Melbourne, VIC 3000
Of all the fusion foods I’ve heard of, sushi burgers take the cake. It sounds
like a bad 6th generation Pokémon evolution, and it makes about as
much sense as Vanillish, the ice cream Pokémon. However this is food we’re
talking about, not adorable monsters fighting to the death, so the taste is
what really matters. To find out for ourselves (mostly me though) what all the
fuss is about, Chris and I made a visit to J
Cafe Restaurant after a morning gym session that left us starving.
Upon stepping in, we could tell
that the restaurant has been around for a while. However there were little
homely touches that gave the space a certain measure of sweetness, and the
staff were polite and friendly. Despite there being an adjoining room in the
restaurant as well, the line was out the door half an hour after it opened for
lunch.
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| Spicy Raw Salmon Burger ($7.5 a la carte) |
I could’ve gone for a few sushi
burgers, but there was some lovely lunch sets on offer. Fearing the size of
some of them, I decided on the Mini
Udon and Sushi Burger Set ($12.5), which gave me a choice of a bowl of
noodles, and any burger of my choosing. Being Asian and all, I immediately
ordered the most expensive Spicy Raw
Salmon Burger ($7.5 a la carte), though in my defence that was the one
that caught my eye the most anyway. This was actually surprisingly good – two
rice patties sandwiching chunky fresh salmon, flavoured with a creamy, spicy
sauce that had a hint of earthy miso to it. The package was neatly bundled up
with a slightly crispy sheet of nori, making for a delicious Japanese snack
that fits easily into one hand.
 |
| Niku Udon ($7.5 a la carte) |
Along with my sushi burger, I got
the Niku Udon ($7.5 a la
carte), which was served in an adorably-sized bowl that was a perfect size after the
burger. The noodles and soup weren’t anything to shout about (a little doughy,
lacking in depth), but the beef was surprisingly, well, beefy. The thinly
sliced meat was flavoursome in the way only good quality beef with a decent bit
of marbling can be, and the translucent slivers of onion gave it a little bit
of crunch, and a little bit of sweetness.
 |
| Hamburg Curry Set ($17) |
Chris on the other hand ordered the
Hamburg Curry ($17), which
was alarmingly huge, and the curry sauce threatened to overflow at any moment. This
dish was served simply, the mild yet robust sauce garnished with two chunky
beef patties, and a small pinch of radish pickles. I loved how the sauce had
pieces of vegetables in it, and it made for a hearty meal after the fluffy rice
absorbed all the curry goodness.
 |
| Miso Soup |
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| Salad |
Served with the curry was a bowl of
Miso Soup, and a Salad. The miso soup was a cut
above what you’d usually come across, and it was generous with toothsome kombu
and crispy scallions. The spaghetti and vegetable salad was dressed with a
light and tasty sesame oil vinaigrette, but we didn’t pay it much attention
considering how much curry there was to devour.
J Cafe Restaurant serves Japanese
food that is certainly above par, but its drawcard is the sushi burgers. I
wouldn’t go out of my way to have a meal here, but I would certainly drop by to
grab a couple of sushi burgers, especially considering that they’re even
cheaper when taking away.
Rating: 13/20 – sushi-burger-mon.
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