My first choice for lunch today was Epocha but unfortunately they're still limited to their "streamlined" Food & Wine Festival menu, and as I actually like some input into what I eat I cancelled my reservation.
So what does a hungry man do when he finds himself at a loose end in the city? Why, Yelp of course! Ishiya Stone Grill - a Japanese Restaurant in Little Bourke Street's Chinatown - won the dining gig based on its consistently excellent reviews (admittedly proximity had a hand in the decision making process as I wasn't in the mood for a long walk).
I'd had my heart set on the tasting menu at Epocha so I thought I'd try the equivalent here. They have a number of options in this area, but I opted for the Wagyu Beef Combination Stonegrill. This costs $57.90, but I ponied up the extra $12 for the optional entree.
The set started with miso soup. Nothing unexpected, but as a fan of miso soup I mean that in a good way. My entree was next - Yaki Hotate; baked scallops with creamy miso and mushroom sauce. This was reminiscent of the scallop I had at Saigon Sally last night, but the latter's green curry sauce edged out this version. However as there were three pieces in the serving Ishiya is arguably better value overall.
Next up was seven pieces of salmon sashimi. Again, nothing out of the box but what can you do with raw fish except to ensure it's market fresh, which this was.
The main was described on the menu as a "tasting rhapsody of different cuts of Wagyu" which consisted of some oyster blade, chuck roll and rib finger skewers and rice. As the name suggests, the meat was served raw on a block of hot stone, then transferred to a side plate. You slice the steak and lay it on the stone to cook, then dip it into one of the four sauces that accompany the dish (they all work well but my personal favourite was the sesame which was creamy and slightly sweet). If your stone gets cold before you finish eating they just bring you another.
I really enjoyed Ishiya Stone Grill, as much for its unusual serving method as the food itself. Service is fast and friendly (when I was struggling to decide which of two sakes to order my waitress bought a cup of each for me to try) and for the amount and quality of the food, I think it's good value for money. read more