Menya Ramen
437 Elizabeth St
Melbourne, VIC 3000
03 9328 8928
Fakegf and I took a rather lengthy 12km walk along the bay on one of those Christmas in-lieu weekdays last year. By the end of it, I had a really sore foot while she was absolutely starving for a feed. Knowing that most Western places would be closed, we made a beeline towards the cheap-and-cheery Asian stretch along the tail end of Elizabeth Street.
I’ve always meant to revisit Rose Garden (this time with camera in tow) but it was shut for the holidays. Fakegf was so hungry she didn’t mind where we went, so I chose Menya over Coconut House simply because Japanese feels more refreshing on a warm Summer’s day.
Menya’s frontage was so pretty that I had no clue it was part of a chain of stores, with one branch in Melbourne Central. In fact, it’s actually part of the O-Bento empire of eating stores, which also encompasses Rush Sushi. After sitting down, I started getting the impression I was at a Japanese fast food joint. Browse the photo-rich menu, choose the dishes you want, order at counter, and bring a number tag back with you to your table.
To add to the cheap-joint factor, here’s our table water: tap water with fruits and things in the bottle, and styrofoam cups!!! Fakegf was ceaselessly amused by the bottle of fruit-flavoured water, she could even taste all the components in it. Cute touch, and it certainly made an interesting photo subject.
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And it doesn’t end there, this is what we ordered from the menu:
The Menya Sashimi $10.90.
House special sashimi of raw fish
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And guess what arrived at our table??
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… …
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:p
TA DAAAH!!!
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Lols…
It was really really amusing! Couldn’t help but smile… they certainly aren’t going for presentation factor here by any long shot. But hey… the fish was fresh enough, and at that price point, I ain’t complaining. I was tickled by the whole thing more than anything else
Fortunately, my Nabeyaki Udon – one tempura prawn w assortment of vegetables and pork served w thick noodles in soup stock $9.2 did not arrive in a styrofoam or plastic bowl. It would feel super food court if that was the case.
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While the broth could’ve been hotter, but there was a milky clean-ness to it that I found quite enjoyable. And I also liked how it wasn’t overly salty, made it so drinkable that I slurped up every last drop of soup with ease. The pork pieces were soft and yummy, and I pretty much enjoyed all the other ingredients. It was quite a decent feed.
Fakegf did actually baulk just a little when I chose Menya, because she’s been to the Melbourne Central branch and gave it a big FAIL. She chose not to mention that fact until our meal was ordered. And just as well, because her Gin Seng Ramen – imported Japanese soba cooked w pork bone in special homemade ginseng soup $9.9 wasn’t too shabby either!
Okay, the ramen itself was overcooked, but she loved the generous serve of bamboo shoots. The broth was also quite delightful with a herbal tint of ginseng, and the pork pieces were yummy, albeit a little fiddly to eat. All in all, she declared it was still very satisfying.
Looking back, I wonder whether our 12 km walk earlier worked up a massive (non-choosy) appetite, or if the food was actually good. Who knows? Either way, the dishes are so cheap!
With a smouldering plantar fasciitis trying to set foot on my foot (pun!… her her…), we opted not to walk any further for our desserts and had it in-house instead.
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Fakegf’s homemade black sesame in sweet $3.5 (that’s how the menu said it) was weird, to say the least. We assume it’s Japanese style… the soup was less thick, less sweet and with a starchy, slimy consistency. I think we didn’t enjoy this only because we’re so used to the Hong Kong style black sesame soup, which usually tastes thick, rich and aromatic.
My dessert, the Azuki Shiratama $3.5, also walked down a similar lane —> Weird. The soup this time was very sweet and quite reminiscent of Chinese red bean soup, but with some odd floral elements to it. But the mochi-looking glutinous rice balls-on-a-stick were very different to what I’m used to. They all had different fillings each: black sesame, mung bean and red beans. But all the balls also had a strange floral scent to them that I didn’t really warm up to. Interesting…. but weird, haha!
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There were several entertaining aspects about eating at this cheap and cheery joint (fruit water, styrofoam cups, takeaway sashimi… lols). While it isn’t outstanding in quality, it’s very affordable and quite a satisfying feed (aside for the weird desserts).
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So strange that your sushi was served in a plastic container. But as you say the price was cheap…
Yes, it was a very entertaining aspect to that meal. :p
Boo hiss to styrofoam cups. Still, that sashimi is ridiculously cheap!!
Haha! Yes I think I remember being not too impressed w the styrofoam cups either.
But where's the soba in Jo's soup? *puzzled*
Even though the dessert's weren't great, I'm envious of the variety! Although come to think of it, Iori's black sesame ice cream and matcha cheesecake are about perfect in my book :D
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The soba was somewhere deep in that bowl… haha! Love that noodle type, makes me feel wholesome. :)
… oh wait, I see what you mean… fakegf was served (overcooked) ramen!! FAIL… haha!
…but we were still satisfied, :D
Aww… It's so nice of fakegf to be so mindful and hold her opinions at the time of choosing a restaurant. There are two Menya's in Melb Central actually, one at the food court and one in the alley next to Harajuku Crepes, the former is crap but latter still quite bearable. Us students go to that end of Elizabeth St a lot cause of all the cheap, filling Asian food, haha!! Thai Culinary/Rose Garden/Menya/Coconut House. I wanna go back to try fakegf's ramen! =D
That's the cheap and cheery end of Eliz St indeed, I too go there for my Asian food fix, and am not too fussy w quality since its priced so affordably by Melbourne standards. ;)
How is Thai Culinary, though? Friend of mine recommended me ttp try here but I'm not convinced.
I feel like they've changed at least 2 chefs the past 3 yrs? The same dish can taste pretty diff each time I go, or maybe diff chefs on shift. At its worst it's still pretty decent but one time my pineapple fly lice turned out pretty soggy/salty. Still, cheap and decent and sometimes pretty good, so still passable to me haha!
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The presentation is kinda cute :) especially with the fruit in the water ~ the ramen look good and for that price. Too bad the desserts weren't that great :(
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Yes, I'm less fussy when the dishes are cheap, I suppose. It is also very common for cheap Asian places to be inconsistent with their dishes, im okay with that as long as its not overly salty. :)
Can't complain, right? But the desserts may be Japanese style, which I am not familiar with?
As long as the sashimi is thick-cut and fresh, I am happy.
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and cheap! :D
Lol at the menu picture vs. what you got! Good to hear it's a good feed though, I've always considered going to the one in Melbourne Central when I am running around town doing errands but know better now… :)
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Haha! I suppose at that price point, we don't get all that fussy about consistency and food quality. It certainly hit the spot for us! :)