Aoi Tsuki - Melbourne

Final omakase in Melbourne was one that I had the least amount of awareness off, so went in with no expectations. Only opening in 2023 in South Yarra, it was a baby compared to Minamishima, but I had heard whispers in foodie circles that the quality of the food might be just as good. I absolutely had to investigate this claim. 

Being located on quite a busy road in South Yarra, it was slightly easier to get to than Richmond. The shopfront wasn't as refined as Minamishima, but what they lacked in pretence, they made up for with warmth and hospitality. There was a small waiting room for customers to sit at. We were individually welcomed into the seating area by the friendly manager who referred to each and every one of us by name throughout the evening. The attention to detail was very impressive. 

There were 12 diners that night, seated at the sushi counter with two chefs. Unlike my experience the previous night, both chefs were friendly, talkative and inquisitive. They made excellent conversation throughout the meal and struck just the right balance of curiosity without being invasive.

The omakase was priced at $255 per head, we were provided a drinks menu. I opted for the classic pairing at $155 per head. 

I have to start off with a shout out of the water. It has long been a pet peeve of mine for restaurants to sit you down and ask "still or sparkling?" without letting you know that both those options come at a cost. I really respect Aoi Tsuki for taking the moral high ground and just filling up each of our glasses with water, without trying to scam a couple more dollars when the meal is already priced as it is.

Our first course of the day was the very creative Blue Cheese Chawanmushi. The blue cheese was lightly whipped and not overpowering, but strong enough to give flavour to the silky smooth egg. It was unique and the flavours worked really well together.

Next was the Pomfret Nimono with Seasonal Vegetables. This was a lot more traditional with a sweet soy and dashi flavour to the simmered stock. The fish was flaky and tender and complimented the assorted veggies well.

Steamed Abalone and Liver Sauce was a highlight for me. The abalone was rich and tender, full of fresh seafood flavours that were not overly strong. The liver sauce was smooth and creamy and went with the small amount of rice really well. 

I'm not too sure about the attraction, but Braised Tako is also a regular on omakase menus. This iteration was fairly delicious with a sweet soy base, and a generous portion of tender octopus.

 

The two courses before nigiris started to come was the Shiitake Mushroom & Prawn Tempura and the Sage Infused Suimono. I love a good tempura and this was crisp with light batter. The prawn was fresh and the mushrooms were fragrant. The suimono was light and delicate with the signature woody fragrance of sage, a perfect appetizer for our sushi courses.

 

Unlike the night before, Aoi Tsuki had a strong focus on nigiri and it was the highlight of the course. Rather than being spread throughout the meal, it was centre of attention after the multiple appetizers. I have to say this is my preferred order of dining. First nigiri of the night was Aged Snapper. Lightly savoury, meaty and umami, it had an almost citrus taste which was very appetizing.

The Aged Alfonsino was richer and more buttery, coupled with a deeper umami flavour. The touch of ginger on top cut through the flavours well, providing balance to the bite.

The Aged Kingfish with Confit Garlic Oil was another highlight for me. It melted in my mouth with its intense savoury and umami flavours. This was only elevated further with confit garlic oil. It's definitely a touch that I really enjoyed and will look to recreate at home.

The Amadai Tilefish Urokoyaki Handroll was really interesting and my first time encountering this fish. Hot oil is poured over the fish with scales still in tact, making them very crispy and almost bloom into a flower. Contrasted to the intense crisp scales, it had a delicate sweet flavour with a very clean profile.

  

The Aged King George Whiting with Grated Sesame was sweet and had a much firmer texture than the fresh iteration. It was more savoury than usual and the added char gave it much more depth. Paradise Prawn is never my favourite nigiri, but this was still probably the best version I've had. Plump and sweet, it was delicious.

The Swordfish was rich and meaty with a texture that tasted almost like a steak but had a silky smooth texture.

Our next course was the optional extra Hokkaido Sea Urchin. This was the only faux pas of my experience at Aoi Tsuki, because we were offered the extra course but were not told of the price. I also would have ordered it anyway, but I could definitely feel that when everyone is asked about it openly in front of the rest of the diners, there was a level of pressure to just say yes. Price wise, it was far more reasonable than minamishima's additions, at $25, but I feel that the experience would have been a lot more enjoyable if they had just made the menu $280 and included this as a standard inclusion instead. Taste wise, you can't go wrong with fresh short spine sea urchin and it was a delightful morsel.

