I’m getting quite good in arranging these so called blog meet-ups. Arranging Fake Photography Society (FPS) meetings is relatively easy.
I pick a place, set a date and the gang turns up. So happens that the place I chose this time round had nods of approval from the FPS team (Allan, Ashley, Bryan and the Boy) and so we went.
Komeyui (Kome means rice and Yui means knot) symbolises the union of food with friends and family, a sense of togetherness. I really like the concept behind the name, it’s perfect really for a restaurant, don’t you think?
Komeyui is owned by Motomu Kumano (Bear-san! Kuma means bear in Japanese and I used to watch way too much Japanese Anime. KUMA SAN!)
He casts a lonesome figure behind the sushi bar, standing there the whole night, his presence is in nearly every dish that we ate.
Originally from a small Japanese fishing town in Hokkaido, Japan, he moved to Melbourne in 2005 to work in Kenzan. It wasn’t until the middle of this year that he decided to move on and do something on his own which is where Komeyui begins.
We decided to go with intuition and feel of the menu rather than with the Omakase set (6-course $68; 10-course $100) and I left the ordering to both Ashley and Bryan.
We were each given an Amuse Bouche: Seaweed salad to start. I love seaweed salad and this was delightful for me.
Sake: Sayuri (Nigori Unfiltered Sake) ($24.00). Apparently this is very popular with girls (much to Allan’s amusement) and the sweet aftertaste was extremely pleasant.
The Boy and I also had some rich Green Tea: Genmai-cha ($3.80), as you do.
We started with the Agedashi Tofu Classic ($15.00) – Deep fried tofu served in hot dashi broth with bonito flakes. I always like watching bonito flakes dance when it’s served with hot food. The tofu was good as well.
We also had the Chawan Mushi ($10.00) – Japanese steamed egg custard with prawn, chicken and gingko nut.
I would just like to put it out there that I am not a big fan when it comes to chawan mushis, but the one at Komeyui is just spectacular. Gentle and soft, light in texture but rich and heavy in flavour, it was a beautiful symphony of taste and texture for me.
I really really liked the Pumpkin Mochi Steak ($18.00) – A traditional Japanese country sweet dish with sides of vegetables and mushroom. It was just so moorish that I had to control myself and be wary to not eat everyone else’s portion! If you’re into sweet savoury dishes, this one’s for you.
Of course when one is dining at a Japanese establishment, one has to order a serve of Soft Shell Crab (Deep Fried) ($17.00) – Crispy fried soft shell crab. The crab was very good and crispy, not a hint of sogginess at all.
The other members of FPS devoured the Ox Tongue with Spring Onion ($18.00) – Sliced ox tongue lightly salted and grilled topped with spring onion. I couldn’t get anything out of them for the next 10 minutes as they fought with chopsticks for the tasty morsels.
I really wanted to order the Chan-Chan ($18.00) because it had such a super kawaii (cute) name. It’s a Hokkaido specialty dish. Foil wrapped grilled salmon with miso butter sauce and vegetables.
Yes, I am that sort of person that judges everything by their cover (when it comes to food), and I have to say, the broth that came with this dish was very rich and buttery, which partnered well with the salmon.
Of course it would have been sinful if we had not ordered any sashimi or sushi given Kumano-san’s background as a sushi chef.
We ordered two serves of the Assorted Sushi & Sashimi (Main – $35.00) served with Miso Soup.
On it were 9 pieces of Sashimi (salmon, tuna, and kingfish), 5 pieces Nigiri Sushi (scallop, salmon, tuna, kingfish and octopus), 6 pieces Maki Sushi (cucumber & salmon).
So good and so fresh. Literally, not much had to be done with the sushi and sashimi other than a quick dip in soy sauce, wasabe and pickled ginger.
Because the first serving of soft shell crab was so good, we put in another order of the Soft Shell Crab Roll (Maki Sushi – Middle Roll) ($15.00) – Fried soft shell crab with avocado, ginger, mayonnaise and fish roe.
The fish roe really made the roll for me, it was piquant and brought everything together.
We also had the very cute onigiri or omusubi, yes they mean the same thing. What they are, are cute little balls of compressed rice often with filling and a piece of dried seaweed.
We did what any greedy person would do, order a mix of Assorted Omusubi ($4 each) – Japanese traditional rice balls. We ordered Seasoned Cod Roe (pink), Japanese Plum Bonito, Eel & Seaweed.
Hands down, our favourite had to be the Eel and the Japanese Plum Bonito. Unfortunately, I couldn’t taste any cod roe in the pink omusubi and it fell quite flat for me despite being the most vibrant coloured out of the lot.
All things must come to an end, but not before dessert!
Ashley and Allan had the rather watery Sake Brulee ($12.00) – Sake infused creme brulee.
