I have eaten a lot of poke having grown up in Hawaii when it wasn't the latest fad but a way of…read morelife. Fresh fish. Different spices. Great flavour. Poke Me delivers more than just the seafood aspect of poke but an array of toppings to make it a great meal. For starters, I like the minimalist decor. It's almost easy to miss walking by as the new kid on the block, if it weren't for all the people shovelling down the goods. Walk up, order and wait for your name to be called. (Note: Only cards accepted - no cash!) The assembly line is more like a fresh deli, with big jars and bowls full of fresh veggies and proteins. You pay a set price depending on the protein you order - tofu starts at $12, chicken, salmon and kingfish are $14, tuna is $15. You follow the easy instructions above starting with the base - rice or salad, then protein, two long lists of toppings, and then your sauce. They have Korean rice, so yummy! Even their toppings go the extra mile with red pepper edamame, pickled cucumber with ginger, Kimchi, wasabi tobiko, two kinds of sesame, flavoured mushrooms, the list goes on. You can have it all! The portion size is extremely generous. I was super hungry and still could not finish it. Easy take away for a second meal! Fish quality was good for what could be called 'fast food.' Their sauces are spectacular too - traditional poke is shoyu style, but you can get two types of mayo, jalepeno, a total of five or six to choose or try a few. I'll definitely be back as this is the perfect summer food, leaving you feeling healthy and happy. :)

Despite how long it takes for them to prepare a bowl (over 10 mins), I'm very impressed by the…read morequality of the poke. I ordered one of their set bowls and it includes a variety of side ingredients. It's simple and good, as a poke bar should be. Seems most of their business goes towards delivery so there's plenty of seats. The price is fair and would come back for more if I was in the area.

I ordered the supposedly spicy "I lava spice" with sashimi salmon, spicy mayo, cucumber, tomato,…read moreedamame, wontons, jalapenos, and sesame seeds with brown rice. What I received was sweet. The crispy wontons were tasteless and soggy. The rice was not brown. The toppings were dumped on rather than mixed through. So, after eating the toppings you are left with gluttonous, bland rice. Not spicy at all. My friend only ate quarter of her meal also finding it bland. Gross. I feel sick. Uncomfortable seating. You might as well be standing. Friendly staff. Good concept. Definitely not Hawaiian. Limited seating. Not for groups. Overpriced Food is cold.

Great little Poke store in the Australia on Collins food court. Can mix your own bowl, or choose…read morefrom menu. Staff were friendly and helpful. Ingredients were fresh, food tasted great, and very reasonable pricing. Seating is in the newly refurbished food court (on top floor of the Shopping centre).

Fresh and quality ingredients with plenty of choice. You can either build your own bowls or choose…read morefrom a menu. There are also vegetarian options.

The food here is amazing. It it great value and the indredients are top quality. The poke bowls are…read morebalanced, tasty and healthy. There are two sizes of bowl, the $15 classic and the $23 sumo. I find the classic a perfect sise for me. You can get their bowl combinations, or choose your own. I like choosing my own. You can choose up to two bases, from brocoli kale, mixed grain rice, green matcha sushi rice and soba noodles. Then choose two proteins from raw salmon, raw tuna, prawns and tofu. They are all delicious but the prawns and tofu are mouthwatering. Following you choose up to 8 sides (toppings really) and sauce and sprinkles. My favourites include mushrooms, kim chi, edmame, zuchini pasta, jalapeno, furikake, 7 spice kewpie, wasabi sesami and the list goes on. If you want it to remain super healthy, maybe go easy on the sweeter, creamier sauces. I can't resist though. I've not been to the venue as I always order on Uber Eats. I can see this is going to be a summer favourite. The sushi roles are also fresh and tasty with thin layer of matcha sushi rice and healthy fillings. I've passed on this tasty, healthy secret to others who have also loved it. Don't change Poke King. You are brilliant.