Our next piece was the Akami Bluefin Tuna Shoyuzuke. Even though it was called akami, I think quite a few other stores would pass this off as a chutoro given its fatty right side. I loved the added soy marinade the tuna was soaked in.

Final piece is always the most decadent Otoro Tuna with Caviar. It was as good as the ones I've had in Japan and the caviar added an extra umami burst to the piece. This was definitely a highlight of the meal.

After the sushi, we had a mini Negitoro Tuna Chirashi with Ikura. It was only a couple of mouthfuls and it left me wanting more. The tuna was decadent rich, but balanced out by the mini chives and wasabi. I loved the added ikura pearls.

The Japanese A5 Kumamoto Wagyu with Foie Gras Snow was a classic pairing but I really enjoyed the creativity of freezing a foie gras and then grating it so it came out with a light but silky smooth texture.

Futomaki combined quite a few elements of the fish we had earlier into a generously filled roll, allowing me to re-experience the joys of each fish again.

Grilled Saba Mackerel Ochazuke was warm and wholesome. I am enjoying mackerel more and more these days with its strong flavour and dense meaty flesh. This was lightly charred to perfection, served on top of rice in a light seafood broth and it rounded the meal out very well.

The Tamagoyaki was expertly created. It was silky smooth without too many oversized air bubbles and tasted like a sponge cake. 

Dessert was a Red Bean Cream Cheese Monaka. It was surprisingly flavourful with the powdery texture of red bean coupled with its fragrant scent. I liked the contrast with the crisp monaka.

 

 

 

Throughout the night, I was served six generous pours of various sake. I am by no means a sake connoisseur but really appreciated the manager coming around each time to explain to me what the next glass was and why it was selected at this point in the meal, I learned a lot and was able to appreciate the pairing considerably more. I particularly enjoyed the Shinpaku for it's crisp fruity flavours, making it a stand out for me.

Overall, was my experience at Aoi Tsuki perfect? No. There were a few things that they could have improved on, but overall it was the best meal I've had in Melbourne. The omakase is reasonably priced, service was unparalleled and this will be a place I come back to every time I go to Melbourne.

Price Range: $280pp including the premium add on

Taste: 9.5/10

Value: 9/10

Service: 10/10

Environment: 8/10

Minamishima - Melbourne

Its hardly a gourmet trip to Melbourne without at least one meal at the acclaimed three hatted Minamishima, which has been serving traditional Japanese Omakase in Richmond for the last 12 years. It was the first place I made a reservation for when I knew I would be going down. Arriving just before 6, I was hoping to be seated early inside, but in true Japanese fashion, I was asked to wait until exactly 6pm when they opened. 

 

I was seated at the end of the counter, quite far away from the chef. As such, he had minimal interaction with me throughout the evening. Their Omakase is currently priced at $325pp, which was on the expensive side for Melbourne. Other than the base price, there were a few signature add ons that waitstaff offer to you at the beginning. Prices for the add ons are high and it was for that reason I abstained from the gold leaf sushi that I would have really wanted to try, since I couldn't justify the extra $120 price tag.

Service was somewhat unexpected that evening. There were only 12 customers at the counter and I counted more than six staff. When the ratio is at 2:1 you would ordinarily expect service to be very attentive and thoughtful but that was not my experience. Throughout the evening I had to wave down a member of staff to get service, after trying without success to get their attention. Staff did work hard in changing plates and topping up water, but they lacked the warmth and friendliness I would have wanted and it felt more like everyone was going through the motions of another dinner service. It was a bit disappointing.

  

Starting off with an aperitif, I had a matcha sake martini. Bold and strong, it was balanced out by the intense earthy matcha flavours. It was a premium beverage with a premium price tag but fitting for the occasion.

The first course was Lobster, anago and hatsumushi in a dashi stock. It was delicate with rich umami undertones. The lobster was fresh and crisp, the lotus root gave the soup stock a starchy texture and the anago was lightly savoury. It made for a very appetizing morsel.

Unlike other Omakase restaurants, Minamishima has their nigiri courses integrated throughout the banquet, rather than as a stand alone highlight in the middle. Our first nigiri of the night was the Ika. It was a thick plump slice that was tender and stuck to your teeth in a way that a fresh piece of calamari always does. It was expertly sliced, putting the chef's skills on full display.

