Monday 4 August 2014

Shyun Ramen Bar, Carnegie

Shyun Ramen Bar on Urbanspoon
Finding a good japanese ramen in Melbourne is so far still a challenging hunt, especially once we've tried the ramen in Japan's ramen stores. There is one we really loved in Melbourne in the city, but I'll save it for another post!

We thought we'll give Shyun Ramen Bar a try. My wife ordered a pork ramen with miso base soup and I ordered a tempura soba with fish broth. The order is made at the cashier and paid prior serving. At the time of visit, only cash is accepted.

My wife thought the ramen is okay but not as good as the one we had in Japan. The egg was cooked well (still soft and golden in the centre) but the overall presentation and everything in the bowl was somehow lacking love from the kitchen. The soba I ordered was excellent (especially the broth), but the portion is quite small. I was not satiated, thus not satisfied.

Overall I don't think we are getting value for money here and so won't be coming back again.

Tempura soba with fish broth

Pork Ramen in Miso base soup

Brunch at The Hardware Société, CBD Melbourne

The Hardware Société on Urbanspoon
We went to this place as we're planning to go to Melbourne Zoo one Sunday after searching urbanspoon for a place to have brunch. This place has a very good review and we can see why.

It is best to come early as there are many customers. Once your name is registered by the waiter, you'll just have to hang around till you're called.

I ordered the pork belly while my wife ordered the baked egg with chorizo with latte for two. The food that came out looked really elegant. It's more like fine dining food in a casual restaurant in my opinion. The food was cooked to perfection despite being so busy. The latte was excellent. I can see why there are many people coming in for takeaway coffee despite the crowd.

We really enjoyed our brunch experience and would really love to come back again when we get the chance.

Pork Belly


Baked egg with chorizo


Beautifully presented latte

Another latte with a different presentation

Sunday 3 August 2014

Udon at Umaido, Box Hil

Umaido on Urbanspoon

We haven't found great authentic udon in Melbourne yet but the one at Umaido is pretty close to the ones we had in Japan. We went in just as the store has just opened, so everything has just been freshly prepared.

The udon here is springy and light. The soup base is just nice too (not bland yet not overpowering), very refreshing. The tempuras are unfortunately not as crunchy because they are pre-cooked before the store opens - which is to be expected as tempuras are normally made to order for immediate consumption. For a self service store, I don't think it is possible for them to do that.

Overall, we enjoyed the udon at Umaido. It definitely brought back memory from our trip to Japan.

Udon with tempura as side