It's a 4.6 for us. What a gem this restaurant is. No wonder so many Japanese people specially…read moreseek it out. It serves some seriously good, sometimes absolutely spectacular traditional and fusion dishes with lovely service in very pleasant surroundings. It is the perfect combination for a great night out or a really enjoyable lunch. Two Sheds and his regular dining companion, a Japanese food aficionado of some note, were lucky enough to be invited to edit here on a cold and dark Tuesday night. This new and beautifully put together Japanese restaurant is located very near St Kilda junction and a short walk from Windsor station. We were greeted by the maître d warmly and shown to an ideal table. The fitout is extremely inviting, warm and there is even a lovely Japanese Garden/courtyard for lazy summer afternoons. How I'd love to have that garden at my own place, including the beautiful stately bamboo. The menu is elegant and well put together. A beautiful list of sakes is included on the wine list, with a small, but well selected, list of wines. We asked the maître d for the chef's selection. For entree followed sashimi (at our request), carpaccio of salmon, tuna and kingfish with a ponzu sauce and exquisite scallops grilled with enoki mushrooms. Our favourites on the sashimi were the salmon belly and kingfish and snapper. The salmon belly in particular had a texture and consistency which we handy experienced before. These were amazing (see pictures). The grilled scallops were topped with a salmon roe mayonnaise which was something we've not experienced before. It is a gorgeous dish. It set off the flavour and texture of the enokis very well. And was a perfect match with the recommended dry sake. As good as the initial dishes were, the absolute highlight offerings were still to come. The dishes of the night came with the main courses. The first was the black cod. Cooked slowly on the grill, this salty and strong fish was served on a bed of special miso. Exquisitely flaky and flavoursome, an acquired taste because of its strength, but something that you MUST come here to taste. It is an exceptional dish which sent us into a state of ecstasy. Some people don't like the skin, but please try it, because that too was cooked perfectly so as not to be tough. Trust us. This dish alone is enough to cross town for. It's amazing! The wagu beef was served on an authentic Japanese grill. Placed on Houba leaf - magnolia in English - over the grill, to protect and flavour the beef. The beef is sourced from Gippsland. It was tender, rare and superbly flavoured. Along with the black cod, you could not get better, authentic, dishes than this were you actually in Japan, a wonderful country that my dining companion and I have been to many times. Dessert was a touch of tradition coupled with a touch of fusion: green tea ice cream with a delicate and small black sesame panna cotta square. The ice cream was deliciously matcha flavoured (another Two Sheds favourite flavour) and the panna cotta square had delicate smoothness about it which was beguiling. Serves were a perfect (small) size given the feast we'd already eaten. We were sad our visit had to come to an end here. We enjoyed the whole experience immensely. Japanese food of this high quality is truly a thing to behold and celebrate. If this restaurant was near my home I'd be here on a very regular basis. My dining companion is so lucky. He is in the next suburb and is already planning regular returns including with his partner and father who adore great Japanese food. If you're nearby, just visit. If you're not nearby, my strong advice is make a little effort. I would cross town to get to Fujitei anytime. The restaurant is in the Le Clec category to me. A wonderful restaurant with a buoyant rating and just waiting to be fully discovered. Our thanks to Ryoichi for such a great experience with superb hospitality. We love this restaurant and highly recommend you visit it soon.

Love, love love this restaurant, and I lived in L.A. for many years, home to great sushi - sorry,…read morehaven't been to Japan yet. I am quickly writing this review because I have been there 3 times already in as many weeks and am going back tonight, but have still not written a review which at 5 stars is very well deserved. So the carpaccio of fish is just superb. The quality of the fish, the nice thick portions of fish and the sauce is just perfection. The house roll is one of the best I have had anywhere, raw, great texture and a bit of crunch - I was nearly put off because it was tempered but it is so light, it just totally compliments it. The black cod was fantastic, so perfectly done, a little small but with other dishes which you have to try, not complaining. Their super special eel roll is just so huge and delicious with what felt like an entire eel ! We got this at the end, but it could have been a whole meal in itself it was that well done and cooked to perfection. Everything on the menu that I have tried so far, makes going out to eat here pure joy. The restaurant itself is clean and cute and welcoming. The staff have been wonderful, on one occasion the owner's mother served us, such a lovely kind, gentle woman who truly did not look old enough to have a grown son ! We enjoyed the ambience, the staff, and of course the food, which made it a wonderful night each time I have come here. Highly, highly recommend .

