Uminono - Melbourne

Last week I found myself on a private business trip in Melbourne. Having not been in the state for a lot longer than I would have liked, I took the opportunity to acquaint myself to the dining establishments I'd been scoping out for a while. First off my list was Uminono, which I had long wanted to visit ever since reading Harvard Wang post about it. Other than Fridays, they only offer lunch sessions, so I made a point to go right after I landed. 

Rushing in, I was greeted with a friendly smile and seated at my favourite spot, the sushi counter. I was also able to get a peek of the beautiful dry age fish on display in the cabinet near the door.

  

The menu was succinct but elegant with a focus on sushi but with a touch of french flair to the dishes. I opted for the lunch Omakase at $145, comprising of two entrees, nine nigiri, a hand roll and dessert.

Starting off with a Sake Martini, it was smooth and rich, a perfect indulgence to start my meal.

 

Starting off with the two entrees, my first was the requested Negitoro Hosomaki atop a cucumber sushi. I was also given a cup of complimentary fish bone broth. The negitoro was rich but also refreshing, the flavour of negi was on the lighter side and it had a delicious added crunch from the cucumber. The bone broth was also deep and umami, with a rich meaty scent that lingers in your mouth after.

Second entree was the braised calamari with edamame. The calamari was a tad on the saltier side for my liking, but it had a strong soy miso flavour to it. This was elevated by the creamy texture of edamame and the strong earthy scents of bonito. 

Starting off with the nigiri dishes, I had the Kingfish. After being dry aged, it was slightly sweet but very much umami. The texture was firm but plump and the slice was generous.

This was the Paradise Prawn, served raw with even the tail peeled. It was ridiculously fresh and sweet with a soft bouncy texture.

Mackerel was never my favourite fish, but it has significantly grown on me in recent years. This slice was particularly tasty, with its dense, buttery, silky texture and savoury taste, lifted with the dab of ginger garnish.

The Snapper was silky smooth with an almost nutty flavour to it.

One of the most unforgettable bites I've enjoyed on this trip was the seared scallop nigiri. With just the right amount of char to give it a little bit of caramelisation, it really lifted the already sweet and fresh scallop to new heights. 

In contrast, the Ikura was a fairly standard bite for me. I love ikura, but there was very little to separate this piece of sushi from any other ikura sushi I've had before. 

Next up was the soy marinated Akami. It was lean and meaty, infused with the umami of soy along with the intensity of tuna. I really enjoyed this bite.

 

The most decadent pieces came last, being the Otoro and the Salmon belly. Both were buttery and rich with a melt in your mouth texture that I loved. These were definitely above average, even for omakase standards. 

The handroll at the end was also creative and bold in its choices, utilising both salmon and cashews as filling. I was so intrigued by the chef making it that I forgot to take a closer picture of it after being served. Suffice to say it was delicious. Savoury, buttery but also with a complementary nutty crunch of cashew that worked really well in the roll.

There was but one single dessert on the menu, aptly named "the one and only", comprising of  raspberry, vanilla and gianduja. Not only did the flavours provide a deep contrast against each other, with the tart freeze dried raspberry, the smooth vanilla and light foamy gianduja, there was also a contrast in textures with a crunchy cereal type base to go with the vanilla. Expertly executed, it is a dessert that I will reminisce long after the meal.

In spite of the fact that I came in with sky high expectations for Uminono, the team delivered and exceeded them. I highly recommend a visit and will most definitely return next time I'm in the area.

Price Range: $145pp for Omakase

Taste: 9.5/10

Value: 9/10

Service: 9/10

Environment: 9/10  

Pho An Dien - Inala

A couple of weeks ago, I was lucky enough to enjoy a day off work to run errands without looking at the clock. As is usual for me on days like that, I also took the opportunity to take mum out to lunch and enjoy some quality time together. That day, we found ourselves at Inala and tried out Pho An Dien, which I had walked past many times but never been to previously.

Despite the fact that it was a weekday, we were still  pressed to find a table and managed to only get the last one. The menu was fairly standard fare for Inala and covered all the essentials. Of course, we were really only there for one thing though.

Starting with a serve of spring rolls, these were on the pricey side at $12 for four. Freshly fried and plump, they were satisfying, but I couldn't help but think that it was very expensive for Inala pricing. 

My least favourite element of the meal came in the form of my drink. Time and time again, I go to Inala and order a hot Vietnamese coffee, to be served a packet of instant Vietnamese coffee. Every time, I still take the gamble and get another one to be disappointed again. The instant coffee was excessively sweet and could have been creamier, but it provided the requisite caffeine hit. 

