravings.

Disclaimer: I was invited to dine by Pabu Grill & Sake and all opinions expressed are my own.

190 Smith Street, Collingwood, VIC 3066
Tel: (03) 8592 6971
Website / Facebook / Instagram