Shoya Melbourne, Japanese Restaurant AUSTRALIA

I cant believe it is only a few more days till we usher in the year of the roaring tiger! It may be a good start for some of us and may also prove to be a rough start for others. Either way, its the journey that we go through that makes our life more meaningful. Are you a destination person or a journey person? In other words, regardless of the journey that you have to go through you must reach the destination or are you one that enjoys the journey and wherever the journey brings you to your final destination matters less... normally they say people who are journey people have more fun whilst destination people are more focus and well less fun! =P It doesnt matter whether you are the former or the latter, lets hope the new lunar year will bring us to where we want to go or to be and lets enjoy the experience along the way.

It is no secret that i am a big Lover for good Japanese food. Yes i do enjoy that Aud $2.50 sushi roll that i get off Melbourne Uni Cafeteria during my uni days but at the very same time i have also paid $25 for a sushi platter. Sometimes it is not the price you pay for the food but the quality of the food you are getting and the experience from eating these food that is nicely present to you with great articulation of art and technique.

Back in my uni days, i used to go to uni on average 4-5 times a week and work 2-3 times a week. My part-time salary allowed me to indulge in any kind of food i want without feeling guilty. Every now and then, I make it a point to visit SHOYA which is one of my fave Jap rest in Melbourne. I don't know if it is the most authentic one or the best one but definitely its the very few good ones around that is not too commercialize nor fusionised! Although I haven't tasted every single dish in Shoya (some hits and misses here and there) but generally, the food is of quality.

So what is SHOYA in japenese? Well I got this definition of their homepage and it translates to this : "SHO昇(rising)-YA家(house)"

Basically it is named so because of its rising structure with 6 split levels including smokeless Japanese style BBQ, traditional HORIGOTATSU style seating, fine dining tables, executive section with sushi bar, Karaoke and executive club lounge.

Now less yakking and lets get into the real gist of this post which is to introduce you to some of the food that i have tasted in shoya.

Lobster Tail $15.00/pc
Lightly flavoured lobster tail on soft Japanese omelette
covered with thickening sauce with chef's special ingredients

Chawan Mushi
Steamed savory egg custard with chicken, prawn, ginko nut Soft and nutritious side dish for all ages
$8.50

This is different because it comes in an egg shell and its visually stunning ! It tasted great too!

Kani&Hotate Fillo Age
Scallops wrapped up with fillo pastry and deep-fried with crab and peril leaf
$15.50

Nama Shii Hotate
SHOYA's signature and must try fired dish Mashed scallops softy surround the quail egg topped with a whole shiitake mushroom to make it perfect
$16.50
I don't remember if i love this dish but i remembered that the taste of the scallop is not as distinct as it should be. Visually it looked great but taste wise! thumbs down from me!

Unagi Canape $12.00/pc
Grilled Miso marinated eel canapé topped with crab meat and
fragrant French black truffle
On the bottom, a caramalised slice of unagi (eel) marinated in miso and is topped with sweet flakes of crab meat, some finely sliced chilli, salty poppy salmon roe and a decent slice of french black truffle. Nyummers! This one hit the spot!

Agedashi Yasai Tofu

Petit rounded and deep fried tofu with various vegetable mixture dipped in light soy sauce
$9.00
Probably one of my fave agedashi tofu! The sun and moon jap rest in Singapore one is also just as good but not as rich (as in flavour wise) as this one.

Beef Spinach Roll
Stewed Ox Tongue wrapped with spinach soufflé
served with lemon, basil yogurt
$32

This dish is heavenly and easily one of my fave of the lot!

I mean ox tongue can sound a bit disgusting to some but you have to try it to believe how it melts in your mouth and the flavours blend so well together its almost orgasmic like to the palete

Before they came out with the spinach souffle version of the ox tongue, they used to serve it this way which is different from now.The man tou soaked up the sauces from the ox tongue when its placed like a sandwich like manner between the man tou.


Ochazuke
Steamed rice in light Japanese broth with Salmon
$8.50

Jidori Kara Age
Young free range chicken lightly flavored and deep-fried - perfect for drinks as well as kids' favorite
$15.50

Sashimi Moriawase
Sashimi lover's feast – carefully selected and arranged by thechef to delight our eyes and mouth
Entree$19.80
Main$42.80

I can attest to the freshness of the sashimi. What's great about the sashimi is the thickness of it! Its thick enough for you to bite and taste every bit of the fish! You can feel the fatty juicy flavour of the fish oozing into your mouth!

Scampi Kinokoyaki
Grilled scampi topped with Japanese mushrooms and delicate miso paste Another signature dish of SHOYA
$28
The delicate flavour of the scampi and the sweetness of the scampi can be

Sushi Sashimi Moriawase
Assortment of sushi and sashimi selected by chef Perfect starter to share or seafood lover's main
$65.00

Poached Salmon

Delicately cooked salmon covered with salmon caviar to perfect its look and taste Enjoy its smooth and melting sensation in the mouth
$29.50

It comes to you sealed in the aluminium foil. You open it up like a gift and walaa you can smell the strong aroma of the poached salmon! I still like my salmon sashimi style if not pan fried! This didnt really do it for me unfortunately!

Broiled Duck Shoya Style
Thinly sliced and delicately cooked duck with tangy home made sauce
$15

Desserts

Yaki Daifuku
Pan fried Japanese dumpling with red beans wrapped with thin and sweet flour skin
$6.50

Ice Cream
green tea $4/pc

black sesame
$4/pc

Shoya Melbourne
25 Market Lane
Melbourne 3000 Vic

Today I will end my post with something that reflects the path that I am trying to work on which is to be enthusiastic in whatever i do. A quote taken by Ralph Waldo Emerson
"Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm."

"Success is jealous, and always demands much more than a mere interest. You have to love that which you do to an extent of almost getting obsessed with it. That obsession drives you to do the extra-ordinary, and makes you more likely to have an upper edge than just anybody else. It is what separates the good and the great. If it means a lot more to you, then be enthusiastic about it, and your pursuit for success will be more natural and unique."