I love that this place doesn't have all the ubiquitous Thai carvings, chunky wooden tables and…read morepictures of some far off beach or temple hanging on the wall. I mean, I like that and all, but it always makes me daydream about lying on the beach rather than focusing on the food in front of me. Thai Food To Go shuns that "typical" approach and fills the space with old vintage tables, mis-matched tables and fun hand written signs proclaiming "BETEL LEAVES!! $1.70!". Betel leaves? Oh yes please! It's not often you find these in "normal" priced Thai restaurant and they're a great way to get some flavour in to your gob while you wait for the rest of the dishes to start arriving on the table. A little leaf piled with coconut, dried shrimp, lemon, chilli and other magical things... you roll it up and shove it in your mouth and chew furiously while trying not to slap the table in ecstasy. Yeah, I kind of like them. Everything else here is pretty good, with the strifries abundant with veggies, though a little light on the chilli. My tip, if you can handle the heat ask them to give you extra chilli.

This is good classic Thai food done the way it should be…read more The food is tasty, the staff friendly and attentive, the layout kitsch and cute. What more could you ask for.

Chiba used to occupy a much smaller venue on Hall Street closer to the Mt Alexander Rd end. They…read morewere pumping then, always having a full dining room so I was interested when they moved to see if they could keep it up. They can! The food is fresh and tasty. The Kaki Fry (fried oysters) is one of my favorites and never fails to satisfy. The sushi is delicious and creative. The staff are friendly and helpful. The restaurant decor creates a good atmosphere however this is let down whenever the phone rings. The ringing tone sounds like a poker machine and gave myself and my guest an unfortunate vibe last time we visited. This aside Chiba is a great Japanese restaurant that i will continue to visit.

As someone who consistently seeks new flavours, experiences and techniques, Chiba Japanese…read morerestaurant has again proven its longevity after I've returned for yet another of its simply and expertly executed meals. The decor is modern and the furnishings clean, with finesse that is uniquely Japanese, setting the tone for the meals that rapidly flow from the kitchen. Fresh & traditional dishes are served by polite wait staff who weave through the often fully booked restaurant efficiently and professionally. All levels of flavour preferences can easily be met; you will often see children with their parents at the first dinner sitting, and popular Western favourites like hand rolls and teriyaki chicken also grace the menu. This however, is not what should be expected as the standard from Chiba, as they offer dishes for a more refined palette like takaki beef and octopus sashimi. Comfortable, impeccable and very reasonably priced, Chiba Japanese restaurant never disappoints.

The food was delicious and arrived quickly. The best thing though was the staff as they were all…read morevery friendly, efficient, attentive, and basically just really lovely. They checked in constantly with us and ensured we had everything we needed. Thank you! 10/10

Buffet cost only 29 per person and u can order all the food on double-sided menu. (There is booklet…read moremenu and perhaps not for buffet). The seaweed salad and beef carpaccio were excellent. Others are normal as other restaurant. Beside the food I really like the environment. The service was excellent as well, fast and high quality.

My wife and I are visiting from the States. We love sushi and were lucky enough to find Shoya on…read moreour first night. The fish was incredibly fresh and delicious. We sat at the sushi bar and watched Chef Shigeo work. What a treat! The man is wizard with a knife. I think we're going back tonight.

We would never have discovered Shoya at all had it not been for the small write-up it received in…read moreThe Age Good Food Guide. So off we ventured to Melbourne's Market Lane one Friday night with a strong craving for good Japanese food in our bellies and our minds. Shoya is a large, multi-levelled restaurant so there's never much trouble getting a table. We opted for a regular table rather than the horigotatsu style (sunken tables) or seating by the sushi counter. I have now been to Shoya twice and the only seating I've yet to try is the by the sushi counter, but I can tell you that the sunken tables are more fun than the regular ones. Their sake list is excellent and I really recommend overlooking the wine list for a good sake (not that the wine list isn't good, but you know, when in Rome/a Japanese restaurant...) or placing your order with your very professional waiter and letting them match a sake to the dishes you've selected. By the way, if the menu gets to be too much, there is no shame in opting for the degustation or omakase. This way you know you're letting the chef show-off his best and finest dishes to you. Order from the menu though and you will be rewarded with immaculately clean and balanced flavours. Try the agadashi dofu and the Hokkaido spider crab legs (lightly battered and fried, and to die for).

Food 8/10 Decor 8/10…read moreService 6/10 but they were understaffed Friendly staff with Japanese backgrounds made this place more authentic. It took a while to get served but they were very accomodating. Great Sashimi and gyoza along with a great selection of local and imported beers. A huge range of sake is available. Dishes start at $6.50 and the platter for 4 is a must at $85. Gyoza Gyoza restaurant is next door but they share the same kitchen. They allowed us to use both restaurant menus to eat from. Very happy with that as we love Gyoza.

What a surprise! I was looking for a bite to eat late one evening and happened upon this wonderful…read moresushi restaurant in CBD Melbourne. It wasn't obvious from the sidewalk a night, and I wasn't sure what I'd find as I walked down the steps to the basement location, however I was amazed at the size and cool vibe as I turned the corner into a large and modern restaurant. The food and service were great, Including offering to provide 1/2 servings because I couldn't decide between the two recommended main dishes. Definitely an "I'll be back" experience.

Disappointed with this choice. hard to find with just a simple easel sign in an office type…read morebuilding entrance. Absolutely empty on this Tuesday night. Red flag. No one at the sushi bar or anywhere else. Moldy smell throughout which is a problem since this place is below ground. But to save a star, a great selection of sake. Menus are dirty and disorganized. Not easy food selections. Food was just ok. Too many other better options in the areas.

This place feels genuine and high-end. From walking in on their stone-tiles-on-pebbles entrance to…read moresitting down to funky twisted cutlery (ok, small shiny things amuse me) - this place immediately makes you realize you're not going to get a stale two-buck-fiddy California roll served to you. The staff were friendly and the restaurant was clean, clever and inviting. This place was nice and warm when it was freezing and windy outside. The selection of food is what I would call high-end Japanese. I'm not a Japanese food expert but their menu sounded well rounded. You can choose to eat traditional dishes like sashimi or raw tuna and oysters, or go for their selection of steaks. They had a wagyu steak for $70+. Sounded amazing. However, I went for the green peppercorn and it was so tender and soft. Loved it. They also gave us what I can only describe as potato salad/coleslaw starters. Unexpected food items are always nice and these things tastes amazing. Wish they had a whole main meal of these things. Overall, an excellent night. Thought this place was fantastic.

Oritas, just off Toorak rd, is a superb japanese fushion restaurant! I felt that I had transfered…read moremyself back to Japan the moment I stepped in and our evening could begin! We were a big group and the service umpeccable! The food gets 5 stars from me and if you're looking for a true japanese with a mix of today, go here!

Ichiban Japanese Restaurant @ Doncaster East…read more Lunchtime... We were a large group 12 adults w/ 5 kids.. another table was of similar size and the 3rd and 4th group were tables of 4.... didn't see others in restaurant at the time The GOOD... Management willing to be flexible and acknowledge short comings.. "see the bad" nothing that cant be fixed.. floor staff need to be better trained to deal with large bookings, hangry (hungry n angry) patrons and kitchen better prepared The BAD... it is an ALL YOU CAN EAT with a 90min time limit.. and a food wastage charge of $5 / 100gram... this is fine but.... if kitchen is not prepared and the first complete order is not even served after 50min has passed! There is obvious room for improvement. the psyche of an all you can eat patron is... he is on the clock!!! "I'm going to this place to eat as much as I can!!!" With the expectation that he'll be booted out if he doesnt finish in time.. there is also the expectation that he gets what he wants and fast!! the all you can eat patron cannot wait n wait n wait... and that is exactly what happened! No food for 30min and even then what ever was brought out was gone in 3min due to our large group. with no sustainence in stomach that then feeds the brain??? The "hangry" orders more and more. There is something seriously wrong here!! why is there still no food??? the dribs n drabs that is served - gone.. After an hour and 10 minutes have past.. there was only 20min left before times up! So the hangry got even more hangrier!! ... worse still NOT FULL??? O M G! Repeat of Ishin in Forest Hill... The YUMMY At an all you can eat, there is expectation of quality and if there are small short comings it can be forgiven but none of that here! The sashimi cuts were of high quality!!! Thick and fresh. No skimping eg at Ishin! The rolls were ok as expected from an all you can Japanese places though they load it with dense rice. So avoid repeated orders for rolls.