My favourite place!! The food so yummy and it's cheap, fast…read moreand so satisfying! All meals are under $10 the are full of flavour and spice. They also give good amounts that won't leave you still hungry!

I was actually here for the opening (Well, promoted opening) of Hanaichi, where they were handing…read moreout free drinks to passer-byers (And yes i did indulge). I must say Hanaichi was a pretty good eating experience, there's a diverse range of meals on the menu - Tempuras, Curries, Ramen and more, there's a heap of different dishes to try. The meals are pretty large in size and i like the idea of the cardboard plate / bowl so you can eat in and take-away if you like. The Japanese cuisine here is quite good for something whipped up quick and take-away.

We came here after we were blown away with with Niku Ou, their sister restaurant located in…read moreMelbourne CBD. In fact, Wagyu Ya is the first branch! They have similar menus but over here, they cook the meat inside and not on the table.  The chef was very kind and suggested that we order the foie gras fried rice to try and it absolutely knocked our socks off because it was literally one of the best things we've ever eaten. You HAVE to try it at least once in your lifetime, we HIGHLY recommend it!

This venue just opened, steps from Cafe Republic. Downstairs serves standard sushi and similar…read morefare, upstairs is the grill tables. We chose the grill and were seated at a pleasant two-person table. We had arrived early for dinner and the room was mostly empty when we sat down, but it rapidly filled to capacity as we ate. And ate, and ate, and drank! We started with edamame and marinated wasabi octopus. The octopus was lovely, as the Aussies like to say. Next we has a small dish of Unagi, which is my wife's favorite sushi. It was quite good, on par with other fine sushi shops I have visited. For mains, to be self cooked on the charcoal grill built in to the table, we had Ox shoulder, fillet, and sirloin, with a variety of small vegetables and corn coblets. All of the meats were excellent, along with the selection of dipping sauces that were provided. Cooking the food in the table grill was a bit of fun and the very attentive wait staff helped us thru the process. We finished with black sesame ice cream with almonds, which was exceptionally good. All of this was washed down with an excellent bottle of sake. This restaurant is a welcome addition to Toorak Road!

Tom Yum soup at a Japanese eatery?…read more Yes folks, it's possible, and today I start two things; a homage to tom yum soup and the hunt for the best in Melboure. There's not much free space when the soup arrives, it's filled to the brim, with plenty of udon noodles. Just the way a tom yum soup should be; spicy, hot and sour with a slight sweet undertone. And a generous serving. It's a very small place with limited seating, across the road from the 7-11 at southern cross station. Gzoya dumplings, sushi rolls and sushi packs are available but limited. Once the clock hits 12pm, this place packs out. You have been warned. Essentially what you would find in any Sushi place. They have a menu with about 20 food items on offer, most of these are hot dishes- four udon noodle based, and meat and rice Don options are available too. A hot food section is available for take-away too. Hainese chicken rice is a special dish on Wednesday only.

We tried to get into Higher Ground but the queue was too long. Nearby Itoya is a tiny place on…read moreSpencer Street. Six seats only. Good takeaway trade. We were fortunate enough to grab the only table. The business ran out of fresh fish by our arrival time of 12.15pm. That put paid to any thoughts of sashimi. It didn't matter. This is a basic cheap and cheerful place where you take what you can get. We both had the box with sukiyaki beef and terryaki chicken with coleslaw and capsicum with rice. Miso soup as well. The chicken was nice as was the capsicum and rice. The rest was average. This is a basic place with a fairly routine meal at a low price. Not an issue for us. We liked our server who was lovely and the food met our modest expectations. Average overall but enjoyable average. It's a 3 for me.

Had a nice pork katsudon…read more Good volume / size. Nicely cooked and crunchy katsu! Served ona bed of purple rice which is interesting and changes the taste a bit.

