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PCL

By PCL
in Australia & New Zealand: Dining

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PCL

PCL

Posted
Posted

Hiya people, old friends and new ones.

I've been away far too long from the boards, this one anyway, and for that, I'm sorry for not keeping in touch. Especially Dan. Life deals weird hands sometimes, and in seeing a few rounds through, I've had to cut back on eGulleting, although my weight has not noticeably suffered.

And now I come slinking back for advice...

I'll be in Melbourne for a short visit, attending a wedding over the Grand Prix weekend, and will be looking to eat out Friday night and Sunday and Monday and Tuesday nights...

There'll be some old favourites, like Kenzan, and maybe the European, but if there's anything that counts as a must-eat, please please let me know.

"Coffee and cigarettes... the breakfast of champions!"

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austramerica

austramerica

Posted
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If you will be in Melbourne between May 30 to June 3 (as I will be there even longer than that...as least 3 weeks) ....checkout the Melbourne Food and Wine festival. It will be interesting...

austramerica

Life is short: Break the rules...Forgive quickly...Kiss slowly...Love truly...Laugh uncontrollably...And never regret anything that made you smile. Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we're here we should dance...
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sandra

sandra

Posted
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NOBU!!!

Go to Nobu, in the Crown Complex - it's outstanding

If you have been to the ones in NY or London, you will not be dissapointed, if you haven't, you will not be dissapointed!

www.nutropical.com

~Borojo~

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Shinboners

Shinboners

Posted
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I've been away far too long from the boards, this one anyway, and for that, I'm sorry for not keeping in touch. Especially Dan.

Let me know if you've got time for coffee.

Or just come over for a weekend lunch and I'll get some good bread, cheese, and other stuff.

Unless, of course, you're talking about some other Dan. :raz:

Daniel Chan aka "Shinboners"
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PCL

PCL

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If you will be in Melbourne between May 30 to June 3 (as I will be there even longer than that...as least 3 weeks) ....checkout the Melbourne Food and Wine festival. It will be interesting...

austramerica

As a former Melbourne resident (that sometimes gets homesick) the MF&W was never a highlight of my year. I simply found it too superficial.

"Coffee and cigarettes... the breakfast of champions!"

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PCL

PCL

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I've been away far too long from the boards, this one anyway, and for that, I'm sorry for not keeping in touch. Especially Dan.

Let me know if you've got time for coffee.

Or just come over for a weekend lunch and I'll get some good bread, cheese, and other stuff.

Unless, of course, you're talking about some other Dan. :raz:

Thanks Dan. Coffee is a definite possibility. PM me your mobile number please?? I'm in town from the 14th to 19th at least.

But stay on topic mate! Where's good to eat these days?

My folks went to Interlude recently and were not totally gushing in their feedback.

"Coffee and cigarettes... the breakfast of champions!"

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PCL

PCL

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NOBU!!!

Go to Nobu, in the Crown Complex - it's outstanding

If you have been to the ones in NY or London, you will not be dissapointed, if you haven't, you will not be dissapointed!

So the Nobu machine has rolled into town. Yes, have tried the Ubon in London, and almost tried the Nobu in NY, and friends in France have been urging me on to try the one in Melbourne, but to be honest, I'm looking for less event-oriented dining (after spending recent months in Europe and having had a gut-full).

How's about notable eateries in and around the inner suburbs?

"Coffee and cigarettes... the breakfast of champions!"

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Shinboners

Shinboners

Posted
Posted (edited)
How's about notable eateries in and around the inner suburbs?

This is second hand (with 2 kids, I don't dine out much), but I've heard plenty of good things about Ginger Boy and Mo Vida.

Ginger Boy is Tegue Ezard's take on Asian street food, whilst Mo Vida does the tapas thing.

Oh, and there's the Press Club which has received rave reviews for their take on Greek food.

Edited by Shinboners (log)
Daniel Chan aka "Shinboners"
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annachan

annachan

Posted
Posted
NOBU!!!

Go to Nobu, in the Crown Complex - it's outstanding

If you have been to the ones in NY or London, you will not be dissapointed, if you haven't, you will not be dissapointed!

Nobu? I'm sooooo jealous! Don't even have one of those here at home, in San Francisco!!!!! Good thing we're planning to move to Melbourne next year. :biggrin: Can't wait!

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  • 4 weeks later...
jkim

jkim

Posted
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Shiranui in Glen Waverley - oh my, it's good.

