Don't drop the egg!

On my last week of holidays (after finishing uni to step out into the grown up world and start full time work) I enjoyed a great family night out with my Aunty and younger cousins. My cousin chose one of his local favourites - which he has been raving to me about for quite some time now. Well it was now my turn to try the delicious and greatly entertaining Teppanyaki restaurant on Chapel Street that is, Tokyo Teppanyaki.

We booked a table at the grill and ordered from their set menus which allows you to choose from a variety of meat, seafood, vegetarian or even a bit of everything. I ordered the Osaka Set which gives a combination of both meat and seafood, along with entrees. This was one of the smaller sets and I was full to the brim!

There were quite a few people dining for a Tuesday night and with many patrons laughing at the entertaining chefs, it created a great atmosphere. Not only do you get to see the chefs cook your meal and watch your sizzling meat light up in flames but there are also games to play along the way.

You know it's going to get messy when you're told to tuck your napkin in as a bib - and then next thing you know there's egg flying at you and you've got your mouth open wide trying to catch it before it gets away! But the fun and games are not over with a food fight, there's also bowls to catch. Going around the table, our lovely chef Tony, got us to stand back and catch a bowl... and then another... and another, until the last one - which was full of rice. As he went around the table to each guest, we all had to stand further and further away from him until our guest was attempting to catch from half way down the restaurant! Great coordination is needed here and I was clearly lacking it as i dropped quite a few of my bowls including one that ended up cracking (which they kindly gave to me to keep it as a souvenir).

Now that all the hard work was done, it was time to sit down and enjoy the end of our meal. All components of my meal had fantastic flavour to them - including the fried rice, which tasted a little different to the typical fried rice I've tried in the past. We later found out the secret here is garlic butter. You can never go wrong with a bit of garlic! A favourite of mine would have to be the fried prawn legs. When the chef was cooking our prawns, he cut the legs away to the side and let them fry that little bit longer. They were then taken away and brought back at the end of our meal looking extra crispy and it appeared they had been lightly deep fried. I have tried fried prawns legs before but these were something else! That deep frying had given an extra crunch to the prawn legs and they really did taste amazing! The prawn legs can look a little daunting at first for some as it isn't exactly the most attractive looking dish, but I urge you to give it a try - they actually taste a little like prawn crackers, but crunchier and better!

And for dessert... Black sesame and blood orange sorbet. Delish!

We really did have a great night out at Tokyo Teppanyaki and it is great entertainment for large or small dining groups of all ages. Just mind the egg on the floor when you walk out - can't blame anyone but yourself really, for not having better food-catching reflexes!  

December Dining

Well December can be a very busy time of year with all the festive catch ups with family and friends, it calls for very full bellies and perhaps the need to survive on celery sticks for the first week of the New Year (I know, where's the fun in that?). But before we worry about our December calorie count, let me give you an insight to my some of my favourite dining experiences in the lead up to Christmas...

In my attempt to taste all that George Calombaris and Shane Delia's Made Establishment has to offer, I am proud to tick off my fourth dining experience on this checklist by heading over to Kew just before Christmas for a birthday outing for a friend. As I may have mentioned in the past, two girlfriends of mine decided to take me out on a dining adventure for my birthday one year, instead of buying gifts as they thought memories from a girly day out last a lifetime. From that moment on we thought... screw it, this beats any gift! And we have kept up the tradition for each of our birthdays ever since, exploring the delights that Melbourne's culinary world has to offer - and December brings one of their birthdays, so it was out we went!

Well back on track now.. yes we headed over to Kew to dine at (where you may have guessed by now) St. Katherine's.

Sticking to our firm belief that the only way to try the best of what a restaurant has to offer is by going for their degustation menu, we did exactly that ordering "The Ultimate" - four courses of St. Kat's top dishes. As with Maha, the staff were very accommodating to any dietary requirements within our group, providing a separate portion of the meal when necessary (including a sorbet in the dessert for myself to cater for my annoying cream intolerance!).

St Kat's has a cafe-style, relaxed vibe which fits in great with the residential area it is located in. The restaurant was full of happily chatting patrons, indulging in share plates and sipping on the delicious cocktails from the bar to welcome the Christmas season.

 

My favourite dishes from the night would have to be the Puffed & BBQ corn salad, the Chicken Snack Burger and definitely the Sticky Pork Ribs !! ( which I wish I saved more room for as I was running out by time they came and would have saved more for these delights if I had known, so I didn't have to very sadly leave any behind).      

 

To top off a great night out, our lovely waitress had also taken note of the special occasion we were celebrating and brought out a special birthday dessert for our birthday girl!

My next December dining adventure takes us to North Melbourne for another birthday celebration - this time for my dad. For a great family night out, we headed to Toodouri for a Korean charcoal BBQ.

Each table is equipped with built-in gas stoves so we can get in on the BBQ action (one of my favourite things about Korean BBQ - apart from the delicious taste of course). We ordered a variety of meats to sizzle away on our grill which were accompanied by a variety of garnishes to add a little extra kick.

This modest restaurant ticks all the boxes in the Korean BBQ cuisine. Packed with locals who know where the flavour's at, attentive and friendly staff who know how to please their customers and delicious flavours which make you want to order more and more.... and more!

I have to mention the lovely Hanna who waited our table on this particular night. She was very helpful in taking our order, providing her recommendations and suggesting alternatives to our order, resulting in us enjoying a delicious meal.

It's hard to choose a favourite from our meal at Toodouri but I would probably have to recommend the Wagyu beef and the squid on the charcoal grill. We introduced my brother to the world of squid loving on this particular night ( I blinked and it was all gone!) so I would have to say it sure is a must try.

We brought in our own cake to celebrate at the end of the night and the staff very kindly lit our candles and brought it to the table for my dad when our meal was done. We couldn't help but leave a piece of cake for the lovely staff to enjoy for their wonderful efforts during the night.

My final favourite dining memory from December lies with a visit to The Bohemian Bar & Restaurant in South Wharf.

After an admittedly stressful car ride trying to find this hidden eatery, we finally found its location among a strip of fairly new (and attractive looking) restaurants on Dukes Walk in South Wharf. It took us a while to figure out that we could probably get there through the DFO car park so we ended up parking at the World Trade Centre and walking across the foot bridge (an option if you have the same problem we did). When we did finally get there however, I knew straight away we were in for a great night ahead!

This attractive tapas bar portrays a strong Spanish influence in both their décor and their food. Their brightly coloured façade is a definite eye-catcher,  nicely complimented by their interior of gorgeous leather seating and dark wooden furnishing.  

We enjoyed a variety of tapas which were both appealing to the eye and to our taste buds, and of course couldn't go past a jug of Sangria.

We had also ordered ourselves a paella each to indulge in after the tapas. I would probably order less next time as this was more than enough and finishing off with paella definitely pushed my belly to its limits. I usually go for seafood paella, but I would recommend the vegetarian for something different as they do it really well and it is beautifully garnished with brightly coloured flowers. 

My favourite tapas dish of the night would have to be the Patatas Bravas! These adorable cylinders of sweet potato were packed with a punch of flavour that I would say is a must-try!

Strangely this strip on South Wharf was quite empty, especially for a hot summer's night, however I think once more of the population discovers these hidden treasures, they will attract quite a bustle. Just from a simple walk across, admiring the restaurants along the water, I have now added many new dot points to my to-do list!