 

As with all the restaurants in Inala, our food came out exceptionally quickly.

Mum had the special beef pho whilst I had the rare beef pho. For some reason my soup came out considerably more oily than hers. The soups were deep and umami but also light and herbal. Toppings were well done with my sliced beef being just the right shade of pink, lean and flavoursome. We did find the portion sizes to be on the smaller side though and could probably have gone for a bit of extra noodles. Overall it would definitely rank as an above average offering, even in Inala but not enough to be my top pick.

Perhaps I hadn't noticed prices in the area but I did get a slight bill shock when our lunch came to a grand total of $57, definitely not a figure I was expecting for a light meal for two, but I suppose that's a sign of the times, and given how competitive pricing is in the area, I don't think other stores would have offered me a better deal.

Price Range: $25 - $35pp

Taste: 8/10

Value: 7/10

Service: 7/10

Environment: 5/10 






 

Jiancha - Brisbane CBD

Was very excited to hear of the arrival of a new bubble tea chain, Jian Cha, to Brisbane's CBD. I hadn't heard of it before, but after a bit of research found that they specialsed in Thai drinks. We just happened to be in the city the day after their opening, so popped by their George St branch to see whether there was a queue or not.

We were lucky enough to get there with no one else queueing at all. The shop was bright and flashy.

Like a lot of the other bubble tea stores in Elizabeth St, there were a few benches a the back of the store.

Even though we didn't arrive too late in the evening (approx 8.30), a significant selection of their drinks were sold out and a number were also not yet available. This meant we had to choose from a fairly limited amount. I was very keen to try their thai milk tea, but this will have to be something for a return visit. Prices were on the higher end, with quite a few options reaching the $12 mark.

Ultimately, I ended up with the Iced Latte, whilst Dr L had the mochi jasmine milk tea. His jasmine was fragrant and at half sugar, still quite sweet. It was served with a spoon as well as a straw, because the mochi couldn't be easily sucked up with the straw alone. I tried a bit and found his jasmine flavour to be on the artificial side and not something I would have gone for. My iced latte was on the underwhelming side, and didn't taste any different from capsule coffee with cold milk. What did make it worse though was the fact that I had a bit of food poisoning after the drink which left me with a somewhat unpleasant evening. I'll still give them the benefit of the doubt and come back for the thai milk tea, but unless it's exceptional, I don't think I'll be back after that.

Price Range $5 - $15pp
 

Taste: 6/10

Value: 6/10

Service: 8/10

Environment: 8/10 

Franc Jnrs - Mermaid Beach

Pizza isn't what you would think I would make a trip down to the Gold Coast for, let alone plan an overnight trip. But we did exactly that for a chance to dine at Franc Jnrs at Nobby Beach. Last time we drove past it we saw the extensive queue and since then it's been on my mind, and hence we found ourselves one evening in Nobby Beach queueing for a table, even though I had made a booking beforehand (and paid a deposit for the table).

Other than it being very difficult for us to get a reservation, the booking sizes were also limited to 4 - 6 people, which meant we had to cull some from our original party of 9. I could see why the party sizes were limited though, the booth we got was fairly squishy for six and there weren't any larger tables.

For a pizza place, there was quite a significant amount of different types of pizzas on offer, with regular round pizzas as well as the deep dish detroit pizzas which we were definitely keen on.

 

Cocktails were well priced too. I had a whiskey apple whilst Dr L had a Margarita. They weren't particularly strong but fun and fruity.

First pizza to arrive was the Jalloppy Poppy. The base was fairly thin and the crust was also fairly fluffy with a good amount of char. Toppings were adequate but not the most generous I've seen. The spicy jalepenos went well with the pepperoni to make for a very spicy start to the meal. Although I liked the flavour combination, I couldn't say that the base was better than Julius or Chef Jon's in Brisbane. 

We ordered an 18 inch Pepperoni Pie with Stracciatella. This was an absolute sight to behold and we were only really only able to have one slice per person. I wouldn't recommend ordering this for smaller groups. Again the base was enjoyable but not the best I've ever had. The stracciatella went well with the pepperoni, this time adding a mild creamy balance to the spicy sausage. 

Readers may now know that I often enjoy a mushroom pizza. This was the Mr Musho Rising which came topped with a considerable amount of rocket. This was definitely one of the weaker itterations of mushroom pizza because it would seem that the grassy flavours of rocket don't go too well with the mellow umami of mushroom. I probably wouldn't order this on a return visit.

The highlight of our meal was undoubtedly the detroit pizzas. First to arrive was the Meatball and Pesto. It came in a rectangle shape comprising of four slices. It was deep dish style with a substantive but fluffy base that had crisped up well whilst cooking. I enjoyed how decadent it was with the chunky meatballs and intense herby pesto, making this my favourite pizza of the evening.

