Aka Tombo - Melbourne

First night in Melbourne was very exciting as I was meeting up with all my Uni classmates for dinner at Aka Tombo Tapas and Sake Bar. It was a small eatery located in Liverpool Street. First peek inside, there wasn't a lot of room. There are smaller booths that seat 4 on the left and on the right there was a long table that fits 10. That's where we sat and it was nice to have our own side of the restaurant. 

Because it was a Japanese tapas place and there were 8 of us, we were able to try a huge variety of dishes. I do apologize in advance for some pictures of half eating dishes because it's not that easy to stop 7 other people from eating before I take a picture PLUS we were all so excited to see each other and busily chatting away that I didn't always remember either.

First up Agedashi Tofu and Mushroom with Oyster Sauce. It was delicious. The deep fried tofu was so fresh, crisp and smooth with a clean flavour. It was a delight to eat it on it's own but topped with the mushrooms and oyster sauce, it was divine. Fantastic start to the night! 

Agedashi Tofu and Mushroom

Nasu Dengaku was on the specials menu and I tried it for the first time. Where have you been all my life? It was interesting and tasty. Nasu Dengaku is grilled eggplant with a sweet Miso sauce on top. I wanted to know how they made it because the eggplant flesh was all soft and yummy which would've taken a bit of time to achieve but there were no grill or burn marks and the eggplant retained it's shape superbly. 

Nasu dengaku

A popular favourite, Karaage. Japanese deep fried chicken. Yummy and not too greasy. A nice, hot, crunchy dish for winter!

Karaage

I was craving sashimi so we decided to order the Sushi and Sashimi Platter along with a serve of California Roll and Tuna sushi. The sashimi was very fresh and light on the palate. Their sushi was also delicious but not the best I've had. I wasn't sure about the California Roll being California Roll, more like vegetarian roll. We also ordered Gyoza (Japanese pork dumplings) but I didn't get a chance to take a picture. They went too quick. It was yummy but I've had better at Matsuri in Adelaide and my friend had better at Izakaya Den in Melbourne.

Sushi and sashimi platter

California roll

Once again, apologies for the seagull crowd. I managed to quickly snap a photo. Teriyaki salmon was super delicious. The salmon was cooked just right and the teriyaki sauce was amazing. Even Carl, who would never touch a cooked salmon, loved it after I forced it on his plate. 

Teriyaki Salmon

Last but not least, we also had the popular favourite - Tempura! The Tempura was served with dipping sauce, Japanese mayonnaise and wasabi mayonnaise. The prawns and fish were fresh. Once again a clean and crisp taste. These guys are good at deep frying!!

Tempura

It was a very enjoyable night with great food, great company and lots of laughs. Thanks to my friend for taking us there.