Second the rec for Mo Vida.

Also Longrain for Thai; I much prefer the Melb branch to the Sydney.

According to my friends (I have never been), Shiranui is a waste of money.

Too expensive, for heavily seasoned stale food.

Only the freshest fish is worth eating raw.

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Shinboners

Shinboners

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According to my friends (I have never been), Shiranui is a waste of money.

Too expensive, for heavily seasoned stale food.

Only the freshest fish is worth eating raw.

I've been to Shiranui a few times for lunch. It's not quite the sublime, mind-blowing experience that I was expecting, but it's still very good.

I don't know why your friends would think the food was stale or the fish wasn't fresh. There was nothing wrong with the quality of the ingredients that they use there.

Daniel Chan aka "Shinboners"
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PCL

PCL

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First of all, it was really good to catch up with you Dan, and about food reports from Melbourne, I'm very proud to say I only dined out twice while in Melbourne!!

Once at Gill's Diner in the City, which is a bit of a St John's/Fergus rip-off, oops, sorry, homage is the PC term, and the ever reliable Tea House on Burke, Camberwell. I'll post about those shortly.

And kim, I think you really should form your own opinions rather than blatantly slandering a place based on 3rd hand information. Plus, there are some sushi variations that use seasoning, especially on oily fish such as mackerel, and on occasion tuna and swordfish. Although I haven't been in a while, Shiranui has always been held in high regard in my books.

"Coffee and cigarettes... the breakfast of champions!"

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jkim

jkim

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And kim, I think you really should form your own opinions rather than blatantly slandering a place based on 3rd hand information. Plus, there are some sushi variations that use seasoning, especially on oily fish such as mackerel, and on occasion tuna and swordfish. Although I haven't been in a while, Shiranui has always been held in high regard in my books.

It is possible that between the time you went, and when my friend went, the place has changed. It's only a possibility but I think the other scenario is more likely.

My friend went there about 2 months ago from the recommendation of some westerner workmates. I've eaten with the friend in question for over 15 years and know his tastes in regards to fine foods, and I trust his judgement, so am unwilling to pop $100pp on fish not worth that kind of money "just to form my own opinion". According to him, the fish was "only as fresh/stale as the stuff found at chain restaurants like Sushi Sushi, and highly disappointing compared to others at that price level such as Kenzan".

For your information there is the old saying that "sauces hide the quality of the ingredients". Japanese sashimi seasoning / sauces are much weaker than any Korean variant, regardless how heavy. However, many Koreans, including my friend in question, can tell the freshness of the fish even with the heavy Korean dressing. So I highly doubt that the seasoning had fooled his palate.

For example the typical Pusan sauce for raw fish consists of: chilli powder, chilli paste, white vinegar, sugar, salt, sesame oil, ground wasabi and a hint of soy. This is extremely heavy seasoning compared to anything the Japanese use. Until you try this sauce on fish and tell me honestly that you can tell the freshness of the fish, I will rather trust my friend's words than yours.

I have also read at various other "review" websites, other comments that mirror exactly the experience my friend described. If you want, I will dig them up for you and link them.

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PCL

PCL

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Substantiation in any form is always welcome.

If you'd posted with more detail, then it might have gone over a little more smoothly.

If they are indeed using Korean seasonings, then paaahhh. Boo. Hiss. Off to Coventry for them lot.... Outrageous! Send in the Clowns!

"Coffee and cigarettes... the breakfast of champions!"

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jkim

jkim

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If they are indeed using Korean seasonings, then paaahhh. Boo. Hiss. Off to Coventry for them lot.... Outrageous! Send in the Clowns!

Oh I'm not saying that they are using Korean seasoning. I am saying that Korean seasoning on sashimi is generally heavier, and many find it difficult to ascertain the quality of the fish under such seasoning. However I do know for a fact that the friend in question is capable of this, which is my reasoning as to trust his words on this matter.

http://www.eatability.com.au/au/melbourne/shiranui.htm

This is the only review I can find at the moment that mirrors what my friend described. However, I am finding a lot of positive reviews from the Age Epiculture (which I do not trust, due to their glowing review of Goshen, a Korean restaurant in Fitzroy, and which I would say is pig food with too much sugar and salt [no msg though] to disguise the fact).

