Fancy Japanese @ Ocha, Church Street, Hawthorn

The first thing I noticed when I sat down on our seats at Ocha was the noise - from the table next to us. The seats were not spaced too well that I heard every bit of gossip of women chattering about their husbands and how she regretted not having lived her life after having a few drinks. She tried to keep her voice down but unfortunately, it's too late. If you're looking for a romantic night out, this is not the venue for you. If this was for a family function or group dinner, it is a possible option but not for the price. Quality-wise, it's good but there are better places in Melbourne for great Japanese food.

Our best dish of the night - Soft Shell Crab Roll ($17.50) and the Sushi and Sashmi Combo (main $42). The crab was lightly fried but still very crunchy, you won't notice the mushy texture of the crab. The daikon wrapped around the sushi was so delicate, it was really made with skill. The sushi rice was vinegary and sweet but not overpowering. Sashmi was fresh and succulent. Definitely worth ordering again.

Ocha on UrbanspoonWhat else did we have?












Black Cod Miso ($27) - OK. I'll say it. Nobu's is better but this one wasn't bad.
















Green Tea Breadcrumbed Oysters ($3.50 each) - Light and crispy. Oysters were fresh and not too briny. Good combination. Not much green tea flavour in there though.












"Sawani" Blue Cod Fillet fried and placed in a sweet soy broth ($13.50 each) - The fish was cooked well and wasn't too tough or leathery. I thought the sauce leaned towards the sweet side. Similar to the sauce used in agedashi tofu but stronger in flavour.






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