tokyo tina

😱lizzie’s first impression: as soon as i walked in i feltgreatvibes and ambience. the staff here are super attentive and noted that my friend had food allergies and catered for that. they always came back to see if we needed anything.

🍩lizzie enjoyed: i loved the skewers - we ordered the chicken skewers and they were charred and barbecued deliciously. we also tried the

🍅lizzie did not enjoy: the bibimbap is a let down unfortunately, especially because i thought “tokyo” tina was japanese not korean? well anyway, the kochujang (korean spicy sauce) didn’t have the chilli punch to it and didn’t add to the overall dish. it lacked meat.

🥇lizzie rates overall: loved the vibes of this restaurant and i’d love to come back to try more on their menu.

i don't have too much too say about this place other than it being a little overrated. the food wasn't bad but it wasn'tgreateither. salmon tartare was fresh but bland. wagyu beef tataki was flavoursome. chicken ribs were... boring and i tried one more dish but it was that unmemorable that i've forgotten what it was. i only ate there last night ao maybe that says more about me than the food. service was good. venue was cool.

said would be 2 hour wait, was an hour and a half. excellent service,greatfood, awesome music! had the pork belly bao and open california rolls, not a disappointment. quiet deeds session ale is fantastic aswell

tonight's experience was madegreatby matt, whom assisted me by passing on a message when i rang to a girlfriend who had forgotten her phone. during the course of the evening, he checked up to make sure all was as it should be
all other staff lovely too.
well.
it's just the food that's not.
ceviche cones were definitely the highlight. fresh fish in agreatcitrus curing with a hint of wasabi. lovely.
the rice bowl with raw salmon was just okay.
the beef hanger box with condiments was just okay.
it feels like the flavours have been dumbed down. maybe to accomodate the masses
personally, the menu didn't grab me.
i like the mishmash of guests they had here. young and old enjoying agreatlooking venue
i want to love this venue, as i do of their siblings but each time i try, i realise i like the older sister best.

the good:greatambience, takes bookings for 6 +, varied menu, you can grab a tasty and filling udon soup without breaking the bank

the bad: a bit too keen to turn tables over, nothing extra special or a standout in the food department.

will i return? likely because others keep selecting it as a place to go but if i were to choose the twice i've already been there is probably enough!

tokyo tina is a fun and tasty restaurant providing the goods with japanese street food with a modern twist and a cool atmosphere in the heart of chapel street, windsor. there is plenty of space inside and out, even in winter, you can sit outside under the warmth of the heaters. agreatplace for delicious japanese food and good vibes. 🍜

staff aregreat- we had a pram and one year old and were welcomed and taken care of (this is a big deal as new parents) and the food is excellent. clearly people have polarised views on this place but we rated it. no pretention as others have said. well worth putting on the list.

'tokyo tina' - sounds more like a last gasp seedy night act than it does a contemporary cuisine restaurant. don't let that fool you. if tokyo tina were a real person (and i like to think that she is) she'd be one of those quirky but ridiculously talented chicks you hate for all the wrong reasons. but i digress; the food wasgreatand the 3 members of staff i came across were all very attentive and knowledgeable (probably the best staff team i've come across all year). the banquet wasn't particularly cheap... but what's cheap anymore eh? shut up and cough up, it's certainly worth your dollars. give this place a look in.

fusion may be the hot thing to do, but it's pretty hard to do well. tokyo tina had a nice vibe and lovely service. the food was underwhelming or okay at best, definitely overrated. salmon tartare with the sesame cracker was the highlight of the night. light and fresh andgreatsubtle flavours. otherwise, the karaage corn balls were nice but the sansho mayo was way to strong. gyoza were really poorly made and cooked, with dry and rubbery skin, plus the kimchi pork filling was weak. the broth of the miso ramen was so bland, it made me sad. i'm not expecting good ramen from a place that doesn't specialise in it, but this was by far the weakest ramen i've ever tried.

really delicious food &greatatmosphere & service. all our dishes were amazing, though particularly loved the deconstructed california rolls. nice twist to the standard hand roll.
only issue was that we had to wait over an hour for a table, which i hate doing, but it was worth it.

came to celebrate a friend's birthday and were required to go with the set menu because we were a group of 7!

