Akachochin

(This is a continuation of the previous blog post. Please read that one first for this one to make sense.)

After eating TWO DOZEN oysters, Hong and I were still feeling hungry which was surprising because the hot weather usually makes me lose my appetite. I didn't want to order anything from the dining menu at the Melbourne Public Bar. I'm glad we didn't continue dining there because we stumbled on the glorious works of AKACHOCHIN, a Japanese fine dining restaurant which is also located in South Wharf. 

When people think of Japanese fine dining, they instantly think of the basic places such as Izakaya Den, Maedaya or of course the world renowned Nobu. Akachochin is relatively new and under appreciated. With much excitement, I am THRILLED to share this gem with you. I'm hoping that it will be in the top 10 Japanese restaurants on Urbanspoon, as it is currently sitting at a low 31 (with an amazing rating of 90%). Ganbatte ne!!!

いらっしゃいませ

Irasshaimase - which ultimately means "welcome". It is honorific and is used as a sign of respect towards the customer. Every single employee (except for the tall caucasian waiter) said it to us from the second we walked into the door until the moment we sat down.The Japanese have strong traditions and customs which Australia lacks HEAVILY which is really disappointing. Two of my friends from work are visiting Japan mid year, and I am looking forward to hearing their stories when they return (so jealous of you guys!!!).

Happy 18 months Giraffey, you're a big poop.

Because we didn't make a booking, we were seated with other duo pairs on the marble sushi bar. I didn't have a problem with that at all, because it was so enjoyable having a full frontal view of the head chefs doing their thing. The passion, the talent and their infallible care with presentation and food quality is exceptional. Behind the glass on top of the sushi bar showcased different types of tuna, salmon, fried egg and other vegetables. The colours were so vibrant and the food was frrrresh. 

We ordered a quail dish and was scared that our order was lost in translation (haha do you like my movie reference) because we were just served a quail leg to begin. The dish was called "Quail Karaage to Manju" which sounds more complicated than just a quail leg. Lo and behold, our quail was served last, and it was legless. I love the creativity, with something just as simple as that makes our experience so much better. 

Shiromi Uzsukuri $15.

This photo does not give the pieces of white fish sashimi any justice. I rubbed my fingers against the texture of the fish and was enchanted about the skill it took to cut the fish so perfectly and with great precision. I didn't like the tang of the momiji oroshi (the orange condiment on the plate) so I just ate the slices with spring onion. This is a MUST HAVE if you ever get the chance to visit this gorgeous restaurant. I uploaded this pic onto Urbanspoon because I was secretly very pleased with how the photo turned out hehe.

Outdoor eating is also available but it was too hot to sit outside.

Grilled pork belly with spicy teriyaki sauce - $15

Pork belly is my absolute favourite, as I have mentioned many many times in my previous posts. The pork belly was so soft and full of fatty juices which I LOVE. After we finished the two big pieces of mushroom at the top... nek minnut I made a smiley face (below) but then Hong told me not to play with my food especially not in front of the chefs :( 

But pork belly makes me happy. 

Alas! The REAL Quail Karaage to Manju - $19.

One quail cut in two, one quail egg cut in two, and a deep fried potato cake with quail inside. To those who are disgusted by the thought of eating duck or quail, you really shouldn't have anything to fret about. The taste is like no other: chewy, sweet and flavoursome. The deep fried potato cake wasn't too soft and wasn't too burnt, and had a good potato to quail ratio. By this point, we were feeling too full to move, especially from the oysters that we had earlier on. However, that doesn't mean there isn't any room for dessert ;)

Black Sesame Panna Cotta with Green Tea Ice Cream - $14

Oh my goodness...... *squeals with excitement* this was one of the finer desserts I have ever eaten in any restaurant. I've been meaning to try Yeonga as I've heard that their desserts are excellent! Next to the green tea icecream is some sort of sweet red bean paste and the strawberries complimented the black sesame really well. The panna cotta had a really nice wobble as soon as I put my spoon in. It didn't have a grainy taste, but the sesame snap on top of the green tea ice cream gave it a good CRUNCH!

You probably would have noticed that throughout this blog post, I mentioned that Akachochin was "perfect" and "exceptional" more times than one. It deserves all the recognition and praise that I can give. The waiters are very efficient, yelling out 'service' as soon as the food has finished being prepared. The sushi bar chefs probably had a bit of a chuckle at my poor efforts to say Japanese phrases such as delicious and thank you. I will definitely return to Akachochin on another special occasion, as it is a bit too dear on the back pocket to be able to eat there regularly. I can only hope that Japanese food lovers can appreciate their dishes and people who are yet to try will fall in love with Japanese cuisine after here.

Akachochin
Address: 33 Dukes Walk, Southbank VIC 3006
(near the Exhibition Centre and DFO South Wharf)
Contact: 9245 9900
Hours: Tuesday - Sunday for Lunch 12pm - 4pm and Dinner 6pm - late.
Price Range: $$$ and a half
Website: http://www.akachochin.com.au/

Maedaya

Usually when I am writing my posts, it is late at night and I am comfortable in my pajamas with food in my belly. Today, I am feeling more hungry than usual (as it is 4:30pm and all I've eaten so far is a croissant) - and I feel tortured looking through food photos for this post. NOW I KNOW HOW IT FEELS when my loyal readers open Instagram or Facebook, waiting for my photo to load but already knowing that it's probably another food photo. SORRY GAIZ!!!