Next was the Minamioosuzuki. I haven't had this before but it is also known as a Hapuku. It was delicate, clean and firm.

Our next nigiri was the far more familiar Kinmedai. It was lightly torched. The skin was very crispy and the meat had a mellow umami flavour to it. It was particularly enjoyable complemented with the light saltiness of the crisp nori.

Selecting from the robust and richer selection of sakes, I opted for the Kirei 92. Having learned that sake is better the more polished it is, it was interesting to sample such a bold but well balanced sake.

The sake paired especially well with our next course, the Kamo Rakkasei Chawanmushi. Duck Foie Gras was rich and smooth, balanced out by the silky smooth steamed egg. Delicate and bold at the same time, the taste lingered on long after we finished this course.

  

Three nigiri came after that, the Hotate and Engawa. The scallop was pristine and as sweet as you would imagine, with a firm texture. Engawa is really growing on me and compared to the one I had at Norimaki, it was even more richm buttery and fragrant.

I'm never a huge fan of Ebi, because I consider it to be fairly standard no matter where you go. In this instance it was a bit better than the usual, with also a very fresh and sweet flavour and a smoother texture than the average.

Our next course was the very warming Shabu shabu A5 wagyu with daikon. The beef was cooked to a prefect medium rare. The daikon was helpful in cutting through the richness and the dashi stock bound it all together very well.

Of all the optional extras, I only opted for the Oscietra Caviar Nigiri. This single nigiri was priced at $60. It came served on top of a small perilla leaf and was topped with a silver foil. I was a bit taken aback by how small it was, and perhaps I am a bit spoiled by Katsuya offering me far more Oscietra Caviar at a far more reasonable price, but felt very much not worth the price. I do note the skill the chef had to form the nigiri without use of nori to maintain its structural soundness. Taste wise, it was of course delectable with its popping bubbles of umami goodness.

Our palette cleanser came in the form of a Shiso and Rhubarb Sorbet. Lightly sweet and very tart, it definitely reset our taste buds for the rest of the course. The texture was also light but very smooth for a sorbet, to a point where it was almost creamy like a gelato.

This was the Nodoguro Gohan. It was a cooked seaperch with a seafood seasoned rice. The skin was lightly charred to release the oils under its skin, making the rice all the more fragrant. Even though I prefer raw fish, the firm meat was still very enjoyable for me.

The course then continued with three more nigiri, the Ikura and Katsuo came next. Like the other caviar nigiri, the ikura was skilfully assembled to stand on its own without need to have a piece of nori to hold it together. The bonito was one of my favourites of the night, firm, savoury and silky smooth, it had a very bold and intense flavour that I loved. 

Final nigiri of the night had to be Otoro. It was lightly seared and sliced to release more of the oily goodness. Rich and decadent, I wish I could have had many more of these.

All sushi courses are concluded with a Tamagoyaki and Minamishima is no different. Light and spongy, it was like a cake more than an omelette. 

The savoury portion of the meal ended with Awabi, Saiko Miso Broth. The abalone was firm but also tender, with a bite that was a bit like al dente pasta. It had a savoury flavour to it reminiscent of the sea and the dashi in the miso was also very fragrant.

Both dessert courses, being the Yomogi Creme Brulee and Japanese Tea Chocolate came at the same time. The creme brulee was earthy and grassy without being overwhelming. The texture was silky smooth and contrasted by the crispy burnt sugar. The Japanese Tea Chocolate was also not too sweet, with rich matcha, gemaicha and hojicha flavours respectively. Both desserts were washed down with a caramelised hojicha that cleared our palette after such a decadent meal.

Overall, I really enjoyed the food at Minamishima. Every element was executed with a high level of precision, demonstrating the chef's skills. Having said that, as I hinted at earlier on, when you are paying this kind of price for a meal, it's not just a matter of the food being skilfully crafted, but you also have to have a pleasant evening. To that point, the chef and staff  didn't really care to make the experience particularly hospitable. There was no warmth and no care given to the customer. The additions to the course felt like a money grab and I left feeling like another figure on their income statement. It was good to try, and the food itself was delicious but I will not be back and I can't really recommend it.

Price Range: $325pp base cost. $$$ for extras

Taste: 9.5/10

Value:  7/10

Service: 5/10

Environment: 8/10