ordered: standard all-in ($65.00pp)
🥒 spiced edamame
🐟 kingfish sashimi with yuzukosho dressing
🥟 pork + kimchi gyoza with plum vinegar, soy
🍗 karaage chicken with five spice, lime, kewpie mayo
🍆 crispy sticky eggplant with red vinegar, sesame
🍅 summer tomatoes with kombu dressing & gyoza crisps
🍙 diy pork belly bao with pickled daikon, teriyaki sauce, kewpie
🐄 wagyu beef tataki with ponzu sauce and horseradish
🥬 shredded wombok, fennel & radish with shaved wombok, fennel, radish and yuzu dressing
nb:i think we got beetroots though...
🥯 homemade yuzu donut with mandarin sugar, yuzu curd

review:
kicking off with the favourites:
1. crispy sticky eggplant was a crowd favourite. a lot of the table didn't like eggplant, but were happily munching on the crunchy eggplant!
2. summer tomatoes was a fresh hit. especially with a umami-mushroom flavour, and crunchy gyoza chips it was loaded with texture. i would've happily consumed a whole plate to myself.

could've been betters:
1. pork belly bao could've been softer. it was a little dense, but the pork belly itself was cooked well. especially when i've had dry pork belly, i thought the pork belly was well done at tokyo tina.
2. edmame could've done a lot better if it was chargrilled. not bad for being spiced (adds a nice zing) but could be elevated with a dark smoky flavour.

there's definitely enough food in this set menu.greatprice, for a fun set menu experience.

service was nice and definitely a bustle of people in the restaurant being on chapel st. it's so hard to find parking around the area - so be warned!

not the authentic japanese food i was expecting and in general the food was more korean too me cuz everything was too sweet 😂 4 of us all the food and drinks together $197 i guess price was not thatgreatfor the food

👍🏻 what you should order: smoked duck bimbimbap, karaage chicken, all of their cocktails
*
overall score: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
*
tokyo tina is the type of place that you would go for a meal with your friends if you would like to indulge in asian fusion. do not come here if you are looking for traditional asian food - tokyo tina prides itself in serving a wide range of asian dishes with a slight twist.

after a few visits, i’ve come to realise that if you order the right dishes, you are guaranteed to have a good time. some of my favourite dishes are:
1. the smoked duck bimbimbap: do not pour all the chilli sauce if you don’t enjoy spicy food. we usually pour about half and it’s sufficient. really enjoy the smoked duck.
2. karaage chicken: who doesn’t enjoy crispy chicken alongside kewpie? this is a classic favourite which went well with their cocktails!
3. eggplant chips - not as crispy and rich as the ones i had at some sichuan restaurants, but the honey coat works well.
4. the yakitori sticks were delicious - not the best we’ve had, but perfectly charred and full of flavour
5. tokyo tina also had a good selection of sashimi dishes. we wiped the kingfish sashimi and yellow fish tuna clean!!

the dishes that we found to be less appetising were the pork belly bao - the pork belly meat was a bit dry and portions were small. the pork hock was also quite tough and hard to cut through. the pork and kimchi gyoza also didn’t work as well - something about the pork meat tasting slightly odd.

having said that, after 2 visits, we now order our favourite dishes and really enjoy our time at tokyo tina. the drink selections are especially good - i haven’t had a cocktail i didn’t enjoy at tokyo tina. thegreatmusic playlist and top notch service are also huge pluses - it’s no wonder the restaurant is consistently crowded!
*
taste: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
ambience: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
presentation: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
price: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
service: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

absolutely love this asian fusion gem on chapel! i've dined here multiple times, and try something new on the menu everytime - i'm sure i'll work my way through the entire thing soon! all of the dishes that i've tried have been outstanding  - my favourites are the kaarage chicken, wagyu beef skewers and the charred cauliflower.

it's alwaysgreatvibes in there and its nice sitting outside with the heaters on when its a little colder. staff are very friendly and attentive also.

i heard they do bottomless brunch as well so will have to head back to try it out!

by far my favourite restaurant in melbourne, food is amazing, service is alwaysgreatand the time the food takes to be served is second to none without losing any taste.

if i were to choose my perfect meal, sharing with someone else, it would be to start with edamame, karaage corn balls, then give it 10 mins or so and order karaage chicken, beef diy and if im still hungry maybe a bowl of spicy chicken ramen and id be surprised if this was anywhere near $80.

this place is owned by people who care about service and producing the best food in melbourne.