Akiba

Akiba is a standing favourite of mine, and I hadn’t been back for a while, so stopped in with friends for a long weekday lunch. We were seated in the nicely-heated outdoor area, and had plenty of time to peruse the menu before someone came to take our order. We started with the kimchi and angasi pancakes (serve of 4), which were topped with sriracha sauce and bonito flakes. Whilst small, the pancakes packed a punch and whetted our appetites for the rest of the meal. Next up was one of my favourites from Akiba – the fried chicken. Hello mounds of deep-fried chicken goodness topped with a tonne of cheese! Alone the chicken is a bit dry, but with the added sauces (not 100% sure what they are – one is a spicy chilli, the other is a mayonnaise of some sort, but they look deceptively like ketchup and mustard respectively!) the whole thing lifts up another notch. We fought rather politely over the last pieces. Finally we shared a plate of Singapore noodles, which was a real highlight. The ingredients were fresh and there were tonnes of prawns and the portion was really generous. Really great food for sharing.

Akiba, 40 Bunda Street, Civic ACT, http://www.akiba.com.au/

Shimbashi

Shimbashi is a favourite of mine – they offer consistently authentic quick Japanese food, although I must admit, I do have a ‘go to’ order that I pretty much always pick. This visit was no exception – we stuck with the teriyaki salmon set, which includes quite a decent-sized bowl of teriyaki salmon on a bed of rice, plus a plate of soba or udon served either hot or cold. The teriyaki sauce on the salmon isn’t your average out-of-a-bottle sauce – it’s sophisticated, having just the right amount of sweetness without being too much. The salmon is perfectly cooked into heavenly flakes, and the Japanese rice is so tasty with the extra sauce. The soba is handmade, so has a nice springy texture, and the soba sauce is again just right – well-balanced and not too salty. I particularly like the tempura bits you are served to scatter on top, and the spring onion adds great flavour to the dish overall. There’s a reason I keep ordering this dish – it’s great value, has great flavour and takes me back to Tokyo. What more could I ask for?

Shimbashi Soba & Sake Bar, 17 Liverpool Street, Melbourne VIC, http://www.shimbashisobamelbourne.net/

Gondola Gondola

Gondola Gondola is my new happy place. I started with the Weaboo cocktail ($18) – rum, yuzu liqueur, nashi pear shrub, lime, mint and soda. This drink was basically refreshment in a glass, well-balanced and perfect for a hot day. Up first  was the salt and pepper bean curd ($12), fried so lightly that it formed the thinnest, most perfect skin over the soft curd inside. It’s super salty (in a good way), and the salad it’s served on packs some heat and epic ginger action! There were a generous 6 pieces to enjoy. Next up was the banh xeo (Vietnamese pancake, $22) with pork mince, prawn and sprouts, served with lettuce, purple leaves, mint, coriander, carrot and pickled cabbage. Whilst it looked big, this was a fairly light dish – a bit like san choi bao in that you wrap the ingredients in the lettuce and add sauce. Messy, but a great mix of textures and flavours – the coriander in particular brings it all to life. Finally, we had the bun cha ($22), which was our pick of the night – the pork was utter perfection, with a super crispy skin and tender meat, plus the noodles were fabulous! Everything here is packed full of flavour and perfect – take me back!

Gondola Gondola, 1 Peel Street, Adelaide SA, http://www.gondolagondola.com.au

Onomichi Ramen

There are quite a few restaurants around the Hamamatsucho JR station, but many of them are designed for quick churn (i.e. standing restaurants/izakayas). We were quite tired after a day of sightseeing so ended up picking Onomichi Ramen, as it had seats. Sure, the decor is nothing special, and it has a lingering smell of cigarette smoke, but once you’ve received your giant bowl of ramen those things fade into the background. I ordered the standard soy ramen and added on all the extras – pork and egg. They offer table service, and brought out edamame for us to start. The ramen didn’t take long (so a good spot if you’re really hungry!) and the broth looked rich and fatty. Research after the meal explained that Onomichi ramen is the local specialty of Onomichi, near Hiroshima, and uses a typical soy broth with added fish paste and melted lard. Whilst that may not sound appetising, I promise you, it was delicious, and if I’d had room to finish the bowl I would have. The pork was thick and tender, the egg gooey in the centre and the ramen had a great amount of bite. Yum, yum, yum.

Onomichi Ramen,  Chome-30-11, Hamamatsucho, Minato, Tokyo Japan

Kuzuryu Soba

I have written a lot of posts about places in Kagurazaka, but this is a new one we discovered on this trip and I fell completely in love with it! We were wandering the backstreets and saw a small tour group beng led up the stairs into what looked like a traditional restaurant. After checking that a reservation wasn’t required, we took a seat inside and discovered that it was a soba restaurant, yay! The waiter was very patient with my Japanese and suggested we order a lunch set, so Mum had a mushroom soba and Dad and I both ordered the tempura set with tempura and kake soba (hot soba in a broth). The tempura was mostly vegetables and had a delicate, flaky batter which was nice and light. I particularly enjoyed the sweet potato piece, before getting stuck into my soba. The noodles were obviously made by hand – you could actually watch the chef slicing them – and were cooked to perfection. The broth had just the right amount of umami and wasn’t overly salty. The bowl was huge but I managed to finish all my noodles – I’ll definitely be back for another serving next time I’m in Tokyo.

Kuzuryu Soba, 3-3 Kagurazaka, Tokyo http://kuzuryu-soba.com/

Ryo’s Noodles

I was very excited to see that Ryo’s Noodles had opened in Adelaide – the more ramen available the better, in my books! We ordered the lunch special, $19.90 for a bowl of ramen, a side (we chose gyoza) and a cup of green tea, either hot or cold. For my ramen, I chose number 6 – a Tokyo-style soy broth with roast pork and all the trimmings, while Mum picked the miso broth with roast pork. Dad opted for the karaage (spicy fried chicken) and tempura prawns,both of which were lovely and crisp, and we started with a bowl of edamame, served hot, to share. Our food didn’t take long to come out and it became clear very quickly that Mum had ordered the pick of the bunch – the miso broth (with reduced salt on request) was beautifully complex, with a rich, glossy flavour. Mmm. My Tokyo ramen broth tasted a bit weak in comparison, but if you prefer lighter broths then this is the one for you. The noodles had a great amount of bite and the roast pork was lovely and tender – as always, the tamago was the highlight. Oh yes, I will be back!

Ryo’s Noodles, 80 Gouger Street, Adelaide SA

Zu Zu Zu

Newtown is known for its Thai food, but sometimes you just want ramen. Zu Zu Zu appears to have opened recently and was there in time to meet my ramen craving. I was curious about their black sesame broth, something I haven’t tried before, so ordered that along with gyoza and edamame to share. The edamame were served hot and salted – we devoured them happily. The gyoza were excellent too – pan-fried with a herbed pork filling, although perhaps slightly on the small side. The ramen came out in a giant bowl and the broth had an interesting colour. On first sip, I was a bit surprised – yes, the black sesame flavour was there, but it lacked the complexity and depth of your usual ramen broth. I still enjoyed it, but would probably stick to the tonkotsu next time. Having said that, the teriyaki chicken inside was to die for – perfectly tender and slathered in an amazing teriyaki sauce. The ramen themselves were quite thin and didn’t seem housemade (please correct me if you know differently?), but the tamago was (as always) the best bit. I couldn’t finish my bowl, but I did enjoy the meal overall.

Zu Zu Zu, 191 King Street, Newtown NSW, no website