japanese

NOT: Kokoro Ramen, 157-159 Lonsdale St, Melbourne

January 25, 2012 ⋅ Post a comment

In the documentary and cross-cultural love story ‘Banana in a Nutshell’ there’s a funny moment where the Chinese girl and her Anglo boyfriend argue whether cereal is a breakfast food or ‘anytime’ food. It mirrors the kind of conversations that I’ve had with RM before – to me cereal is only for breakfast, whereas he thinks [...]

HOT: Bento Lunch, Taxi Dining Room, Level 1 Transport Hotel, Federation Square, Melbourne

November 13, 2011 ⋅ Post a comment

Out of all the dining venues in Federation Square, my favourite is the Transport/Taxi/Transit complex. Transport is great for a quiet riverside drink (though it can get rowdier on weekends), I often take visitors to experience the slick food and expansive Yarra views at the high-end Taxi restaurant and we even arranged our post-wedding drinks [...]

NOT: Takumi, 32 Bourke St, Melbourne

August 4, 2011 ⋅ 2 comments

Melbourne CBD abounds with good Japanese lunch spots, from tiny laneway favourite Sushi Monger to the rarified surroundings of high-class Shoya. Takumi is a restaurant which spans these two extremes – it is spacious and uncrowded with a quiet and sedate ambience. The decor is inoffensively neutral, almost blandly boring. Boppy J-pop plays quietly in [...]

HOT: Chasing Kitsune, State of Design 2011

July 19, 2011 ⋅ 2 comments

Winter in Melbourne can be pretty grey, cold and miserable but it does bring with it some joys – festivals galore! One of my favourite festivals is State of Design, Victoria’s annual design festival. So get ready because from 20-31 July I’ll be bringing you lots of State of Design related blog posts. I’ve got [...]

NOT: Misuzu’s, 7 Victoria Ave, Albert Park

February 8, 2011 ⋅ 9 comments

I wanted to like Misuzu’s, I really did. Out of all the cafes and restaurants in the Victoria Avenue strip, I thought that Misuzu’s sizeable crowd of alfresco diners signalled that the kitchen must be producing something good. Also, the restaurant was rated second on Urbanspoon for the best Albert Park restaurants. On entering, I [...]

HOT: Kappaya Japanese Soul Food, The Kitchen Annex, Abbotsford Convent, 1 St Heliers St, Abbotsford

November 23, 2010 ⋅ 5 comments

With the weather firmly in summer temperatures last weekend, I decided to make a visit to Abbotsford Convent for some R&R in the sunshine. What I didn’t realise was that Abbotsford Convent on a weekend is quite manic. The Sunday I visited the Skirt and Shirt Market and Maker’s Market was on as well so [...]

HOT: Yamato, 28 Corrs Lane, Melbourne

October 5, 2010 ⋅ 8 comments

In a city full of hidden laneway restaurants, Yamato is the lane-ist of them all. You head down narrow Little Bourke Street, where you can hardly have two people walking abreast as they cross. Then turn down Corrs Lane, a cobblestone path smelling of various rubbishy odours intermingled with the aromas of different cuisines emanating [...]

HOT: Chocolate Buddha giveaway winners!

July 30, 2010 ⋅ One comment

Thank you to everyone for your entries for the Chocolate Buddha giveaway! I’ve dipped into the Kitchenaid of Fortune and here are our two winners of a $50 voucher each to dine at Chocolate Buddha: Gem (Eat Drink Stagger) Vivian Please send your postal address to joyce@melhotornot.com to collect your prize and have a great [...]

HOT: Chocolate Buddha, Federation Square, Melbourne

July 23, 2010 ⋅ 39 comments

Sponsored by Nuffnang When Federation Square first opened back in 2002, Chocolate Buddha was the hottest place to eat and drink. It was the first of the communal Japanese dining halls in Melbourne (before the advent of places like Wagamama) and at night there were queues for the rows of communal tables and bar area. [...]

HOT: Izakaya Hachibeh, 143 Bourke St, Melbourne

July 6, 2010 ⋅ One comment

Izakaya Hachibeh is new contender for my favourite quick-and-easy CBD lunch spots. The relaxed and fuss-free Japanese restaurant spans over two levels on Bourke Street, with a rather nondescript frontage and the standard red-lantern izakaya decor. I would never have gone in if my friend J hadn’t suggested we meet there for lunch. She wanted [...]