Our final pizza was the Orange Stripe. Much like the meatball and pesto, the flavours were intense, but this was with a super strong hit of cheese and chilli. I really loved the crust but missed the protein of the other pizza and would probably order it again but add some more meat to it.

All in all, we had a good time at Franc Jnr's. It was quite a hassle to go there and to get a table, but even though we went with sky high expectations, they definitely met them. It doesn't beat my favourites in Brisbane, but I would have no hesitation returning for another slice of detroit pizza.

Price Range: $35 - $45pp

Taste: 8/10

Value: 8/10

Service: 7/10

Environment: 8/10  

Black Door - Surfer's Paradise - 2026 Revisit

Readers might remember that Black Door was one of my favourite Omakase restaurants in the Gold Coast. It abruptly closed last September, which means I was unable to go for our anniversary or my birthday last year. When I heard about their re-opening earlier on in April, I immediately secured a booking for a return visit.

 

Although the seating and crockery was familiar, they are now under new management (not sure about Wagyu-ya which is now still temporarily closed, but they share the same kitchen). They no longer do omakase, opting for more of a casual izakaya vibe. 

 

The menu looked very similar to what we had previously seen with a few of our favourite dishes remaining on the menu, and a few more izakaya style dishes like ray wing and seaweed fries. We ordered a selection of the most memorable dishes we used to enjoy at the Omakase.

 

With a focus on being a Sake Bar, I started with a sparkling sake, it was refreshing and crisp.

Seeing the Hassun on the menu, we ordered one each. There were a selection of cold starters including tofu, kingfish, tomato salad, vermicelli noodles and other dishes. Dr L immediately noted that compared to the omakase offering, the components of the Hassun were less premium than what we used to enjoy. Back in the day, we had more high value items like oyster, wagyu or toro. Having said that, the dishes were executed well and the flavour profile was similar to what we've expected of black door.

Next up was the medium sized sashimi. There were quite a few premium cuts including chutoro and a very delectable kingfish. I did find the sashimi pieces to be very small and looking a bit sad on such a big plate. For the price, I would have expected a bit more generous slices, but they were fresh and we savoured every bite.

Next up was the A5 wagyu takaki. This came topped with a light ponzu and onion salad. Given the fat content, the beef was buttery smooth and melted immediately on consumption. 

 

I was surprised that the rest of the seafood hadn't arrived yet but the beef dishes started arriving. The grilled wagyu tongue was chewy but tender with a nice char on it. I would have liked it a bit more if it was thicker cut though. We also had a serve of the A5 sukiyaki. The portion size was a tad small for the price, and barely enough to share between the two of us, but the beef was indeed top tier and the soup was sweet but mellow.

Given the weather, at this point I made enquiries about their warm sake, as they had been advertising it for cold evenings. I had asked the owner for a recommendation on which sake ought to be drunken warm, to which he replied all of them could. Now I am not a sake aficionado but I knew from my limited experience that not all sake should be drunken warm. Ultimately, I had to resort to chatgpt for a suggestion.

Anyway the last of our beef courses was the A5 Wagyu Grill. This had a bit more char than the tongue and the texture was perfect. It came served with a small piece of wasabi which definitely cut through the grease of the meat. Like the sukiyaki, I found it a bit small for the price, but given how decadent the dish is, it was good for sharing. 

For some reason our nigiri course was last to arrive. It was really at this point I noticed how much I missed the old Black Door chef. I used to chat to him whilst he cooked, particularly while he was making sushi. Although the sushi quality was generally good, the cuts of fish were fresh and I couldn't fault it, the vibe was definitely missing.

Rounding off our meal with the crown melon mini parfait, it was indeed small. I was quite excited by the prospect of finally trying crown melon. Compared to the usual, it was sweeter but the taste had a lot more clarity to it. It was interesting to try once, but not something I would go out of my way to have a second time.

It has been a fairly sad year on my part, with both Amimoto and Black Door under new management. It is definitely not the same without the chef. Although the Irish waiter was fantastic and made good conversation throughout the night, the refined and elegant vibe of yesteryear is gone and it more resembles an upmarket izakaya. Service was shaky with the owner not being able to recognise which sake to serve warm, and insufficient care was taken with serving up courses, resulting in the nigiri course which should have come before the beef be served at the end. I don't hate the new iteration of Black Door, but I am also not a fan and will probably give it a while before I return.

Price Range: $150 - $200pp

Taste: 8.5/10

Value: 7/10

Service: 6.5/10

Environment: 7/10