From Tokyo to Melbourne

[happy]

johnny, you gotta get out more...

try Cafe Ito on Bourke Street in the city - great Japanese at a good price.
Also Origami in South Melbourne I think it's Park Street (only open for lunch weekdays)
and if you want to book a week in advance and pay heaps for a special occasion there's a beautiful place in Albert Park called misuzu's

even the place in the food hall at Southgate isn't too bad...

[Kenny]

I agree - there's some good stuff out there, but a lot of crap too.

I ate a couple of times at that Albert Park joint years back and wasn't overly impressed. Not that I ever paid, mind you.

Cafe Ito is OK, but if you want something a little swish my pick would be Hanabishi in King St.

When we were based in Flinders St, I used to sit at the sushi bar at Kuni's in Little Bourke St and generally have the daily special for $12.50 - miso soup, rice and a meat or fish dish. Pretty darn good, and there was an unspoken rule that those sitting on the sushi bar stools were there to eat, read their newspapers and avoid conversation. I went back this week and loved it, even if it's no longer a swell bargain at $15 for the bentoh.

I've also started frequenting one of those cheapo student hangouts - on Swanston, between Bourke and Lonsdale - that are purportedly Japanese but sell stuff like Singapore noodles or laksa as well. Yummy beef miso udon .

OTH, I loathe all these frigging so-called sushi stands and so on. What crap - dodgy looking chicken with the edges curling up and tinned tuna. WTF?

And as far sushi and sashimi in Melbourne, the main problem seems to be the lack of variety - always the same 3-4 fish varieties. I've been to place in New Orleans where there have been dozens.

But then again, I draw the line at sea urchin and raw squid or octopuss (marinated is fine). For me, there are limits - a fearless category that could be labelled "bread and butter basics for the dog-eating Board Master".

[isaacs]

Raw squid is great, come on Kenny! Raw (green) prawn even better. Fishes "swim bladder" yummy.

[smokinhiro]

Hi Mr. Kenny Weir and Mr. Mark Isaacs! You two are very important people in the Australian jazz scene! (hence the world :>) I've come across many articles written by you, Mr. Weir. And Mr. Isaacs, I've been recommended to listen to your music by many people, and I greatly enjoyed your wonderful compositions and performances on all your CDs. My favorite is "Elders Suite" - it's sheer beauty! I'm looking forward to seeing you live when you're back in Australia from your oversea performances. Very much.

I'm happy to know there are some happening sushi joints in Melbourne! I actually love those cheapo students joints because I'm young and poor, but I can still eat sushi guilt-free! lol But Mr. Weir, are the main customers Japanese people at the restaurants with the unspoken no-bother rule?? If so I can understand.. because in our culture we think of not intruding another's privacy as "politeness" - but I hear Australian society's so friendly so it might come across a little strange to you.. The golden triangle of rice, miso soup and fish is my ideal breakfast though!

Kind regards from Tokyo,
Hiro

[Kenny]

Geez stop it with the honorifics already? Important? Well, if you drop my name into Google you'll get heaps of hits, but that's mostly artists filing long ago CD reviews on their sites. These days I'm not on radio, am Sunday Herald Sun jazz writer pretty much in name only, hardly ever get to a gig and am happily wallowing in a serial-thriller-reading-and-cooking torpor which is blessed relief considering other stuff going on around me. Whether I'm able to rouse myself for the Melbourne festival remains to be seen. So I think you must be confusing me wih Mr Adrian Jackson or his brother Mr Martin or Mr Gerry Koster or Mr Mal Stanley or Mr Jessica Nicholas or Mr Vicki Horne or Mr Bugs Bunny.

RE: Silence at the sushi bar. Japanese and otherwise, but yeah you know what I'm talking about. It's not a frosty silence. In fact, it's a rather companionable sort of thing built on respects for others' space. Very enjoyable.

[Kenny]

Hey - I'm taking Bennie to a teppanyaki joint tomorrow for lunch!

