Wabi Sabi Salon, Collingwood

94 Smith Street
Collingwood
Victoria
3066

Wabi Sabi Salon was well located for our Friday evening plans, we'd booked a table which turned out to have been a good move as it was pretty busy when we arrived at around 8pm

Inside the typical Smith St storefront the interior sloping 'roofs' provided a Japanese touch and a cosy feel. Out the back there was also a small courtyard area that was also busy with a group of diners.

On top of the standard menu, there were some specials:

We kicked off with our favourite Japanese entrée of Edamame which we managed to get through pretty quickly, despite the the need to prize the beans from their casings.

We both went with bento boxes. The Rockling karaage with chilli garlic vinegar sauce was a winner with the better half.

I had the Agedashi tofu and eggplant with shiitake and ankake sauce. There were plenty of silky textures and great flavours!

The service was good throughout. The bill came to around $80 including a few drinks, which seemed fair. We'd happily go back if we are in the area again.

Brim CC Japanese Organic Cafe

Shop 2, 601 Little Collins Street,
Melbourne
3000 Victoria

We ended up eating at Brim CC Japanese Organic Cafe by mistake. I was due to meet Brendan next door at Spicy Korean, but got confused seeing another friend waiting for his takeaway at Brim next door and ended up there instead. It was only once I was at the counter that Brendan pointed out we weren't in restaurant I'd suggested... by that time I'd already decided on what I wanted, so it was a bit late!

The signage for Brim CC is unusual in that the name less prominent than the description, although it is helpful to know that they prepare organic Japanese food! It was a warm spring day and the tables outside were in the direct sun so we stuck to the indoor tables.

There isn't a whole lot of space inside, with a large shared table, a few smaller ones. We got lucky and were able to grab one of these after ordering at the counter. The lunch menu is fairly short with a few more options available for dinner.

I went for the Tokyo style vegetable curry with rice for $9.50. Apparently their "organic VEGE stock adds natural SWEETNESS on this curry!" and they "proudly recommend this as one of the best choices of vegetarian food in Melbourne." The plate was loaded up with a good portion of curry and rice, the sauce was mildly flavoured, rich and comforting.

Brendan went for the beef curry and rice which cost a dollar more. He also enjoyed the sauce, but was less impressed by the meat content, but happy overall.

The service was basic but friendly and efficient. The quality of the flavours and healthy, hearty feel for the price was a winner in my eyes, and I'd happily head back for more.

Okami

84 Hopkins Street
Footscray
VIC 3011

Okami appeared in the place of 1+1 Dumpling Noodles a while back, so when I spotted a groupon deal for their all you can eat option, we decided the time had come to pay a visit. We booked for the 7:45 sitting on a Friday evening, the alternative being 5:30pm. On arrival a couple of minutes early there were people waiting inside and out in the cool winter air.

It took about five minutes for us to get seated once the doors were thrown open, and most of the tables were soon full. Inside the decor had changed in the new incarnation, with new lampshades, carpet and furniture. We picked a few dishes from the menu and ordered fairly quickly. We didn't have to wait too long until our dishes appeared.

The Edamame was first to arrive, the boiled soy beans with tehir sprinkle of salt were fine, without being the best we'd ever tried.

The prawn gyoza had a tasty filling, but the skins were tough rather crunchy on the base.

The Seafood Tempura featured prawns and veggies in the eponymous batter. The coating was light and crunchy without any greasiness, and the content all nicely cooked.  

The sashimi was the most impressive looking of the dishes we chose and he fish and seafood was fresh.

After polishing off the first 4 plates we tried to order more dishes, but it took quite a while to get the attention of a waitress. We then faced another lengthly wait before any more dishes appeared. The Agedashi Tofu of crisply fried served with fish broth and bonito flakes, delivered a crisp exterior with around the soft tofu inside. We also had some more gyoza and sushi which I didn't manage to snap. We ended up leaving before the final tempura arrived as there seemed to be some confusion after further delay, and we'd been there for nearly an hour and a half.

The normal price for the all you can eat menu is $29.80, our groupon was $55.50 for two with a small flask of Saki. Given the deal, the meal was reasonably good value, but the slow service probably due to how busy it was frustrating. I'd think about going back on a week night if it was looking quieter, but wouldn't be keen to tackle it on a busy night, or if we did would make sure the first order was big enough to avoid the need to have to put through a second. I'd be interested to hear if anyone else has been on busy or quieter nights!

Fukuyru Ramen

1/22-26 Corrs Lane
Melbourne
VIC 3000

Merry suggested Fukuyru Ramen  as a lunch venue, and although I had passed by its location right at the top of Corrs lane, I hadn't eaten there and was happy to give it a try.

Once inside the doorway you head straight up a flight of stairs to a surprisingly light and airy space, just one floor up, I guess the white walls and big lights help!

After a few moments staring at the large menu on the wall behind the counter we both ordered. 

