Chiba Japanese

Checked this place out on a Friday night while in town. There were plenty of customers streaming in and out during our sitting. This may be the reason why it was a bit slow for our orders to be taken. The sashimi set was good for $35. However I hoped we’d get some fatty tuna with it which wasn’t the case. The mixed tempura was probably the best out of the dishes we tried. This was not bad value at $15 and I suggest ordering a rice on the side to eat with this dish. The tuna rolls had a sinewy texture to the fish which wasn’t pleasant. Overall the food was okay, nothing was outstanding. Will try other Japanese restaurants around the area first until we come back here.

I personally love Japanese food and have been here quite a few times 😂. And I really like eating here it has a very nice atmosphere although sometimes it can get a little bit loud. The food here is fantastic with plenty of plain food options, and also lots more interesting food options. Chiba is great for groups of all sizes from just 1 all the way up to 12 and above. There is really only one downside and that is that if you don't have a booking and you go in a busy time you might not get a table so make sure you try too book. The staff here are very friendly and knowledgable with them knowing most ingredients in the different menu items. I highly recommend this place as a smart casual place for people to go and catch up with friends or go out for dinner with your family.

🌶 Spicy Tuna Roll 🍤 Tempura Prawn Roll 🍣 Ebi Prawn Nigiri 🥟 Pork Gyoza 🍗 Chicken Teriyaki Yakitori 🐟 Whitebait Tempura 🍠 Vegetable Tempura Chiba is a Japanese restaurant located in Hall St, Moonee Ponds. Always busy, this has been a go to for locals for years for dine in or takeaway. They offer an A La Carte service as well as 3 different Set Menus ranging from $38-48 per person. What they are most known for though is their signature Sushi Boats. 🛶 Judging from their Instagram page and first impressions on arrival, I thought this looked quite fancy! Sadly as soon as you are seated you realise it is definitely casual and dated, with disposable chopsticks, damaged menus and dirty glasses. The music in the venue is so faint, there is no vibe. It seemed confused as to wether they were trying to be luxe or casual, small changes could makes a big difference here. The Sushi was fresh and you can watch the chefs prepare them at the counter. The Sushi Rolls were nice however for some reason completely fell apart as soon as leaving the plate, barely reaching our mouths. The Gyoza here are massive with great flavour but more like a dumpling. 🥟 The Tempura Vegetable batter was only barely crisp however the Tempura Whiting was perfect. The Teriyaki Chicken was moist but the sauce was overbearingly sweet. After ordering a decent selection of food we were surprised our dishes were paced and everything was brought out almost at once. Considering we were seated at a small table for two, we were having to reorganise and replate dishes leaving us uncomfortable and rushed. We had a 2 hour seating and we were out the door in 40 minutes. ⏰ All in all the food seemed fresh, nothing was bad just very simple. The wait staff were lovely however the actual service needs tuning. Good for a quick, casual meal if it’s close to home.