On a more interesting note... I went out for an early Christmas dinner last night with my high school sweethearts A & S. The weather was lovely as we made our way to Maedaya Sake and Grill, a small Japanese tapas restaurant with a big heart. The restaurant is mostly black, with the wall and ceiling covered by thick rope. My initial thought was already pleasing, and the tapas menu did not disappoint.

Can you imagine a small square table with three girls opening up a four page liftout??!!!!!? One side for food and the back of it for beverages, which are all alcoholic I should add. The business card lists "Toshi Maeda" the owner of the business as the 'sake master'. If I didn't have work the next day, I probably would have ordered one of the many pretty drinks to see what the fuss is all about! There is always next time I guess :)

Itadakimasu! Let's break down all the tapas.

The flippin four page menu! 

All the colours are so vivid and the pictures make you tempted to order more and more and more. 

Lovely presentation. 

To begin, we were given a little cup of dried up food which tasted like mixed nuts.

To end, we were given grape flavoured candy with the bill.

It's the little things that really count and make good impressions.

Pork Belly / Yaki Buta - $9.50 

When you think of pork berry, you always envision the three layered crispy skin pork, greasy, fatty and delicious, no doubt. This pork belly was extremely tender, and broke apart when you tried to pick it up with your chopstick. I wouldn't say it was worth the price, but the flavour was a lovely contrast to the crispy pork. The pork just melts in your mouth and was kind of refreshing. Do you see that yellow condiment in the top left hand corner? That's mustard and it tasted dissssggussstttinggggg!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Japanese Pancake / Okonomiyaki - $13~

I don't want to be mean but this is on par with food court Jap pancakes that you can buy for $4. It was a bit too soggy and salty for my liking, even though it was made fresh and placed on a stone grill. Try to opt for something else if you're going to be tempted to order this.

Inside out susssshiiiiii - $10-$15 I can't remember 

Aren't the colours so lovely? Maedaya should take pride in their food styling presentation, as the sushi looked amazing, and tasted equally as amazing. As you can see from the image below, our sushi had salmon and avocado which is a lovely combination, even though it is pretty standard. Both ingredients have so many healthy aspects to it, your body will benefit from something so tasty! 

My cute little sushi piece. 

Gyoza - $6.50

You seriously cannot go wrong with pan fried dumpling. Pork. Spinach. Chicken. Mushroom. Any sort of dumplings, really. I should have eaten it as soon as it came out, as it had cooled down by the time I got to it. Cold dumplings is not oishi at all. (Oishi is Japanese for delicious). We ordered gyoza after the first three orders above. There wasn't enough filling inside which I was really disappointed about, but I guess the servings will go well with other dishes, as they are all small portions. You could really taste the flavour of the mince and cabbage inside which I thoroughly enjoyed.

Maedaya's speciality! Skewers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Pork Belly Asparagus (above) and Chicken with Garlic Salt. They were under $4 from memory. 

I love asparagus, only eating it for the first time this year. I ordered a grilled salmon from Mocha Jo's and asparagus was the only side vegetable they had and I couldn't be bothered changing it to broccolini. Since then, I get excited with I see asparagus on any menu! For this dish, the asparagus acted like the skewer, with pork belly wrapped around it (as pictured). If you know anyone who dislikes asparagus or if you know kids that hate their greens, wrap it around in meat! Problem solved.

The garlic salt skewer tasted like Vietnamese nem nuong (pink pork patty), sprinkled with garlic salt. We weren't going to order the skewers, but we felt as though we couldn't end the meal with gyoza, and walk away without trying the famous skewers. They are worth the $3-$4 a stick. It makes you feel as though you are in a night market, or gives you an illusive feeling of being in Japan.

Such a sweet chef who let me take photos of him. Sorry for being a weirdo, the skewers just looked so freakin good. His hair looked like Krusty the Clown's, but in black. 

 Green Tea Pot - $4.50 each.

Given my high level of appreciation for anything related to tea, this is probably one of the cutest tea sets I've seen! Judging by the photo, they look tiny!!! It was great pouring tea into a smaller size teacup, as the tea cooled a lot quicker. My other favourite teacup/teapots include the clear teapot from David's Restaurant and the blue and white china from Myer Mural Hall. 

Overall, I would probably rate Maedaya with a 7/10, only because I tried very limited dishes and didn't enjoy a glass of sake. The wall of the bar is filled with bottles and bottles of alcohol, including my favourite Choya Umeshu. It's sweet taste comes from unripe plums placed in the bottle. It's rather expensive, I think it is $40 for the large 750mL bottle. I will return to Maedaya and I will endeavour to try more things on the menu. The salt and pepper squid salad looked really interesting. The waiters were prompt, helpful and had an enthusiastic attitude all the time. 

Maedaya 

Address: 400 Bridge Road, Richmond VIC.

Contact: 9428 3918 

Hours: Monday to Saturday from 12pm - 2:30pm and 6pm - 11pm

Price Range: $$ but they add up if you order heaps of dishes, it's tapas after all.