Since this business shares my last name and you can't always eat at the expensive restaurants, we…read moredecided to try an organic foods restaurant. The food was delicious, hardy and very filling. Does seem more slatted to the college age crowd with the vibe and price point (dinner in the picture $7 USD). Good place to go for the local scene.

In my never ending quest for amazing Japanese restaurants outside of Melbourne's CBD, I decided to…read moretry Akita Japanese restaurant in North Melbourne. ~ What's with the small menu? Honestly, there were six mains. Their "specials" menu was larger than their regular menu by a long shot, and I was kind of disappointed they didn't have a more diverse or comprehensive selection. ~ VEGETARIANS BEWARE. None of the mains were vegetarian compatible; they all had meat/seafood in them. Even the vast majority of the entrees were meat based. This is particularly peculiar for Japanese cuisine. When we asked what was on offer for vegetarians, they recommended three dishes, mostly from the specials menu. The only positive I can attribute to Akita in this respect was that the waiter did come back a few minutes after ordering to confirm that egg was okay in the vegetarian dish. But I probably wouldn't come back here with a vegetarian person; the difficulty of working out what is edible and the severe limited choice makes the whole thing too much hassle. ~ From the outside, the door is somewhat hidden the place looks relatively small. When you look around the main entrance, you also get the feeling of smallness. However, there is actually a labyrinth of seating areas, all hidden away in their own rooms. In this respect, Akita reminds me a lot of Stalactites in the city, except more enclosed. This causes the environment to feel more intimate, and probably reduces noise too. The atmosphere was of a high calibre here. A++. ~ Overpriced. We all know that Japanese cuisine is expensive, but even for Japanese standards this place was overpriced (especially for its location). If you can, check out the photo of the entree sashimi to this venue. You can get better quality fish at a cheaper price than $18 from elsewhere. ~ Forgot the drinks. Unfortunately I forgot to check the bill to see if they had charged us, but we ordered tea twice and we didn't end up getting it either times. ~ No ginger with the sashimi. What! For a so-called *authentic* Japanese place you kind of expect them to provide some ginger with the sashimi; they didn't, which was a little disappointing. Upside was that they gave me so much wasabi. Overall the food (albeit small and expensive) and atmosphere were good. The location is convenient for drivers (heaps of parking), and the staff were kind (although they forgot drinks). Would I be back? Probably not -- the limited menu is a dealbreaker.

I was craving food so I did a quick search and found this establishment closeby! I love Japanese…read morefood so I was good to go. Ambiance: Very very good. The restaurant is large and spacious with a series of different dining rooms. It has an old feel to it, but very clean and modern at the same time. They have light Japanese music playing which makes for a really incredible dining atmosphere! Customer Service: The servers were very polite, courteous, and attentive. However, I do have to remark that the kitchen staff is a bit slow. The wait time for the food is EXTREMELY long. Food: One thing I have to note is that this place is probably good for large groups, but I would avoid it if you're only going by yourself or with 2 people. The menu comprises of large platter-like dishes of sashimi and sushi rather than anything that is convenient for an individual set. The only thing I pretty much can order is Nabeyaki Udon Soup (udon noodles with tempura shrimp, egg, veggies, thin slices of beef, and mushrooms) for 12 dollars and a plate of Gyoza for 8.50. Like I said, the wait time is long. I ended up getting my Gyoza after my main... when Gyoza is an entree. What's up with that? When I picked up a piece of Gyoza, I thought to myself "This better be worth it". It was good... but not worth the 30 minute wait. The Gyoza wrap was very thin, which is a bit unique I suppose but I prefer thick wraps. The Nabeyaki Udon Soup at first glance was rather tiny - so it was very alarming. However, it was absolutely delicious! Probably the best Udon Soup I have ever had. The meat was good, tempura soft and tasty, and the egg accented the dish really nicely. I absolutely loved it. Things they can improve on: ~ Adding more variety to their menu. Where are the bentos? The ramen? And donburi? Everything is pretty much just a platter, which excludes the people who just want individual meals. ~ Upping their efficiency! I'm not sure how exactly they can do that, but at least bring out the Gyoza before the main so my stomach isn't growling like mad. Overall, I did enjoy my meal - the atmosphere was great, the service was nice, and the food was tasty. However, 1 star off for the lack of variety and another star for the horrid wait time. I would come here again, but only if I'm with a large group of people ready to order some platters.

