Picky Piggies: Japanese

Looking for something "cool" and insta-worthy? Burwood's newly opened Roji Monster might just be the place. With some Japanese influence this place's main attraction is their shaved ice ("monster ice cream" as they call it). It is a popular dessert in Asia, especially during the summer time. Roji is actually a chain from Taiwan, which we've tried before when travelling in Asia.

Currently there are four flavours available including milk, Uji matcha, French cocoa, and black sesame. The most impressive thing is there are 25 kinds of toppings to choose from. Besides shaved ice, Roji Monster also has things like waffles and mochi just to name a few.

How to order shaved ice?
The ordering system is kind of interesting, you first pick a card with the flavour you want, then pick two stamps with the toppings you want and stamp the card before handing it over to the staff.

Uji Matcha $14

It is no secret we are tea-lovers, and so we had to pick the Uji macha. For the two toppings we got the salted cherry jelly and the rice dumpling (a.k.a. mochi) w/ hojicha jelly. The shaved ice was relatively fine and you can taste the matcha. We didn't enjoy the two toppings as much, the cherry blossom jelly was firm and pretty much flavourless. The mochi was bland and the hojicha jelly wasn't anything better.

Monster Waffle $14

We really liked the waffle, unlike an ordinary waffle, this one felt more like a pancake with a crispy outer shell and a soft cake-like centre. The sweetness for us was just perfect. The only drawback was the softserve being too sweet, otherwise the consistency was great.

Food: 5/10
Service: 6/10
Atmosphere: 6/10

Highlight:

Insta-worthy
Nice waffle

Lowlight:

The shaved ice was interesting, but not something we'd order again

Website: N/A

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Just when you think December can't get any hotter, think again...a new Japanese-style pub grub just landed in town with a menu centering on food on a stick. Kushiyaki simply means skewered food that is cooked over a grill. This type of street food is popular in Japan, and is considered a good way to relieve stress after a day of work. The atmosphere is generally casual and lively. It is the perfect place for friends to gather over a glass of cold beer accompanied with a selection of vegetables and meat skewers without finding yourself bankrupt the next day.

Sitting around the grill counter provides a perfect view of the chefs in action, which also means it can get a little smoky.

Ordering is pretty straight forward, if you are unsure of what to get just turn to the skewer cabinets. There are plenty of poultry and non-poultry skewers to choose from, and honestly they all look ridiculously good.

Scallop & Bacon $7.50; Shitake Mushrooms $6; Spinach,
Cheese & Bacon $6.50; Enoki Mushrooms & Pork Belly $6.50

Sukiyaki & Wagyu Beef $8.50

King Prawn & Pork Belly $7.50

Beef Hanging Tender & Capsicum $8

Cherry Tomato & Pork Belly $6; Wagyu Extreme Loin $10; Fresh Lettuce & Pork Belly $6.50

At Goryon-San instead of seasoning the skewers with sauce (Ta-re), they are simply seasoned with a little salt after grilling. Nevertheless, the skewers are still delicious and packed with flavours.

Our top picks were the sukiyaki & wagyu beef, tomato & pork and lettuce & pork.

Hakata taki Karaka Gyoza (6pcs) $22

We have had plenty of gyoza before, but nothing like this one here. This Gyoza served in spicy tonkotsu broth is something that is worth trying, and we were impressed. Almost like having a wonton soup, the gyoza was plump and soft, the soup was nourishing and slightly spicy.

If you are looking for a place to chill-out, Goryon-San is the perfect place for it, with a great vibe and good food.

Food: 9/10
Service: 6/10
Atmosphere: 7/10

Highlight:

Great ambience
Food was good overall

Lowlight:

Apart from the sukiyaki wagyu beef , the other beef skewers were just ok
At times, the smoke from the grill can a little intense

Website: https://goryon-san.com.au/

3 comments

When it comes to ramen, Sydney is in no shortage of chefs with different takes on the matter. There can never be too many in our option. RaRa is a new ramen joint that has recently joined the family, and so far the only ramen place that we know of with as much focus on the char sui as the noodles. Using free range pork, each piece is grilled to a perfect char after being slow cooked.

With a small no-nonsense menu, RaRa is sticking to the basics with a classic tonkotsu, and options for black garlic, chilli and miso varieties. There is a soy broth for those who want a lighter soup, vegan option is also available. We came on a Sunday evening around 7pm and most broth bases had sold out except for the tonkotsu and miso.