Yep, I did it. For what I believe is the first time, I've given a first visit a full 5-star…read morerating. If you've read my reviews previously, you'll know I like to see consistency in a venue, especially in customer service, before upgrading an initial rating to an improved one. But Hana, you blew me away, and you deserve full credit. My wife and I love Hawaii; we go there once a year and have an absolutely amazing time...so when I read that Hana was going to be opening in May in Melbourne, my jaw dropped and I uttered a gleeful "ooooooo!" to my wife. Our initial plan was to have a cocktail or two, and try some of the seafood on offer. Within minutes, though, that plan was pushed aside and turned into "eat ALL the things!"... And so we did. We started with some of the croquettes and the poke with tempura crumb. This is not quite traditional Hawaiian style poke, but it is very much inspired by it. Don't be fooled by a lot of the new venues claiming to have poke in Melbourne, they are a long way off from what you'd get on the Islands, but, I'd say that Hana pays proper homage whilst still bringing something new and interesting to the dish. The croquettes were also spectacular, and it was pretty much after having a bite of each of these starters that we knew we were in for a wallet-busting evening. The tapioca crisps with poke had my wife clapping in glee. Incredible flavour, outstanding texture, a joy to eat. These were also top rated by me, but were a near tie with the crab/tempura apple/ginger. Both of these dishes floored us. The baby squid: Tender, delicate, delicious. Snapper ceviche: Another huge favourite. Incredible flavours, beautifully presented. Hiramasa Kingfish: This was also incredibly delicious, but I would say that the jalapeño was more of a "hint" than a "star" - and that is probably by design. Kingfish & jalapeño is a common dish around Melbourne, and Hana's variant last night let the fish be the star, rather than any of the associated spice or other flavours. Tuna & Watermelon: I loved this. I thought the combination of flavours, textures, everything, was really clever. One of the comments that my wife made during dinner was really quite spot on: It reminded her a lot of Morimoto Waikiki (now closed) and she's right - there was real thought put into these dishes, and as Hana had only been open 3 days when we went in, I actually can envision all of these dishes evolving over time. As they should. But the attention to detail, the balancing of flavours, the presentation, the freshness, it was all the very clever work of head chef Mario Manabe whose expertise (and pedigree in the industry) is without doubt. The drinks: Yes, I had the "sharknado" - Hana is NOT without its kitsch, so, if you're not into a bit of whimsy with your dining experience, move along. But the Hana Colada, oh to the emm to the gee. Outstanding. More please. Must have. Wine list is concise, and obviously meant to pair with the food on offer, you won't be disappointed here. We also had a bottle of white (Bourgogne Les Grandes Gouttes Chardonnay, 2014) that went perfectly with the seafood. Service: We were extremely happy with the service at Hana; they're still finding their feet, and you can tell some of the staff are still coming up to speed with how the process all flows, but, unless you're like me who pays (way too close of) attention to those minutiae of details, you'd think they'd all been working together for years. Very well done. Was it perfect? Almost. What kept it from being so? The music. This is a personal preference thing, but, the music was VERY loud (had to lean over table and speak up quite a bit to be heard by my wife), and wasn't my personal choice for dining tunes -- BUT, and it's an important but(t) -- the restrooms had authentic, soothing and beautiful Hawaiian music playing! When I returned from the facilities, I approached the person whom I think might be the manager and said if he reversed the music (put the Hawaiian in the restaurant and the loud dance/whatever tracks in the loo), he'd be my best friend. He laughed, and he told me that the music is only that way at dinner. During lunch seatings, they play the Hawaiian music in the restaurant. That's great to know, but, personally, I'd turn the volume knob down a few notches, and intersperse a few Hawaiian tracks with the electronic anthems. I admit, I was secretly hoping to have my Hana Colada whilst listening to Israel Kamakawiwoole sing his Over the Rainbow / What a Wonderful World medley. Maybe next time. Hana has great things ahead of it, and I know that it's going to be impossible to get a table before long; I'm overjoyed that we got be there on their opening weekend, and if they were open on Sunday, I'd be back tonight (yes, it's that good). Mahalo for the 'ono grinds, Mario and team at Hana!

Hana colada is perfection. Super friendly bartenders and spectacularly tiki decor and atmosphere…read more Definitely a must do for anyone who likes tiki!

We were looking for another cheap, tasty spot to try in the CBD and Purple Peanuts Japanese Cafe…read moresounded like a good fit. It's located right beside Perkup Cafe & Burger Bar (and across the street from Krispy Kreme). We dropped in on a Thursday evening (around 7:30pm). The inside is pretty small with16 seats but there were another 3 seats outside to people watch. The menu is up behind the counter. It's a bit hard to decipher but it's broken into cold, burgers, hot, hot stuff and noodles. There's also a bunch of pre-made items right when you first walk in if you're in a rush. - Matcha shake ($5.90 AUD) - green tea, vanilla bean, white choc & kirsch base mixed with ice cream, red bean, whipped cream and homemade matcha cookie crumbs. - Tsuke don ($13.50 AUD) - salmon sashimi marinated in mirin, sake, sesame and soy. Served with vinegar. - Beef curry soba ($11.90 AUD) - thinly sliced beef & veggies with buckwheat noodles in a mild Japanese curry. - Teriyaki chicken ($13.50 AUD) - flame grilled chicken marinated in soy, sake, sesame and ginger. Served with carrot and bean sesame salad and rice. Hit the spot for us.

