We had heard the legend of the ramen burger, the tale of a burger with no bun. According to the story, the bun is replaced with golden patties made entirely out of egg noodles. We had seen and eaten them only in our imaginations and we knew in our heart it was our duty, nay, our destiny, to try these ramen burgers for ourselves. Plus it was dinner time so this all worked out swimmingly.
The first ramen burger in Melbourne was created at Shizuku, so that’s where we went. There were two options. Both of which are served with a bowl of miso soup (an especially delicious miso btw). I ordered the candied pork belly with plum and prune sauce and kewpie mayo which was amazing.
My brother ordered the veg option, the miso-glazed eggplant with sweet miso jam. Both were yum. The ramen is packed tight to form the patty so you loose the bounciness of the noodle. I imagined the outer part of the ramen patty to be crispier and softer towards the center but the whole patty was the same soft texture throughout. It was still really yummy though and its fun to eat a bowl of noodles in a hand held motion.
We tried the chargrilled rolled pork belly which was absolutely delicious. It looked amazing and tasted even better. The thin slices of pork and julienned cucumber made the dish delicate. It was topped with cha shu sauce (sort of like Chinese char siu) which made the dish stand out with the simple and stunning flavours.
The Hiroshima crumbed oysters were also delicious. Piping hot oysters, crumbed with panko, deep-fried then placed back in their individual shells, oh so cute. They sat beside a fresh salad with kewpie mayo and a dark sweet sauce (I think it was oyster sauce –which would seem fitting). Or it could be the same sauce as in the ramen burger, the plum and prune. Either way, the point i'm making is the sauce was yummy.
The wasabi prawns were incredible. So delicious! We got the wasabi mayo on the side because my mum feared that it would be too hot but it wasn’t. It was just right. The prawns were cooked perfectly, the tempura batter was light and fluffy, and the wasabi-mayo ratio was perfection. I loved these so much.
To finish our meal we had the green tea ice cream with a Japanese black sugar fusion melt (which tasted like molasses), dusted with soy bean powder. It tasted just like green tea. The black sugar melt was a little bitter but it was a refreshing finish to our meal.
They had heaps of really interesting and imaginative dishes on the menu but we couldn’t order everything and we had already eaten to our stomachs capacity. I definitely want to go back. They had these cheesy nori snacks on the menu which was tasty cheese wrapped in seaweed, deep fried and sprinkled w seven-spice chilli. Sounds interesting huh. They also have caramalised lotus salad, karaage popcorn chicken with secret batter and a range of gyozas yum!
The décor was simple and stylish. The lights looked like lots of cables emerging from the ceiling with these crafty designer lights hanging from the cables. They looked like beautiful flowers.
I heart Shizuku!
Olives x
Shizuku
Address: 309 Victoria Street, Abbotsford
Website: http://shizuku.com.au
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shizukujapanese
Phone: 03 9995 8180
Trading Hours: Mon-Sun: 11.30am-2.30pm (Lunch), 5.30pm-til late (Dinner)
10 thoughts on “Shizuku”
Thanks for the review – I am constantly on the look for restaurants to try and have a special place in my heart (belly) for Japanese. Can’t wait to try it!
ahaha I have a special place in my belly for Japanese food too hehe. You will love it!!
Looks delicious! I was actually able to make Ramen burgers myself – check out the recipe here!
http://dailyloveaffair.com/2013/08/26/cookbook-ramen-burger/
I can’t believe you made them yourself…that’s fantastic!!
Man this looks good! I must find one in my area!
Yes find one! It’s so yummy 😀
I wish we had one near me! I’ll have to search one out! I love your posts! Very interesting eye. Maybe I have some posts that would interest you to? ~Stephanie http://www.hhmomma.wordpress.com
Thanks 🙂 Love your site. It’s great for my new years resolution to try to eat healthier. (TRY being the operative word) hehe
Thank you! I love reading & writing my favorite blogs, so I decided it was time I started one, as well. I love the support I get and I will always support those who want to change their lifestyle. I’ve learned that THAT is what it is all about. Being there for each other because commitment is hard. I have to be accountable for my health in order to help everyone else.
You can do it!
You don’t have to be perfect, because perfect is no-fun!
I recently read an article about Ramen burgers and have wanted to try them – They look ridiculously good. Thanks for stopping by and liking our post!