Melbourne Patron

Anyone who's met my current housemate will know she is a massive ramen fan. Along with nachos, it's pretty much all she eats. In fact, she was one of the first to take me to Shop Ramen on Smith Street, which has since become one of our favourites. Having lived with her for a while now, I am happy to admit that her ramen obsession has rubbed off on me. So it was not unusual that a group of us decided, after an afternoon drinking session at Naked In The Sky one Saturday, to head to Little Ramen Bar (346 Lt Bourke Street, Melbourne) for dinner. A tiny joint near the corner of Lt Bourke and Elizabeth Streets, Little Ramen Bar is consistently packed, often with a queue outside the door. Fortunately, the staff have a great system in place, manning the door and ushering in patrons as soon as a table becomes available. There is usually a quick turnaround, so even though waiting might be annoying to some, it's usually not for long. The front door queue Most tables s...

With recent additions  Shop Ramen , Hinoki Japanese Pantry and BistroK , plus long-stayers  Peko Peko , Easy Tiger , Wabi Sabi Salon , Wood Spoon Kitchen and more, Smith Street, Collingwood is slowly turning into an Asian food haven, with a strong focus on Japanese cuisine. Woohoo! One night after some ramen, friends and I decided we needed dessert, and sake. (Essential.) We walked past the freshly minted Pabu Grill & Sake (190 Smith Street, Collingwood) and decided to give it a shot. We sat at the front communal table and were given very attentive service by the host. I was particularly keen to sample the sake flight and one of my favourite all-time desserts, mochi. (See my previous rave about them here .) The green tea ones were okay, but the plain and melon flavoured ones were delicious. A selection of MOCHI !!! Pabu (Japanese for 'pub') pitches itself as a modern Izakaya, or Japanese tapas bar - that is, a casual establishment where the foo...

"Peko Peko" is Japanese for "Golden Yummy." Okay, not really - but it might as well be. I have been to Peko Peko (199 Smith Street, Collingwood) many times, but this was the first time I thought to blog it. I did my usual forget-photos thing, but I WILL get more. Promise. Mainly because it's so yummy I know I'll be going back soon. When I like a place, I go there over and over, and can therefore add new details from each visit (case in point: Three Bags Full . And  Backstreet Eating ). Peko Peko is the Smith Street sista-from-another-mister... or just sister... to Otsumami in Northcote, whose reputation is generally top-notch. I've not been, but I'd like to, and I really like saying the name. OTSU-mami! Ot-su-MAMI! ("Sake-to-me!" Groooooaaaan.)  Like " Tootgarook ", it's just too much fun not to say aloud. I digress. The best part about my recent visit to Peko Peko was the pretty, pretty sake. It's almost a...