Shoya Melbourne

On a rainy night, we took a drive through Chinatown... and stopped by Shoya, a Japanese restaurant for their degustation menu. Actually, it was an early Valentine's dinner because Gaz had to work on the day itself.

Unagi Canape - Grilled miso marinated eel canapé topped with crab meat salad, Salmon caviar and truffle. I love eel, and this one melted on my tongue, no fishy smell. Very nice.

2. Golden Perch - Lightly grilled miso flavoured perch topped with tomato mousse,
foie gras, and semi dried Mullet Roe. The foie was really great! Perch melted on our tongues, blended together with the creamy foie... good combo.

3. Sashimi Moriawse - Selection of kingfish, toro and salmon served in an ice bowl.

Spot the gold flake on top of the kingfish (which was the best fish in the selection), from Tassie. So decadent!!

4. Beef Spinach Roll - Stewed Ox Tongue wrapped with spinach soufflé served with lemon, basil yogurt. This one melted on our tongues! Best dish of the night.



Side order of chawan mushi. Disappointing.. texture and flavour was good, but it had bamboo shoots in it (I dislike bamboo shoots - usually none of those in the ones I had) and nothing much else.

5. Crab Tempura - Whole ‘Taraba’ crab leg deep-fried in tempura style. Crab from Hokkaido. It was like eating a drumstick, except much longer.

6. Fish Steak - Chef selection of fresh fish fillet, served then laid on a bed of teriyaki sauce and sesame vinegar. That night's selection was tuna. Least favourite entree of the night. Tuna was rough in texture, presentation was messy.

7. Wagyu Beef Steak - Wagyu eye fillet dressed with black truffle, enoki, shiitake miso sauce. Note to self - truffles are overrated! By this time I was so full and so ready to go home (it was 11pm) that I only had half the dish. The wagyu was not as tender as I thought it would be. It was served with:
8. Mixed Rice - Mixed tasty steam rice with chicken, vegetables and mushrooms. Truly just mixed rice... a bit bland.
9. Miso Soup - Miso soup with seaweed, tofu and chopped green onions which was just normal.

10. Chef’s Dessert - Chef’s selection of home made dessert. After a series of beautifully presented dishes, this to me is a most thoughtless dish in terms of presentation. Flavour wise it was great. Sea urchin cheesecake, sesame pannacotta. The pannacotta was nicely wobbly and I love cheesecake.