Tsukiji

Beyond its unassuming exterior (I walked past without realising!), Tsukiji serves some of the freshest, most impressive sashimi in Melbourne. This was one of the first restaurants I ate at when I first arrived in Melbourne, and four years later, it's nice to see that some things don't change. 

As you walk in through the main door, head over to the fridge in the corner, where you can pick from a variety of fishes and cuts. Each cut is clearly packaged, labelled and priced and it's easy to make your way through the shelves. Salmon belly goes for $59/kg, and regular salmon for $55/kg. If something is out of stock, check with the lady owner manning the counter: it's likely that there's more at the back and they'll restock if you let them know. 

On my recent visit, I chanced upon a pack of salmon off-cut (sashimi-grade, $12/kg), and happily brought it home to bake for dinner.

My favourite is the Scallop Sashimi: its incomparable sweetness makes adding soy sauce or wasabi a sin, as well as the Seaweed Salad. 

Other dishes such as Nigiri and handrolls are available, but they must be ordered 24 hours in advance. With purchases of over $100, a 5% discount applies, so share the love and bring a party over. 

All pictures taken by R.