RaRa Tonkotsu $16.90; Extra Char Sui $3.50

What really surprised us was the broth. It was creamy, milky, bursting with umami, and incredibly smokey. The only downside was we didn't get enough broth in this bowl, which was a shame. Perhaps the kitchen was literally running out of broth!

We liked the grill-finished char sui, which added the extra smokey element to the soup. The noodles were al dente, made daily onsite using RaRa's own ramen machine. A letdown was the char sui didn't cook for long enough, leaving it with a chewy texture.


Tonkotsu Miso $17.8

After trying the original tonkotsu, this miso version was disappointing. With such a beautiful broth, we felt the miso didn't do it justice and had overpowered it's original aroma. The char sui was slightly better in texture.

The team was friendly, however, the service was a little slow with only two girls on the floor. We waited in queue of about 15 minutes.

Food: 5/10
Service: 6/10
Atmosphere: 6/10

Highlight:

Amazing smokey tonkotsu broth

Lowlight:

Char sui was chewy
An already small menu with many items not available didn't leave us with many options (or the ones we wanted)

Website: http://www.rararedfern.com.au/

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Finally a place bringing Sydneysiders the famed towel roll, which is the latest dessert to catch the trend in Asia. We've been wanting to try this for a while, so the Piggies are here to report our findings 🐷

Double Sauce Omurice $19.8

As well as specialising in towel rolls, Moka actually has a small food menu serving Japanese style comfort food. We got the half-half omurice with demi-glace sauce and Japanese curry sauce. The demi-glace is a Japanese style beef stew, and the Japanese curry has the usual carrots & potatoes and the somewhat unusual minced meat. We expected the rice also to be half-half - plain and fried rice - as per the menu, and were a bit disappointed that it was all plain rice. Taste wise, it's similar to what you can make at home with the instant curry blocks available at Japanese/Asian grocers.

Pork Katsu $5.8

For less than $6, this pork katsu meets the expectations. Albeit it was a small portion the pork was well fried with a crunchy crust.

Matcha Towel Roll $18

...the highlight and reason why we are here! We were surprised by how soft the crepe was, with the smooth creamy filling it was a simple but delightful dessert. The crepe was so delicate that you can eat this cake without teeth 😲 We could taste that Moka used high quality matcha. As tealovers ourselves it would have been even better if it was a bit stronger. The towel roll also comes in chocolate and taro flavours, and we'd be keen to try them too!

Food: 6/10 (towel roll itself would be 8/10)
Service: 6/10
Atmosphere: 4/10

Highlight:

Towel roll lives up to expectations

Lowlight:

Food and decor can improve

Website:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Restaurant/Moka-577411852601398/

1 comments

Just like the name suggests Wagyu Ya specialises in wagyu, and the best way to enjoy it is "Yakiniku" style, which is Japanese for "grilled meat". With an array of options for different cuts and grades, this is as good as Australian beef gets. The meat is cooked over a charcoal grill to fully render the fat and give it a unique flavour. Just to be sure, there are also à la carte and non-beef dishes.

Aburi Wagyu Uni Nigiri $10ea

Our beef feast began with the wagyu nigiri. With a slice of uni on top the nigiri was torched giving it a nice smoky touch. The buttery uni also added a mellow sweetness.

Ox Tongue Steak $23

First up on the charcoal was the ox tongue, it was not the usual thin slices we anticipated. With an interesting chewy texture, almost like pig kidney, it carried a distinctive flavour.

We decided to try the M7 cuts this time after having sampled the M9 cuts on our previous visit. Although the M7 cuts have a lower fat content, there is still a fair bit of marble evenly distributed over the meat.

Our different cuts of wagyu were combined and presented in a box on a bed of fresh greens . The restaurant was very thoughtful to place a name tag next to each cut so we knew which cut was which.

Cooking the meat is simple, as soon as the meat gets a nice char on one side flip it over to the other side - the whole process takes less than a minute (for those who like their meat well done you can leave it on the charcoal for a touch longer).

M7 Wagyu: Oyster Blade $25; Rump $25; Chunk Roll $22; Tri-Tip $25

The oyster blade was tender and meaty with minimal chew. The rump was very similar to the oyster blade in terms of texture and flavour.

The chunk roll was incredibly tender, fatty, and coated in delicious beef oils. It overloaded our palates with savoury flavours.

The tri tip was thinner than the other pieces, making it quicker to cook. It was just as marbled, if not more, than the chunk roll. This was the most tender cut of meat.

M7 Wagyu Rib Finger $19

The rib finger was the most dissimilar cut, which ultimately made it the most interesting. It is a thicker cut with more chew to it. When biting into it it's like a sponge bursting in beef oils.

I always think that meat and charcoal are best friends. There is something about cooking meat over charcoal that adds another layer of depth to the meat while retaining the natural flavours.

Pork Belly $17

We also got a plate of pork belly to complete the whole BBQ experience. The pork belly was tender and not overly fatty.

Mushrooms $6 & Asparagus $9

Being healthy piggies as much as we try to be, we got some veggies which gave a nice break from the meat's heaviness.

So, what's the difference between M9 and M7? Well the M9 almost melts in the mouth, while the M7 has a more meaty texture. Our personal preference is the M7 as you can have as many slices as you prefer without letting the greasiness get to you. Our top two cuts of the day were the tri tip and the chunk roll.

Food: 9/10
Service: 7/10
Atmosphere: 5/10

Highlight:

Quality wagyu from M7 to M10+ grades

Lowlight:

Wish there was a joint in Sydney serving equal grade wagyu
Unavoidable smoky environment

Website: http://wagyuya.com.au/

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With a twist to the European deli/restaurant idea, Calia brings to Melbourne diners an affordable Michelin-starred-chef-designed menu featuring Asian inspired dishes, artisanal desserts, and gourmet goods. Almost 18 months after its opening, the place is still jam-packed with people. Does it live up to the hype? The piggies are here to do some digging!

The shop half is almost as big as the restaurant with produce sourced from local Australian suppliers as well as some imported goods that may be hard to find elsewhere.

Cake Cabinet (from Bibelot)

Crispy Roast Pork Bowl $17.9

This bowl tantalised our piggy snouts with its amazing visual presentation. The dewy 63°C egg was incredibly runny, coating the rice in sticky, gooey egg yolk. However, the pork itself was disappointing. The crackling wasn't crunchy at all, but rather tough and chewy. The meat was lukewarm, dry, and didn't have much flavour.

The King $18.2

Don't be deceived by the looks - these aren't "King" worms crawling over rocks. The Alaskan King crab legs were topped with a generous amount of sweet miso mayonnaise and then torched - a simple and delicious dish.

Salted Egg Yolk Chicken $11.9

Calia's take on Taiwanese Fried Chicken cleverly featured the use of salted duck egg yolk, another traditional Chinese ingredient. The chicken was a bit overcooked, but no matter, the egg yolk carried the dish.

The Marbled Sukiyaki Bowl $16.9

The tender beef was flavoured well with the sweet and gingery sukiyaki sauce and the runny egg. However, the quality of the beef was average, and there was a slight gamey taste.

Matcha Latte $5.5

The matcha latte was almost too cute to drink... and that's fine, we ordered it for the latte art an have to say it was money well-spent. The drink only comes sweetened as the matcha is premixed into a syrup.

Matcha Mia Tiramisu $10.9

As we dug into this dessert our spoon easily glided past the layer of soft matcha cream, sinking into the coffee-drenched lady fingers. It was not overly sweet but a bit dense for tiramsu.

Matcha Lava Cake $15.9

We completed our 3-course matcha experience with the signature lava cake. Hot and cold; matcha and chocolate; smooth and crumbly - this dessert was full of contrast, and everything paired well together. The bittersweet rich matcha centre added additional complexity to the already bittersweet chocolate cake. This was our favourite dessert of the day.

Hojicha

Being tea-lovers we also ordered the Hojicha, which looked absolutely serene and elegant. Unfortunately, the taste didn't live up to the aesthetics. There was a mere whisper of hojicha in the thin brown layer. This dessert should have been better named the Plum, as the sour plum centre dominated the overall flavour and we didn't really know what the hojicha was there for.

We could definitely see why Calia is a popular destination for friends and families. The environment is modern and casual, and conveniently located in a shopping mall in the heart of Melbourne. The price is affordable and the menu is extensive. Most of all, the food looks pretty, and certainly instaworthy. Nevertheless, for fellas looking to satisfy the palate as much as the eyes, this may not be the ideal place.

Food: 5/10
Service: 7/10
Atmosphere: 8/10

Highlight:

A cool atmosphere
Diverse menu
Affordable prices

Lowlight:

Not for serious foodies

Website: http://calia.com.au/

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