Eis

Recently I was fortunate enough to be invited by Hiro to try Eis' crispy chicken wrap and grilled eggplant. Prior to Hiro's email, I had heard about EIS from the ET book but that was about it. So this gave me the perfect excuse to try it.

Located in Albert Park it's a close neighbour of Andrew's Hamburgers, where it's a small residential shopping area. It's a small, cosy local Japanese restaurant. Unlike most other Japanese restaurants who either go down the path of fusion of traditional, Eis offers both to accommodate what it's guest may feel like for the day.

We decided, just chicken wrap and grilled eggplant wasn't going to be enough for us, so we decided to go all out and have a proper dinner.

To start I got the special which was a grilled oyster with yuzu miso paste. This reminded me of a Japanese oyster kilpatrick. I really enjoyed it, I could easily eat a dozen of these.

Also got the seared wagyu tataki with roasted garlic (also a special of the night). Loved the thin slices of beef and the tataki flavours infused with robust garlic hits.

Then there was the gyoza. It sat on the traditional side of the menu but to met it was more a modern twist to the classic gyoza I know of. It was deep fried and served with sweet chilli sauce and salad. The gyoza skin was very crispy but I still have a soft spot for the traditional way.

Next was the crispy chicken roll. This was like a cross between a peking duck pancake and a rice paper roll. The crispy chicken and sweet soy combo worked well but the wrap was a bit small.

Final tapas we got was the grilled eggplant. Nasu dengaku is one of favourite dishes to order when I go to a Japanese restaurant. Eis did theirs with plenty of miso paste and grilled the eggplant to a soft silky texture.

For mains, D and I decided on the curry udon and sashimi platter. I've never had a curry udon before so I wasn't sure what to expect. However I was very glad I got it. The curry sauce was served in a heavy soup consistency and it went beautifully with the soft, silken udon. Hiro noticed that we were sharing and was thoughtful enough to halve it in 2 bowls for us. This was definitely my favourite dish of the night.

The other main was the sashimi, good assortment. I was really happy to see scallops on the plate too. Not many places offer scallop on their sashimi platter but it's one of the most tasty seafood to eat fresh.

Hiro was nice enough to spoil us with dessert as well. Green tea ice cream served with red bean paste and almond. It was a great way to end the meal.

Overall 16/20 I like their offering of tapas. I really loved their oysters, curry udon and grilled eggplants. The choice of both traditional and fusion is creative and it's a place I will go back to again with friends