Amiri at QV – Melbourne – a dessert place with odd fusion dishes and cakes

Amiri seems to be some sort of fusion Asian café, it opened up in mid-2024 at QV. The café happens to occupy a prime location in the QV Precinct near the open area. The place has all the hallmarks of a place trying to provide that Asian, though very Japanese, experience with high-end natural-looking, modern décor. According to their website, Amiri is a place offering an extensive selection of mains, including Kyoto Omurice and Wagyu Sando, and decadent desserts like Strawberry Short Cake, Matcha Lover Set and Durian Deluxe. Indulge in specialty drinks like Matcha Latte, Tiranoffy, and Hojicha Latte,

I wandered into this café intrigued with what it had to offer. I sat down at one of the many tables when someone handed me a printed QR code to scan and order. (At the time, I thought this was an odd way to order.)

On scanning the QR code, I was surprised to see a range of all day meals representing some clearly pure Japanese dishes, such as Omurice, with some Asian-fusion dishes, such as Tom Yum Ramen, and then Western-style dishes like Eggs Benedict. The menu certainly looked exciting, albeit most of the prices were sitting in the mid to high 20s. I knew it was going to be an expensive brunch.

I opted for their Tom Yum Ramen for $26 which came with a bowl of hot and sour soup, two prawn tempura, an enoki tempura, and a egg. The bowl of ramen also came with a lemon wedge and some more chili oil. I have to admit that I thought neither the lemon nor chili oil was necessary, since the soup already had a tartness to it and the chili oil seemed like it was already in the soup. The soup was the quintessential tom yum with some spicy and sour kicks, with a deliciously fried enoki and some succulent prawns. The noodles were nice and firm, soaking in some of that tom yum flavour.

After finishing the bowl, I was left with a tiny bit of sweat. I felt it was a somewhat okay dish with some great elements.

I also ordered their Mocha for $8 which had a much mild chocolate and coffee flavour. The chocolate notes could have been stronger to make it more interesting, while I’m okay if the coffee flavour is masked – but this drink didn’t taste like coffee at all.

Before I left, I also bought a lychee cake for takeaway. It had a jelly top with a cheesecake base. In and on top of the jelly were lychee pieces. I enjoyed the lychee cake at home and it was pleasantly nice with a nice warm drink.

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