I don't know why it took me so long to ever try a meal here. It's always busy, with lines out the…read moredoor at times, and people lining up for take away coffees. Tried it today for the first time ever, and I was glad I did. The breakfast and brunch menu have some different items than the rest of the cafes in Melbourne (who all have pretty much the same menus). While I only chose the Eggs Benedict with Smoked Salmon, the others in the group had different items, and we all enjoyed what we had. The service is friendly, the decor is lovely, the food is tasty. IF I had to be picky over anything, it would be the pricing. I do think some items were really high, especially for things you can easily make at home. Also, no effort whatsoever to attempt any substitutions with things in a dish. With that said, I'd definitely come back again. It was also a really nice touch that they gave me a complimentary cupcake with sparkler for my birthday. It just made the whole experience that little nicer still.

Such a good breakfast place. The food was fresh and the atmosphere was very laid back and chill…read more The service was incredible and there was no wait to get seated. Scrambled eggs are perfect.

Delightful hIdden Fine-Dining Gem…read more All aspects of this restaurant are of a high quality: service, food, wine-list, setting and ambience. This is just quality city fine-dining at suburb prices. Something about the decor made me think if they were going for a French twist. And there was duck on the menu. However there was a range of styles on the menu. Had an enjoyable chat with the lady owner who told me about the restaurant.

Had heard about this place and all where good I thought it…read morewas average service was slow food was average

I've driven passed True South heaps and heaps of times, and always wanted to try it, yet never did…read more... until tonight. I am kicking myself that I never came sooner. It was really, really good. The restaurant has a great vibe about it. For some people, they'd love to come in summer when out the front there are tables on the footpath and on the inner outside there are bar stools to sit and drink while watching the world go by. Inside, the restaurant has a clean, industrial feel to it. It was busy, but not overly loud. We were seated right away and your placemat is the menu, so you dive right into looking for things that grab your taste buds. Many - if not all - dishes are great for sharing, so we started out with Chipas (mini cheese rolls, mandioca flour, cheddar and parmesan) and the Croquetas of the day, which were chicken and corn. Before those came, we were served up a mini bread roll each with an olive and ricotta dip. Very delicious. The entrees came out and they were heavenly. The Chipas were amazing and I could have just had several serves of those as my meal. The were like mini warm cheese scones. The croquetas were good; had a beautiful crumbing on the outside, but the inside was nice, though nothing to rave about. For the main, I ordered my own Caviche de Salmon. It came with mango, cherry tomatoes, onion and plantain crisps. I didn't much care for the plantain crisps, and I hated the fact that there was coriander in the dish without it being listed on the menu. I would have asked for it without it, as I can't stand coriander. Yuck. Of course, there was something that really stood out to me on the dessert menu, so I had to order it. It was a chocolate fondant, with banana and caramel ice cream. That sounded incredibly appealing and tasted really, really good. My only minor complaint about it, was that it was truly ICE cream. That almost ruined it, but the flavours were everything. There was just a few things I didn't like about True South. One was the tables felt sticky. Two was that you could smell cigarette smoke from outside, even though it's illegal to smoke right outside an eatery. And three, because of the open shutters, it allowed for flies to fly in. Small things I guess in relation to how good the food and service was. Yes, the mains came out slowly, but they were really busy and food was continually leaving the kitchen. Would I go back again?? YES, YES, YES. I really enjoyed the meal and it was something different to usual here in Melbourne. How authentic it is, I don't know. But if you want a great spot with good atmosphere, great food and reasonably priced meals, then this is the place for you. It's worth the drive.

Nice birthday meal with family. Good food, the porterhouse steak was the winner. Cooked to…read moreperfection. The broccolini was the best I've ever had. The jalapeno margarita was underwhelming. Good coffee, friendly service. Would definitely come back for the steak and oysters alone.

Great service, lovely friendly staff, outstanding food, great coffee, beautiful ambience and the…read moredog is welcome. What more could you ask for? Great wine list and the tiramisu is off the charts. The hot Sharing appetizer board is great also. The risotto is superb and the pizza a winner. All in all this place has the perfect recipe for a great business that you just love to support.

