Anyone who knows me would tell you that I am C.R.A.Z.Y. about Japanese. To me, sushi sushi is not Japanese, it is a healthier choice for lunch take away... (and try to cut half of the rice out in a roll). I have a handful of restaurants that deemed to be true Japanese in my mind and frequented them on a regular basis. One trend I am seeing since last year is the rise or Izakaya @ Melbourne. I cannot stop prising Izakaya enough, basically they are essentially bistros with small sharing plates and a lot of different alcohol which cater for people to have a good drink and bite after work. They are often opened til very late and the whole atmosphere is usually buzzing. An asian version of Tapas bar I suppose. I love alcohol and I am all for having as many different dishes as possible. Sometimes I wish I can order 3 entrees instead of my proper entree, main & dessert.
The Izakayas in Melbourne are not all quite the same but they all have their own charm. I supposed I would be over the moon if more of these are open later but I am happy enough. One of the most popular one would be Izakaya Den.
Izakaya Den
http://www.izakayaden.com.au/
114 Russell St
Melbourne Victoria 3000
(03) 9654 2977 
(They don't take booking unless it is more than 5 people at nights)
This place has been on my radar since it was first opened however I wasn't very interested after my not-so-impressed 2nd & 3rd visit to Verge. Until I start seeing rave reviews all over the blogs. And when I finally gave it a try, I cannot believe I did not bother to do this earlier. Now they have won The Best New Restaurant of the year, It would probably be Impossible to get seats.... I would still wait actually...
First visit:
(their super famous Spicy Tuna tataki, garlic & soy: this dish is mind-blowing, the tuna literially melt in your mouth and the sauce are super tasty. I wish I could have this dish myself)
(Another famous dish which they also featured at their pop-up store during Taste of Melb2010, sweet corn "kaki-age with wasabi salt. It is amazing something so simple yet taste so wonderful, the corn flavour really comes out in this dish. )
(Kingfish sashimi with Asian style dressing, this dish reminds me of the cured fish from Bar Lourinha but with different dressing, the fish was fatty but not as good as tuna tataki. It was a very refreshing dish)
(it was the special of the night, Char grilled chicken ribs with nori and wasabi, the wasabi gives the dish a big kick, however not super special)
(Baked fish and ginger miso: I forgot what fish it was but this is a heart warming dish and full of Japanese flavour. There were shitake mushroom at the bottom soaking all the fish juices yummi!!)
I think we also had the miso soup with pipi which were very flavoursome but I forgot to take photos. We were drinking heaps as well because my dining companion and myself love alcohol very much. (This should be an unspoken rule for my blog)
I was so over-the-top happily surprised by how yummy these dishes are, I dragged my friend back for another visit a week later...
(Special on the projector screens interchanged with cartoon characters and all, very interesting and specials seem to change often as 80% of them were different than my last visit merely 1 week ago)
(had the sashimi again because my friend loves kingfish but I prob will give it a miss next time because there are way too many others I would like to try)
(the cute cup for water and they use this cutest glass bottles for sake, they carry pretty nice sake& sochu)
(have to order this again, actually we ordered 2 servings because they are so nice!)
(yum yum, another must order for me)
(Ox Tongue spring onions: very tasty, I love ox tongues! their cut is slight thicker which create great textures and very juicy)
(Deed Fried chicken, I don't know why this was ordered because I should saved my tummy space for other stuff!! pretty juicy though)
(Sakate coated prawns with citrus mayo, both my friend and I love Prawns as fat as these prawns appear, they lack prawny taste which we concluded were because of the missing heads. One of my pleasure in eating Jap is eating deep fried prawn heads, which are actually quite common. I have a feeling the staff probably have the prawn heads themselves because look at the size of these prawns! their heads would be mega yummy!!)
(Jumbo quail with sansho peper, slightly dry for my liking and way too full by then. )
(Fuji Apple Millefeuille: It is hard to imagine after having all those above dishes plus 3 drinks each, we still charging for he dessert menu. People around us and the staff probably thought we are monsters.... lols. This dessert is not just amazing, it is 'epic'. I would not try this at home because it can only be created in Izakaya Den, everything is perfection from the air-dried apple slices to the citrusy sorbet and sweet linger honey, we were in heaven! to die for, I don't know what to say. I love Izakaya Den!!)
(Houjicha Ice-cream: very creamy and tasted a bit of the tea. I think this is what houjicha is for? very special but my mind is trying to grasp the reality after flying in heaven after the Fuji Apple milliefeuille so this one does not shine as much. Still very tasty!)
I supposed by now you can tell I Raved Izakaya Den and cannot wait to go back for more tasting on their delicious food!
Another Japanese which I visit frequently and really in my mind would be an izakaya too is Horoki casual dining bar. I have been a loyal customer to Horoki for years, I started going there when each dish were only about $10 (such were the good days) and now although prices have gone up a little, it still remains as one of my favourite because they are too damn tasty! And the dishes are still cheaper than some entrees from the big restaurants. There was a time I used to go once a week or every 2 weeks and ordered very similar things. I won't know what I am going to do if one day they decided to take a long break or close!! *touch wood*
Horoki
19 Liverpool St
Melbourne, 3000
(03) 9663 2227
I don't take photos every time when I go which is funny considering how often I visit Horoki, but the photos below almost capture whaPublish Postt I would order each time.
(Diakon Salad, diakon is pretty much what we called white radish, it teamed with fresh sashimi of kingfish, tuna, salmon & scallop, I still yet to work out the crunchy thing on top. I love this dish so much, so refreshing and perfect for warm nights)
(Tuna carpaccio, another big favourite of mine, fresh tuna sashimi with parmesan cheese shaved on top with mayo and sauce. Love this)
(Kingfish tataki, or sometime they use swordfish. it has dried garlic slices and some exotic spices which make this dish stand out.)
(steak tartare: oh my, this is literially one of the best steak tartare I tried in Melbourne. Not really authentic western but taste simply amazing. The beef are so tender and well seasoned. Love the quail egg to make it all smooth. I only wish they can be a bigger serve. Must order if you love raw beef like me)
(special of the night, some spicy pork belly with korean chilly/kimchi? not my favourite)
Something I love about Horoki is how the chef is constantly looking for new dishes and every time I go, I get very excited checking out what new dishes on their special. Some really good ones become permanent e.g. the crab dumplings with dill... *drool* I have some other must-order dish that I don't have photos such as eggplant with duck, wasabi scotch fillet and mentaigo pasta. I will sure take some photos next time and post up. Horoki is not very big at all and it has a long bar around the kitchen and the bar area. I actually prefer sitting along the bar than the table as I feel more intimate this way. They have a reasonable sake selection and I love their very-strong-yet-not-too-expensive cocktails.
Very good tea selection also. Actually I just realised they store quite a bit of alcohol for a tiny restaurant.
Very limited dessert selection, I remember when it was newly opened they didn't have menu dessert but you do get some sort of icy penna cotta at the end of the meal
Chef hard at work in a tiny open kitchen. He is quiet. I really want to tell him personally how much I love his food but he hardly chats to his customers.
Okie this is me. Look how happy I am eager awaiting the food to come out. The dress is from kookai and I have had it for years. There is even moth holes (shock) and I can't be bothered to fix. I think I was very into dramatic tights around that time. hahaha
okie I think that is it for now. Of cos there are other izakayas in Melbourne such as Meyadeya & chuji but I didn't take photos when I visited them previously so would have to continue my izakaya experience later.
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