Having been to this place maybe twenty times I am yet to have anything less than outstanding food…read morefrom these guys. I have gradually tried all the noodle soups. The spicy pork curry soba noodle soup (A name like that could be a Microsoft product) is just fantastic. Juicy curried pork shreds thru a miso-like soup. The Katsu curry is also well worth checking out.

Too delicious to be true. Went there Friday night with my wife and I conclude that I can never…read morejudge this little shop by the look from outside. Rice a bit too soft - just my personal preference on solid rice. Ordered a main and a side, both are above average standard. Main: Spicy Calamari Don (no regret!) Side: Gyoza (definitely not frozen/commercial prepared)- must try. Love this authentic Jap. Will I be back? For sure Yes. Thanks Mr Fusion! Jeng

I think this place has one of the best hunan sauces I ever tasted. It wasn't hot or spicy but it…read morehad the right tang to it and over my vegetables which were cooked perfect, it was an enjoyable meal. I ordered take out and it was ready. Looks pretty small but I didn't really look at it to notice anything. Just went in and grabbed my food. Man at counter was very nice.

Delicious cheap food, and incredible service. $10 for a set meal of one main, soup and fruit or…read moresoft drink and fruit, $2 extra for dessert. Dine in or takeaway. Free tea is provided when dining in.

So happy to finally cross Gypsy & Pig off my list, a Japanese pork speciality spot in CBD that I…read morehave been eyeing on for a while. Hidden in plain sight, precisely located in a tiny corner, down one end of Hardware Lane with no obvious signage - do look out for a piggy sign and you are at the right place ;). The restaurant might have small physicality, but the decor is simply adorable, black loving interiors surrounded with pig ornaments to match the theme - A porky heaven! Oink~ Their menu is specialized in Katsu of different variants. Not the healthiest indulgence, but for me there is something utterly satisfying about biting into crunchy katsu. And for my first visit, I was excited to order their special mix fry: kurobuta cheese Hamburg, eyefilet, crabmeat croquettes and Anago (sea eel). Best of both world!! As much as I wanted it to be good, everything was underwhelming. The unagi has many small bones in them, making it so troublesome to eat. Adding to that, the Kurobuta hamburg with cheese had this musty smell that's so unpleasant. I was hoping the crab croquette would save the day, but sadly the texture was so soggy it completely threw me off. The stuffed chicken wings appetizer, however, was quite delicious and worth ordering a second. The service, was also quite impressive. All smiles and making sure that you are taken care of the moment you stepped in the door. In addition to that, they also pride themselves on using the highest quality Kurobuta pork... which then resulted in their premium prices. Overall, I love Gypsy & Pig for their venue because the space is so cute, authentic and really sets the mood! In terms of the food, sadly it just doesn't strike a special chord with me, well at least on my visit... :)

Make sure you make a booking because this place is cozy. It's small. You will get table seating if…read moreyou are a group of four or more otherwise you sit at the bar and watch the chef cook. This place is known for their kurubota - or black pig meat. It is recommended by urbanlist that you try their katsu curry, their scotch egg, and their green tea cake/pudding. We had the katsu kurubota curry, the scotch egg, some sushi, and the kimchi kurubota eggplant hotpot. My food came in a steaming hotpot duh. The fermented smell was heavenly. The kurubota was so tender. It was such good meat - meat that I had never tasted before. The eggplant - well, you couldn't even tell it was eggplant. The rice was seasoned and I enjoyed having it on its own at the end. All three of us loved our meals and can't wait to come back for more. Great portion sizes. Split bills accepted and attentive staff.