Maedaya and Cabinet bar and balcony

They are both bars that serve tapas, more than meals. They are both popular places for students and workers alike. One of them is in the city and the other is in Richmond.  We went to both of them.

Maedaya
Maedaya is a Japanese Izakaya (which is predominantly a Japanese bar/pub). They have an iPad ordreing system but if you need help the friendly Japanese staff can assist you in making choices. They are also very attentive.

They only open for dinner.

The place is clean and after 7pm on a weeknight it can get quite busy. So do come before then as they don't take bookings for groups less than 8 people. Routes 48 and 75 go past the place all the time.

The place is really clean and it reminds me of the Japanese bar I saw on Kill bill as it had that intimate feel. They have so many sake on offer.

The bathrooms are out the back and you have to press a green button to exit.


Note they do have proper meals and they are famous for their skewers. The skewers are priced from $2.50-$3.50 per plate. There is a skewer tasting plate for $12.  I loved the onigiri skewer. Yum. I also love their inari kushi which had a chilli kick to it.

I also had their chirashi ($13.50) I loved the fish, but there was too much avocado in there. The rice was just ok.

The agedashi tofu ($6) was just ok. There was no moving bonito which I would have loved.

They do have free green tea for all.

I'd love to invite the Japan club for a meal out here.

Cabinet Bar and Balcony

This is behind the Tivoli arcade in a little laneway called Rainbow Alley. It might be a bit tricky to find but if you can find the corner of Swanston and Little Collins st you can look left and the laneway is to your left. Its better to wear flat shoes to this place as you'll have to climb some stairs.

They are more of a drinking place rather than an eating place. But they do have some amazing tapas there.

On Wednesdays they have $10 flatbreads. On Mondays they have $10 champagne cocktails.

I had the chance to visit this place with my library group once before and loved the flatbreads, eggplant chips, chips and the antipasto plate. Oh and I loved the big olive bowl. The eggplant chips were favoured by everyone as it went in minutes. Same as the flatbreads. Oh and I loved the poppers in the antipasto plate.  Not everyone loved the chips as there were heaps left and it got cold.


Their soft drinks are $3.50 but they come in a big glass.Or after dinner in any case.

We'd be happy to come again just for drinks before dinner.

I would only come just for the drinks, mainly the mocktails and the flatbreads.

Peko Peko

I finally found Peko Peko after numerous tries. I am not familiar with the area so I found it hard to find on numerous times.

Peko Peko is a student cheap eat, hence there were many uni students and workers there. Almost all the routes except for number 1 all pass by and it is behind St Kilda Road. It is about 5 mins from the city.

They take EFTPOS, cash and card and they have a no split bill.

The place is small hence it is quite cramped. They have indoor and outdoor seating and if you are in a group its better to book ahead

I came just before 12pm hence it was quiet and easier for me to get a table. But just after 12pm groups of people came pouring in. Just like Laksa King, this place is very popular.

But their wasabi prawns aren't as good as Laksa King's. Laksa King's are bigger and better and they don;t have too much wasabi and mayo. These ones are smaller.

But what they are most famous in is their bento boxes. I had one of these for $13 and they were huge. They have a few different ones such as vegetarian and the famous pop corn chicken one.

I had the vegetarian one and I was easily full after this. I didn't like the cabbage salad. It was too bland. But I loved the stir fried vegetables, fried tofu and spring rolls. The fried tofu popped in my mouth just like the popcorn chicken would.

The bowls of soup noodles are huge.


It pays to do your research about the place before you come as the staff there are quite busy and may not have a chance to answer your questions about recommendations. There are about 34 blog posts on Urbanspoon and most of them recommend the popcorn chicken and bento boxes.

There is a menu posted on Urbanspoon and it features many vegetarian dishes as well as the popcorn chicken ones.

If I have the time and no money I'd happily come again. Students do visit this great cheap eat.

Cheese masterclass @Prahran Market

As part of our At home and Abroad series.

Cheese is mainly European and Australian. You would hardly see gourmet cheese in Asia. There are about 10000 different varieties of cheeses in the world.

Prahran Market is having their Cheese week at the moment and to kick things off there was a free masterclass which you had to book it online or at the Market Office. These classes run for a limited time on Fridays at 12:30pm.

If you are coming from the city I suggest that you take the number 72 tram to Camberwell. The stop is just outside the market.

Here the masterclass was run by Angelo from the Cheese Deli shop. There was a lot of talk about the cheeses that are made in Australia. When I eat gourmet cheese it reminds me of the country.

There were ten people in the class. The ten of us sampled four cheeses and the one that was loved by most was the cheddar as it reminded us of Tasmania. This cheese was actually made in Tasmania.

These cheeses were
1) Brie- this one was creamy and milky and had a really smooth texture about it. This is a room temperature cheese
2) White rind- we tried this one with the muscatels (grapes with seeds). The creaminess is similar to the first but except this was more robust.
3) Cheddar- this is an English cheese which was young. Hence it had that beautiful fruity taste to it. When I eat this I think of rolling cheeses.

4) Blue Vein- I have tried this cheese before and I have never really liked it all that much as it had this weird off taste about it


In the end we all took home a bag of goodies which included a cheese board and a block of cheese as well as a $5 gift card for Prahran Market.

It really does pay for you to try out everything (including new foods) whilst you are in Melbourne. Otherwise what is the point of choosing Melbourne as your study destination? You may as well go home to study.

Many thanks to the Cheese shop deli and Prahran Market for this.