Nestled across the Southern Cross station, among the multitude of eateries in the busy business…read moredistrict of Collins Street, one could easily passed Purple Peanuts without noticing its presence. Purple peanuts is a lovely Japanese cafe with a very intimate (a.k.a limited seating capacity) setting. Despite of their humble interior, their menu is certainly more grand, listing impressive variety of hearty home-cooked tasty meals at reasonable prices. Menu such as curry rice/noodles, hot burgers as well as sashimi salad are some of the things to look forward to here. They also carry wide arrays of ready made sushi rolls/sashimi and salad... hearty and healthy meals suddenly becomes so convenient. For my lunch, I ordered the Tsuke don ($12.50), which consist of premium salmon sashimi marinated in mirin, sesame soy and sake tossed with homemade pickles, salad and served on top of warm sushi rice. First of all, the presentation was creatively executed. Taste-wise, I love how the fish was fresh and well-seasoned, there won't be a bite where it's not flavorful! Adding to the already wonderful salmon was the mango, radish, onion pickle salad, which adds interesting sensation in each bite. Much love to this delicious dish! Even though this is a self-served place, the counter service was gracious and friendly. Overall, I had an enjoyable lunch at Purple Peanuts, its an affordable and unpretentious cafe serving up delicious, genuine Japanese comfort dish that satisfies the tummy & I guess that's the beauty of it :).

Milkshakes and Poke, only in Melbourne!…read more I made sure I dropped by Naughty Boy during my trip down under, and boy was it naughty (and SO worth it!!) Tried the Berry Cheesecake Instashake, and their Poke Bowl. The shake kinda scared me at first sight, and I wasn't sure I would be able to finish it, but it was love at first sip! The cheesecake on top was light but delicious. The poke was visually appealing but a little too salty for my taste. The shake evened it out though. Ambience: very minimalistic and millennial Location: easily accessible by public transportation (which I took). Didn't see much parking though. Customer Service: Delightful.

Naughty Boy, doesn't it sounds like a convincing place to have your breakfast?…read more Located on the quiet end of Lygon Street, away from the more bustling cafe scenes of Melbourne CBD, you will find humble nook that shook Instagram feed. The interior inside the cafe is rather spacious but felt a little more budget, industrial and rustic thanks to the major applications of " ripped" wall and exposed bricks. Their menu is quite impressive, listing typical big Australian brunch menu (e.g: brekkie roll, fancy toast and hotcakes) as well as their "not-so naughty" menu (e.g: oatmeals, acai bowl, etc.). No matter what you ordered here, you can always count on the pretty presentation! For my first visit, I ordered: * Pavlova Instashake: They have about 3 "Freakshakes" flavors to choose from (the other two options are Chocolate Nutella fudge and Salted Caramel). The presentation was just as naughty as I had hoped - kiwis, berries, meringue and fairy floss on top of coconut and almond milk. Taste-wise, I was expecting it to be a jar load of sugar, basically a diabetes in a jar... as an art form, but it actually was very subtle and tasted healthy! I was almost disappointed that it doesn't taste as sweet as it looks, lol. * Red Velvet hotcakes: The presentation was orgasmic to the eye; brightly red color, decorated with vanilla mascarpone, berries and sprinkle with popping candy. Almost crazy, but yet still delicious, with the hot cake being mildly sweet and fluffy and the popping candy adds an interesting sensation with each bite. I must say, Naughty boy is as naughty as the name suggest. The food is utterly gorgeous and whimsical. The prices were a little steep with the Instashake costing $12 and the hotcakes $18 but I guess it was worth every dime just to be on the naughty side... once in a while :)

This is another of the many cafes that seem to be located in the area where I work, though some of…read morethem do require a ride on the train to the next station. Actually, I vaguely remember going to a cafe in the area years ago, though I suspect that even if it was this one, it was probably the one that was here before this one appeared. Anyway, I rather liked it. It certainly did meet the standards of what I look for in the Melbourne cafe, particularly since it is located down a side street. So, the meal was good, the tea was good, and the service was good, so that should pretty much tell you everything.

Ambience was good inside service was great outdoor seating as well. Good menu and coffee but my…read morewaffles a little dry I thought they came with ice cream but it was no where to be found.

Good simple breakfast food. Sarcastic waitress Would…read morerecommend going here. Nice atmosphere

I love Slowpoke Espresso!! It was the best coffee in Melbourne!! The staff were extremely…read morefriendly!!! The atmosphere is quite pleasant!!

Everything was good. I thought the dishes here were well executed but slightly over complicated. I…read moreprefer more basic and clean breakfast items. Some were overly done as in sophisticated ingredients or composition. It looks like a very popular place. The fresh squeezed orange juice was great. Some dishes the carb to protein and healthy fat ratio were way towards the carb range. Not that I'm expecting that from a restaurant.

Great food but the chai ain't it. Busy place so make sure to be willing to wait. Pastries are also…read moregreat