I went for the Winter shio ramen featuring chicken and fish broth, Japanese fishcakes and braised raddish, along with the seaweed and egg. It was a satisfying combination of flavours with lots going on!

Merry's bowl chicken broth and ramen arrived first up...

...followed a little later by the panko-crumbed chicken breast, which looked great.

Both bowls came in around the $12 mark. The service was a little slow given it was fairly quiet, and the chicken took even longer... If you aren't in a masive hurry, it is worth heading up Corrs Lane to seek out Fukuyru Ramen.

Sushi Teri, Goleta

5746 Calle Real

Goleta

CA 93117

After watching the sunset at Goleta beach and jetty, we ended up at Sushi Teri for dinner. The restaurant featured an open kitchen and plenty of wood in the fit out. We found ourselves a booth and checked out the extensive menu before picking out some dishes to share.

The casings of the Gyoza were crisp with a hot and tasty filling.

The next plate to arrive featured one of the more interestingly named sushi offerings in the "Girls Night Out" rolls of albacore, cucumber and avocado topped with spicy tuna.

The descriptively named Shrimp sushi featured the crustacean, avocado and cucumber.

The Hobe rolls  contained yellow-tail, imitation crab, jalapeño and cucumber topped with salmon, shrimp and avocado.

The Surf’s Up rolls were very different to any other sushi I'd seen before, with a mix of tempura shrimp, crab, avocado, cucumber, egg and scallop topped with the chef’s sauce.

The California rolls were much more familiar, with their imitation crab, avocado and cucumber.

The service was friendly though out and the waitress helped us order. The bill with a shared large beer came to $75 including the tip. SushiTeri certainly took me out of my Sushi comfort zone... in a good way!

Umaizushi Bistro, Honolulu

Honolulu Airport
300 Rodgers Boulevard
Honolulu
HI 96819

Generally we find eating at airports to be a disappointing, soulless and overpriced experience. At Honolulu airport we ended up in Umaizushi which surprised us in a positive way.

I had the shitake soba which featured good noodles and mushrooms in a tasty broth.

The crunchy california rolls tasted as good at they looked.

The atmosphere wasn't spectacular, but the service was friendly, swift and helpful and the bill came to $30 with a drink.

Hawaiiana Cafe, Waikiki

260 Beach Walk
Waikiki, Honolulu
HI 96815


Before viewing the fourth of July fireworks we wandered for a while before finding the Hawaiana Café tucked in between some more imposing establishments.

Inside it was small with quite a few Japanese and Hawaiian touches.

After ordering we discovered it was a byo joint so a quick trip to the 7/11 was needed, which fortunately had kirin 6 packs on special.

We shared some Aha sushi which, the rolls of tuna like fish were great.

I had the veggie don buri which was fine...

...but the shrimp tempura was the winner.

The meal came to $30 without drinks, which seemed like a bargain in that part of town.

Ikkoryu Fukuoka Ramen

27 Russell Street
Melbourne
VIC 3000

We were invited to the soft launch of Ikkoryu Fukuoka Ramen which will be opening soon downstairs near the corner of Russell Street and Flinders Lane. On our arrival at the foot of the stairs, we were welcomed with shouts from all the staff, before being given a menu and shown to a table.

One side of the space is dominated by an impressive bar.

Along another side of the space is the open kitchen. There were a few other diners in when we arrived, and more of the 200 expected guests arrived as we were there.

The menu has smaller Izakaya dishes as well as the customisable noodle soup, plus some advice on how to enjoy ones bowl! It took us a few minutes to work through the options before placing our orders.

We were presented with some yakimeshi or Japanese fried rice while we waited, which was a nice mini entrée.

A tray of drinks headed our way and we both went for the Saké and apple juice which was refreshing with just a little kick. 

We were also served a gyoza to try, mine had lovely crisp charred base with a tasty pork filling.

When our turn came we were invited to move up to the bench directly in front of the kitchen, with only the glass separating us from the preparation of the food.

There were a couple of sesame dispensing devices, the oil bottle had a fancy self opening and closing lid, whilst the seed grinder took a bit more working out, but with the cover off and turned upside down, a few turns produced a pungent cascade of crushed seeds.

 The spicy Tobabjan Tonkotsu had yellowy orange colour almost heading into laksa like territory, and had hints of similar flavour according to the better half. It went down well along with the bonus noodles, turning it into a substantial meal.

I opted for the green Yuzu Tonkotsu, flavoured with yuzukosyu spices from the Kyushu region of Japan. I enjoyed the rich combination of flavours and textures with each component having been prepared perfectly. Again with the extra ramen it really filled me up in a satisfying manner.

With our meal complete we didn't loiter, especially with the number of guests expected. Although we were warmly welcomed and treated well, there was still a touch of first night nerves around. The food however spoke for itself and the ramen was some of the best I've had, and it's definitely worth a try.