Yoyogi, Melbourne CBD by Bureaucrat

Sushi is one them ubiquitous snack.  I go through phases of loving them, and them getting tired of them. In recent times, I'm back on the sushi train.  I went back to my usual provider - Sushi Sushi.  However, I was disappointed with their sushi as it was pricey, and despite the appearances that the fillings looked to be plentiful, the fillings actually disappeared halfway through the sushi roll.  As such, I've made a vow not go patronise them again.


Instead, I've now found a new place that's great on value and generous with the fillings.  And this place is Yoyogi inside Melbourne Central shopping centre. First up, I love the price.  When purchased individually, they're similarly priced to their competitors.  But when you buy 4 rolls, you get them for $2 each, which is pretty good in my books. Secondly, I love the generous filling; all the good stuff
extends the length of the sushi.  No stingyness here.


Left to right: panko prawn, raw tuna, crispy chicken

Thirdly, I love their range, in particular, their panko prawn roll and especially the spicy fish roll.  The panko prawn is crispy and is livened up with butter lettuce, cucumber and mayo.  The same goes for the crispy chicken roll.


Top and left - spicy fish.  Left - panko prawn

My all-time favourite is the spicy fish roll.  Initially, I was put off by the name of the roll ('spicy fish' doesn't sound appetising to me) and the fact that it's spicy.  But one day, I got one just to try it.  After my first bite, I thought, "dang, I gotta gets me some more of this!".  The batter is light and crispy, and the white fish is chunky and meaty.  What I particularly like about the fish is that it tastes exactly like the deep fried fish w sweet corn sauce that you get from Chinese restaurants.  The spicy mayo is quite mild, it just provides a mild kick.


Having liked their sushi so much, I figured I give their bento box a try. Sadly, their bento boxes aren't as good as the sushi.  While plentiful (and cheaper by $1-$2 when compared to their competitors) it wasn't as tasty.  I got the karaage chicken bento.  The chicken was big, the crust is crispy but it was a tad oily.  The dumplings weren't gyozas, as such. They were more your Chinese style dumplings - with a thick pastry.  As with the chicken, these were a tad oily too, but the filling inside (pork, ginger and veg) was pretty tasty.  The Californian rolls were 'meh'.

Verdict
Food – 8.5 (for the sushi only.  I'd give it 6 for the bento box on its own.)
Ambience – 6
Service – 7
Price – 9

Overall
Love the sushi, which is why I keep going back.  A few of us in the office like the fact that they also have brown rice sushi rolls.

I would advise you give their bainmarie foods and bento boxes a miss.  They're your typical foodcourt quality food.

Address
Yoyogi
Shop LG 06, Melbourne Central SC
Melbourne 3000
Telephone: 9650 2121