The hype has died a little for (not so newly opened) Japanese
restaurant,
Calia in Emporium. We barely had to wait (winner!) and were
seated in 15 minutes. Also I may have went 3 months ago so this review is only a tad delayed. I went 3 other girls and we all shared (obv),
ain't nobody got time for individual dishes.
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Even their menus are nice!
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To
start we had the Toro Bowl ($39.80). This was pricey AF but we could
not resist fatty tuna belly. It was glazed with suki sauce and topped
with tuna belly tartare. Melted in my mouth and brought back all the
Japan feels.
I
was really excited to try the Marbled Sukiyaki Bowl ($16.90). It was
premium Marble 9+ wagyu slices with a 63 degree egg. Unfortunately this
was really disappointing as it was quite bland and lacked the juicy
meaty flavour I expect from wagyu.
The Aburi Salmon ($18.30) was flame seared salmon topped with ikura and their secret CALIA sauce. This was quite nice but tinyyyyy.
The
O'Bara Bara ($19.80) ahd lovely presentation with its bright pops of
colour. It was marinated chirashi of diced tuna, salmon, kingfish,
tamago and ikura. Unfortunately this was also a let down. While it was
advertised as marinated, this was lacking in flavour and I had to add
soy sauce.
We
had truffle fries tossed in egg yolk ($8.90) and the truffle was
basically indistinguishable. This was still yummy fried goodness tho. I
have checked the menu and it has recently changed to umami fries and
seems to have a shitload more truffle shaved on top. Good for them!
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Flat lay
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Very pretty!
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Dat ooze
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Last
but not least was the Matcha Lava Lava ($14.90). The matcha ganache
oozed out of the chocolate lava cake, which was followed by a chorus of
oohs and aahs. This was nice but I would've loved a more intense matcha
flavour.
Calia was nice but not the best
Japanese food I have ever eaten. Probably a tad overrated, given all the
rave reviews I have read. The portions are definitely on the smaller
side, so not that much bang for your buck. One dish will not get you
full at all TBH. However the tuna belly is a must try! I do have to
admit that the aesthetic was indeed very pleasing. The presentation was
fantastic and I loved the vibe of Calia. It also has an interesting
retail to dining concept, albeit being on the pricier side. I wouldn't
be in a rush to dine here again as Melbourne's quality Japanese are in
abundance.
Taste: 6/10
Value for Money: 5/10
Service: 7/10
Presentation: 8/10
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