Went our for a family dinner and sat out at the back. The food was very good but the service wasn't…read morethat good. Everyone enjoyed what they ordered, but once the order was taken we were left alone until the food came up. Once we finished our dinner we waited for some time to order dessert but no one came to take our order. In the end we had to get up to pay the bill inside as we just couldn't wait all evening.

I heard a new cafe had opened in Murrumbeena on the local grapevine (intragram & Facebook). So I…read moretook the opportunity of testing them out for my Sunday morning coffee. I've got to say that it's an amazing space! I was really impressed. The front section is a small space with plenty of natural light and a big communal solid wooden table in the centre. But I think I first noticed the bright yellow counter. Wow! I ordered my coffee from 2 very friendly staff with lovely big smiles. ($3.80 for a latte) While I waited for it I noticed the passage way down the side and asked about it. There's another, much bigger dining area towards the back with out door seating as well. Again wow! Apparently they have seating for 80! You'd never guess it from the small unassuming frontage! I didn't sample the menu today but I did glance at it and saw things like summer chia pudding and Persian feta. I'm intrigued and will go back to eat. Soon. The coffee was good, so was the decor, the service and the feel of the place. I recommend checking it out. Especially if you're a local keen to support local businesses. Ps did you know that Nike Cave grew up in Murrumbeena? the cafe is named after one of his songs. *** just had lunch here for the first time in years. Seems it's under new management. The front counter is no longer manned (I had to wait for quite a while and my calling out of 'hello?' To the people I could see in the kitchen were ignored. I had a burger which wasn't bad but wasn't amazing either or even warm. I also sat in the front section as the whole back area is now either a smoking area where food is not served or a children's play area. Which is great if you have kids but not very accomodating if you just want a quiet meal or coffee. Nxt time I'll be trying Iron Henry Nxt door. Ive changed my rating from 4 to 2 stars.

I need a place to unwind, grab a coffee and brunch whilst my daughter is occupied. Natureboy is the…read moreperfect place, great staff, very friendly and plenty to do for the young kids. The menu choice is great and can't fault it. If you have young kids and want a place for brunch, give this place a go

Went here for lunch mid week…read more - located right near glen iris station so good for that early morning coffee - has some chairs out front - staff are welcoming and friendly - good extensive menu, all day breakfast & lunch. Was a few things I wanted to try. - coffee was great. - simple decor with that raw just-been-put-together style - partner got the burger for lunch with brioche bun, big burger, lots of chips. He loved it. - I ordered the avocado on toast with two poached eggs. Bit disappointed. Eggs were way underdone (clear white runny mess) and I only got one piece of multigrain toast, which was as thin as tip top sandwich bread. The feta & sweet balsamic was nice though. Came to $47 for two (two coffees, burger and avocado smash) Yeeeeoch. Definitely overpriced for what came out. Three stars because they need to fix pricing or put more on the plate, but otherwise good local cafe.

With their ever changing menu, food on here is always delicious, fresh and kept interesting…read more Consistently good coffee and staff are always friendly, polite and willing to have a chat. Probably one of the best cafes in the area, and one not enough people know about!

Always looking for "new" places to try, I found this little gem yesterday, and tried it for dinner…read moretonight. It's in a good location with plenty of street parking and while there's not a lot of curb appeal, it sounded good, so thought we'd give it a go. The interior is a little odd; quite a mish mosh of decor. But it smelled good inside, so we were eager to see what the food was like. They took our order promptly, and were accommodating with requests. The food came out in good time, which was more impressive since they were doing a few take out orders. The entrees were nice. Generic chicken spring rolls and chicken curry puffs. They were really nice and would probably order again. For my main, I had the chicken fried rice and though it was really nothing to look at (presentation left much to be desired) the food was very good. The kitchen honoured our requests for changes to the dishes, and the mains also came out in reasonable timing. From a pricing point of view, I think it was very reasonable. Mains were in the mid teens, and on a par with other small Thai restaurants. Overall ... would I come back again? If I was in the area, I'd definitely come back again. There wasn't anything really bad about it here at all. Considering it's almost a 30 minute drive from home to it, I'd be more inclined to try elsewhere first. But if you find yourself in Sandringham and want a good Thai meal, give this a try for sure.

A great friendly Thai restaurant with excellent service and delicious food. All the Thai classic…read moredishes and very attentive staff.