Gaijin

Okay, so Gaijin isn't the most convenient restaurant to get to from my place. And looking for nearby parking may be a problem. But if you don't mind these slight inconveniences, you'll find yourself at one of the best, and affordable, Japanese restaurants of Melbourne.  


I've been here a couple of years ago for dinner with Miss XS. The dim yellow lighting wasn't conducive for photo-taking, so we kept our camera away and gave the food our undivided attention. It was a really remarkable meal, and I promised myself I would be back. I couldn't shut up about it ever since, but with a name like 'Gaijin' (Japanese for foreigner), it was a little hard to convince my Japanese-saavy friends to come with me. Still, I persevered for the better of the next two years, but it still took a birthday (mine!) to finally convince them to give Gaijin a chance. The food was as good as I remembered. Every dish was perfect, and I would order any of them again in a heartbeat.  

We had a selection of sashimi (8 pcs for $10), which was as fresh as they come. (See above, picture)


The star dishes of Gaijin, in my opinion, are their rolls ($14). It's hard to choose a favourite, mostly because they all taste spectacular. And also because their names made it difficult to keep track of which was which. After a half-hearted attempt at keeping the records straight, we gave up and just enjoyed the taste of the rolls. The only one we didn't try is the All Vegies option, because we be carnivores. 

From left, Crunchy Spicy Salmon Special, Tasmanian, and Spider VS Dragon. 

From left: Dragon VS Tiger, and another Spider VS Dragon. YOU try keeping tabs of which dish is which. 

I do remember the Spider vs Dragon vividly, which we ordered twice after trying it the first time. Another winner was the Baked Dynamite rolls, which was intensely delicious.

Baked Dynamite: California rolls topped with an orgy of diced scallops, crab sticks and spicy mayo. 

Their Pork and Cabbage Gyoza ($10) also made an appearance at our table, and it was pretty darn good as well. 

I didn't manage to take pictures for everything, but that's only because I was too busy scrambling to eat them before everybody else. The Big Bang ($10), for example, was rolls of salmon, crab stick, enoki mushrooms, cream cheese and spicy mayo all baked together - and I still couldn't quite figure out how something so small can have so much flavour. The dish didn't last a minute at the table. The Big Bang wasn't big, but the flavours packed a wallop. 

UPDATE: here it is

Another dish I didn't get to photograph was the Nasu Dengaku ($10), a side of eggplant roasted with sweet ginger miso and sesame. We were fighting to get to the dish, and well, you snooze you lose. Reach for a camera, and etc etc. 

UPDATE 2: here it is!

Their accommodating staff is worth a mention, and they were extremely friendly and helpful. We celebrated my birthday there - with cake! - and they were more than happy to have the cake cut there without surcharges. To the contrary, they brought out a complimentary plate of ice cream for the birthday boy. Happy birthday me. I'm a sucka for black sesame ice-cream, and theirs was wonderful. Addictively so.The matcha ice-cream is fabulous too. In an industry that's intensely debating "cakeage" surcharges (and with valid reasons on both sides of the pond), Gaijin's generosity warms my heart. Consider me a die-hard fan now. 

Cake from Le Petit Gateau, my favourite cake shop in the whole wide world

On another occasion, we tried the Crunchy Scallop Rolls. The scallops are hiding inside the roll, which are generously sprinkled over the top with crisps. Winner winner, scallop dinner. 

Also another winner: the Fried Tofu. 

UPDATE: On a more recent trip, Gaijin has started an all-you-can-eat sushi buffet: $50 (including sashimi), $42 (excluding sashimi). Monday to Thursday only. 

Menu and description for Gaijin: