Just over seven years ago, I stepped foot into Shou Sumiyaki as a PhD student who had just passed the first year confirmation - the first ‘milestone’ of the degree and a hurdle requirement for continuing on. We partook in a lovely meaty bbq feast to celebrate the occasion, and a very merry time was had. Fast forward to present day and I suppose while several things have changed on my end , things are still very much sizzling hot at Shou Sumiyaki. On this occasion, we opted to try their recently launched lunch menu featuring a number of well-priced lunch sets: the fried seafood and wagyu beef tenderloin gyu katsu sets, both served with miso soup, rice, pickles and a bottomless serving of sesame dressed cabbage salad. Shared between the two of us, lunch was a surf and turf affair. The tiger prawns, oysters and scallops were superbly fresh while the marbled wagyu beef was juicy succulent. Both were coated in a gorgeous crumb that provided much crunchy oomph. If beef a la rare ain’t your thing, there is also the option of asking for a hot plate. We also ordered the salmon belly tartar and slow-cooked ox tongue skewers to whet our appetites before the main event. I was a little bit disappointed by the toughness of the ox tongue skewers but the salmon belly tartar was a stark contrast and absolutely stole the show. A silky blend of creamy salmon tartar, served with crispy salmon skin crackers sprinkled with a punchy wasabi seasoning and a beautiful truffled mayo on the side. Flavour explosion after flavour explosion - it’s definitely a must-order dish.

Whether you’re after a quick meal for lunch or a grazing bbq feast, Shou Sumiyaki have got your sorted!

Salmon belly tartar - with salmon caviar and salmon skin chips, with Shou’s mayo dressing.

Gyutan kushiyaki - slow-cooked ox tongue skewers with miso.

Fried seafood set - with tiger prawns, oysters and scallops, served with miso soup, steamed rice, pickles, cabbage salad and tonkatsu sauce.

Wagyu beef tenderloin gyu katsu set - served with miso soup, steamed rice, pickles and cabbage salad.

Shou Sumiyaki

160 Little Bourke St,

Melbourne, Victoria, 3000.

+61 3 9654 3933

https://www.shousumiyaki.com.au/

Disclosure: I dined as a guest of Shou Sumiyaki. All opinions expressed in this post are based entirely on my experience and observations made during the time of my visit.