At the suggestion of dumplings and ramen in the city, I pushed aside the tell-tale signs of the beginning of a flu, too excited to try another version of my new found obsession.
On the last night in Melbourne before I was to head to Mildura, some family gathered and we jumped on the train into Fed Square. You would think that at such a tourist-y spot the food would be overpriced and awful, but actually, Chocolate Buddha was neither of the two.
Thankfully my Aunt had the foresight to book a table, so we sat in a wonderful spot in the cool evening air, overlooking the tourists in the square below. The restaurant is communal style, with long tables and food coming out whenever it is ready, adding to the fun and casual vibe of the place.
I couldn’t go past the Green Gyoza for entree (and they were eaten so fast that I didn’t even manage to take a picture), which were everything that you could want from a vegetarian dumpling. And, of course, you can’t eat Japanese without some edamame.
Though a couple of servings of gyoza would have done me for the night, I decided that a noodle soup would be the perfect thing for my blocked nose, so a Yasai Soba with a hit of extra chilli did the trick and really hit the spot.
And how beautiful are the bowls that the soups were served in! I need some of these for our home.
I always love Asahi, and it was the perfect match for all of the salty Japanese food. Though completely full to the brim by this stage, I snuck a taste of my parent’s tempura pumpkin sushi, which was another excellent dish, the warm pumpkin encased in a crunchy tempura batter gave something a little different to the usual sushi experience.
All in all, it was a wonderful night with the family and a great way to finish off a whirl-wind trip. I am very much looking forward to being back and taking things at a more leisurely pace the week after next.
Any recommendations for things that we ‘must-do’, or especially ‘must-eat’ during our 3 weeks in Melbourne?
Photos from: my camera
Chocolate Buddha, Federation Square
Very nice photos
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Thank you!!
Make sure you guys make a trip out to the Mornington Peninsula. There is a tourist travel brochure on the gourmet food in the area that you can pick up from most information centers. If I were to do a trip down there again I would spend more time exploring all the gourmet restaurants, cheese factories and wineries to collect some of the local produce.
http://forkmyfood.blogspot.com/2011/06/melbourne.html
P.S your pictures are making me hungry!
Thanks for the recommendations! We are certainly there long enough to explore and see all the fabulous food and wine places – the only problem I see is that there is only so much you can eat in a single day!!
Oh I just remembered that there is a “Foodies Guide to Melbourne 2012″ similar to my version of the Brisbane one…perhaps you should invest?
Love the look of those soups, so much flavour going on. LOVE the bowls too! It’s definitely a soup day in Sydney today
^^ I’m having the same dilemma, planning a quick trip to Melb early next year and so far my list of “must visit” could keep me entertained for months!
haha, when we went to sydney for a week I had a list of about 15 places to eat for breakfast
Will let you know if I discover anywhere that you must go! Anyway, a long list is just a good excuse for another visit 
Wow that looks fantastic!
I am a Sydneysider, so no recommendations here, but enjoy Melbourne as it is a fascinating city! ♥
Aw man, I need to move to Melbourne! I just about cried looking at this soup and the tacos and corn above! Now I’m even more excited for my Tokyo trip next week. Anahi ahoy!