[smokinhiro]

there's a teppanyaki restaurant in melbourne??? the chefs there don't throw meat and shrimps and spatulas in the air there do they? .. quite entertaining, enjoy yourself today kenny!

i think i've heard that whole thing started in america to better market japanese food, though ;>

p.s. do you guys have "california rolls"?? (we don't have these in japan) the rolls are rolled in the oposite direction down there right? lol

hiro

[Kenny]

Well there you go - I didn't know that (that teppanyaki is no more Japanese than egg foo young is Chinese).

And, yep, they throw all that stuff around, which is why I'm taking Bennie - I figure he'll like the theatre of it all. And he likes prawns heaps.

And, yep, we have California rolls - both in restaurants and the horrible sushi stalls I slammed earlier on. Can be good or inedible.

Have you been to Yoshi's in Oakland, CA? Japanese eatery and very happening jazz club all in one. Yum yum pig's bum.

[isaacs]

I like the honorifics Kenny! Our informal culture is not necessarily superior, I am a fan of Japanese formality! Actually, I am Sir Mark Isaacs. Thanks for your nice words about my music Mr Smokinhiro

[Kenny]

isaacs said:

I like the honorifics Kenny! Our informal culture is not necessarily superior, I am a fan of Japanese formality! Actually, I am Sir Mark Isaacs!

OK I can go with that. Will everyone please refer to me in future as Dr Kenny Kildare. Thank you.

[vickihb2]

I'm with Sir Isaacs on raw food.

Most dead animals/fish taste better raw. In fact if they are still alive they taste even better (lol) :->

grrrr...

I got my 5 year old niece and 8 year old nephew to eat fish eyes at a brilliant new modern-Greek restaurant two weeks ago. (Hiro-san: it is rare rare for most white Anglo-Australians to eat fish heads.) YUM! The fish were already cooked, unfortunately but still very good.

Many Anglo-Australians are wimps in relation to what they will or won't eat. For example they are happy to eat a cow's leg, but they won't eat the liver, the kidneys or heart. That some of them will now eat sashimi and sushi is a big step forward. They only got used to garlic 10 years ago from what I can figure.

But Australia has grown up in regards to food so much more since years ago when I was taunted at school for being a child of an immigrant. I remember thinking: "Yeah right, I'm totally inferior to you highly cultured 'Australians' with your bland, over cooked food, because my father speaks five languages fluently and you can barely manage English". As you can tell it has really affected my self esteem.

Revenge is a dish best served cold.

Iron Chef rules!

[vickihb2]

On the sushi thing, we haven't quite worked out that the Nori around the rolls is supposed to be crisp, not soft.

[smokinhiro]

dear kenny - i love yoshi's in oakland! my friend and i got a ticket to see the ray brown trio there, but the few days before the show mr. brown passed away.. i was immensely sad. instead they had a tribute show, which was quite good. but it sure reminded me that all the jazz legends we have today won't live forever.

but the idea to combine japanese food and jazz is excellent! i think all the free-thinking san franciscans are into both healthy asain food and artistic music, so i'm not surprised that they're doing well still to this day!

vicki san ;> i think it's china that's given the most-daring food culture, but we japanese can still offer you lots of challenges to develop will-power lol. for instance, we eat:

grass-hopper
raw horse meat
fermented soy beans
cow tongue
snake (only in okinawa i think)

as for the nori, i don't know what is correct, either to be crisp or soft. we japanese care a grrreat deal about doing things right ;> so there must be a consensus. i'll be sure to ask a chef next time i go eat sushi.

fish eyes!! i don't think we eat those lol. but i think we use fish heads to make soup broth.

i had a great deal of inferiority complex when i first got to the states. i think it was because i had a hard time adjusting to the easy-going culture with the formality and politeness i grew up with. but to get into that i'll blow up this page w/ too many words so i'll stop for now ;>

hiro

[bud]

if u like Ray Brown Hiro, u should check out Joe Chindamos cd The First Take Chindamo is Australias greatest pianist (jazz) he sells lots of CDs in Japan 2 i hear

I think more recent Chindamo cds without Ray Brown are better tho.

Yoshis never been there tho I heard a lot of kul people play there never even got to the states yet

[bud]

aussies eat cow tongue or they used 2 and snakes if they live in the desert & they eat chicken feet in China Town and little Vietnam. some japanese students go to these places that sell Japanese food so it cant be that bad