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Shinboners

Shinboners

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I've eaten with the friend in question for over 15 years and know his tastes in regards to fine foods, and I trust his judgement, so am unwilling to pop $100pp on fish not worth that kind of money "just to form my own opinion". 

You could always go there for lunch. They have a set menu option which will cost you less than $20. That would give you a good basis on deciding whether you should give it a try for dinner.

Daniel Chan aka "Shinboners"
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jkim

jkim

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You could always go there for lunch.  They have a set menu option which will cost you less than $20.  That would give you a good basis on deciding whether you should give it a try for dinner.

Do they do lunch on weekends? I can't go there during weekdays because I work in the city.

On another note, I'll list some places I went to fairly recently with <my personal experiences>.

Mercers: <very disappointed>

With all the reviews surrounding this place I was expecting something special. Boy was I disappointed. I treat mum to a birthday dinner. My parents both had the roast veal. My wife had the snapper, and I had the duck. The snapper was NOT fresh. It had that subtle smell that says "hey I'm older than a day old, and the chef doesn't know how to cook me". The duck was a 1/2 1/2. The saucy part (wings?) was absolutely foul. The sauce was full of muddy curry from what I could tell, and it was just all sloppy. The breast was a bit better. The spices on it worked well with the meat for a very nice flavour. However, the meat was overcooked to be too dry, even in the middle. The veal was nothing spectacular... just a bit better than the average pub fare. I was NOT impressed and will not be returning.

Italy 1: <surprisingly good>

From the name and from the fact that this was a franchise, I really wasn't expecting much. But I was pleasantly surprised to find good food. Price was a bit iffy, but the food was good enough that my pocket didn't feel too sore. I guess the biggest surpirse for me was that this place didn't have raving reviews like the others on this list.

The Point: <disappointing>

The entre at the point was ... well... reason enough not to return. We ordered the assorted entre (5 different entre), and we were comparing them with the degustation at Alevansi, back before Wilkinson left and it became a crappy greek joint. For a AGFG 1 hat place, we were looking for much better tasting food than that. It wasn't the ingredients. The ingredients were fine. It was just the flavours. Original flavours can sometimes be good, but not always. We chose demure mains of steak and seafood risotto. These classics were extremely good, and we could see why the place was awarded from the mains, but disagreed with the award because of the inconsistency (bad entre).

Breezes

I've returned to this place quite a few times, and every time I found good food. I've never had the seafood there, which is the ultimate guide to freshness of ingredients, and maybe I should. But the food we have had to date has pleased me so far.

Number 8

This is our favourite restaruant at Crown by far. It's a bit pricy, but the food made up for it. We found it strange that the Brasserie had a 1 hat rating while this place didn't, and the only thing that the Brasserie did better (in my opinion) was the bread rolls (which has to be the nicest in Melbourne).

The Melbourne Oyster Bar

OMG this place is so overrated and so completely crap. I have no idea why people enjoy this place. All the seafood is stale, and heavily salted in order to mask the staleness. I dumped 350 bucks (for 4) here to eat crap food that tastes like a mixture of salt and urine. I can't believe so many people on the internet recommended this place...

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Shinboners

Shinboners

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You could always go there for lunch.  They have a set menu option which will cost you less than $20.   That would give you a good basis on deciding whether you should give it a try for dinner.

Do they do lunch on weekends?

I don't think it'll too difficult for you to get their phone number and give them a call to find out.

Daniel Chan aka "Shinboners"
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jkim

jkim

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I had the answer in front of me all along.

Name: Shira Nui

Location: 247 Springvale Rd Glen Waverley VIC 3150 East

Ph: (03) 9886-7755

Genre: Restaurants

Cuisine: Japanese

Business Hours: Lunch Tue-Fri noon-2pm. Dinner Tue-Sun 6pm-10pm

Average Price: $28.0

Price Guide: Entrees $5-$14.50; sushi and sashimi $17-$30; mains $12-$24

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PCL

PCL

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Cool, I was going to search it... next trip i'm in town, in about 4 weeks, i'll be sure to drop in for a meal... JUST TO SEE

"Coffee and cigarettes... the breakfast of champions!"

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Shinboners

Shinboners

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Cool, I was going to search it... next trip i'm in town, in about 4 weeks, i'll be sure to drop in for a meal... JUST TO SEE

That gives you 4 weeks to think up a good excuse to come to Shiranui mid-week and have lunch with me.

Daniel Chan aka "Shinboners"
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