Bryan had the refreshing Fruits Compote with Sherbet of Japanese Basil ($16.00) – Seasonal fruits cooked with rice wine and served with sherbet.
The Boy had the rich Green Tea Ice Cream with Castella ($12.00) – Japanese sponge cake served with ice cream.
I did. I skipped dessert.
The fact that I had been eating throughout the day (had a really long express lunch at Vue de Monde which didn’t end until 4.00pm, and this dinner started at 6.30pm), I was still very impressed with the quality of the dishes that came out to us.
I shouldn’t be surprised really, with 6 years of experience in Kenzan (which I like) one has to be rather good when branching out on your own!
*Disclaimer: All food ratings & review are purely based on my own experiences and how I feel about the service, food and quality at the time of visit
Food/ Cuisine: Japanese
Dining Style: Restaurant
Overall Food Rating (Based on the Dining style): 8/10
Restaurant ambiance: 7/10
Service/ Attitude: 7.5/10
Value for money: 7/10
Opening Hours:
Tuesday to Saturday, Lunch: 12pm – 3pm, Dinner: 6pm – 10pm
Address:
396 Bay Street
Port Melbourne VIC 3207
Tel: (03) 9646 2296
Website: http://www.komeyui.com.au/
Twitter: @Komeyui_Melb
How to get there:
Can’t wait for your review of vue de monde… I was kinda disappointed with vdm for some reason.
anyway, this place looks like a place i should go! 😀
Oh no! I really really liked VDM apart from the express not being an express!!
Japanese food was the perfect choice after a big lunch as well. All the food looks so perfect, the presentation is beautiful. If only we lived closer to Port Melbourne 🙁
Yeah!! Which area are you in? There’s a good Jap in Glen Waverley area too!
Oh! *stamps foot in frustration like a petulant child* I want it all, I want it all! Oh, so many memories of buying onigiri in Japan and never knowing what delights would be inside. Take me? Take me here?
Okay okay!! There seems to be a lot of places to next bring you o petulant one!!!
Whatcha doin’ in early January? 😉
Are you coming? Are you coming? Are you coming?
how do i join the FPS gang!?
Hahahaha.. first you have to be in Melbs to dine with us and then… have no shame when it comes to taking photos 😛
So glad you did a review on Komeyui 🙂 my friend was trying to convince me to go but I was a little skeptical because last time she suggested a place… it really wasn’t that great hehe but you seemed to have a great time and the food looks sooooo nice 🙂 can’t wait to try! I think it’s hard to find good japanese restaurants in Melbourne compared to other places 🙁
Lol… I did really like it so you should try! There’s a few good Japanese places in Melbourne, you just need to find them!
How cute are those omusubi’s??? And the Creme Brulee look near-perfect! I always want Japanese when we eat out at night but it’s not easy to find places that serve great Japanese food and can tolerate 3 kids at the table 🙂
I know! I even ate them like how they did in Anime’s… hehehe…. I think Komeyui does have quite a number of children on their premises.. so it’s relatively kid friendly?
Wwwah you’re quicker than Ashley and I, we haven’t even posted our Omakase experience there! Glad you liked the food. 🙂
I am super I-Hua!
WIth the super power of hearing and seeing how good food tastes….!
I do too have superpowers 😛 I KNOW!! LoL
Omg… Nice one!! You guys picked such a cool place to eat. Reaaaally curious to try that pink drink and sake brulee now hahaha… o_0
Pink drink? Oh that soju/sake thing? lol
Dear I-Hua
The sushi and sashimi platter looks really fresh and I guess we almost take fresh seafood for granted nowadays especially for Japanese restaurants in Sydney. I’ve never had the chan-chan before and it’s something I would love to try.
Yayy! Thanks so much! Seafood here in Melbs is never always fresh so when we do get it, it’s a very serious thing!
Looks like an amazing meal! Japanese is my fave
It’s mine too! I could eat Japanese for every meal!
the onigiri look sooooo cute and colourful! They were in perfect triangle shape too 😉
I love onigiris as I think the ylook like the perfect “hug” of rice in a hand… I totally created that phrase and I’m gonna use it forever!
Still can’t believe you ate dinner after our “express” lunch. Where did you put the food? In your purse? 😉
In my backpocket… Uhuh…
You are an eating machine. *bow*
So was the sake brulee actually any good?
Apparently Ash and Bryan said it was better the last time they were here. The one we got this time was a little too watery.
Japanese food for everyone.
It is delicious!
Take me? Japanese food was the perfect choice after a big lunch as well. *stamps foot in frustration like a petulant child* I want it all, I want it all!
Lol.. don’t be a petulant child! Have it all 🙂
The Agedashi Tofu Classic is to die for, this is such an awesome restaurant!