Owner Toshi Maeda, after whom Maedaya is named (translating to 'house of Maeda' in English), developed an enthusiasm for ultra-authentic Japanese cuisine during his young adulthood in North Kobe. After moving to Australia in 1996 where he was resident sake master at Albert Park's Misuzu, Toshi opened Maedaya to showcase his yakitori grill skills and imported sake blends, of which more than 15 are available in-house.
Maedaya is an izakaya venue rather than a traditional restaurant, meaning that sushi and sashimi are eschewed in favour of dishes cooked on the charcoal grill, around which three distinct menus have been developed. At lunchtime guests can sample Japanese 'pizza'; a sizzling pancake covered in melted cheese and scattered with a variety of toppings such as pork, chicken and grilled vegetables. Toshi's dinner menu features salads such as tomato shoyu and tofu, as well as hot plates of tofu steak and teriyaki chicken, while rice and miso soup also make an appearance for those seeking more wholesome and traditional flavours.
In the evenings, diners can ascend to the upstairs charcoal barbecue area where hot dishes, such as the signature tsukune (skewered chicken balls); wagyu brisket; and chicken skin in spicy miso are grilled right at the table. The dramatic decor features black walls adorned with hessian ropes and a bar with open kitchen that runs the length of the main dining room beside sake bottles in glass cases, framed like the rare and exotic artefacts that they are. Japanese pop music and otsumami selections such as edamame and gyoza are the perfect sake snacking partners for a pre-dinner drink, while bottled Asahi, Corona and James Boags are on hand for those craving a more familiar flavour.
Maya Linden
Open
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Breakfast
Lunch
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Dinner
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Late
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Mon-Sat noon-2.30pm, 6pm-11pm
Japanese and Tapas
Cuisine notes: Yakitori grill
Entree: $2-$10
Mains: $10-$19
Dessert: $4-$12
Payment accepted: MasterCard, Visa, American Express and EFTPOS
Licensed. Wine is not available by the glass.
This venue accepts bookings. It is advisable to make a reservation ahead of time. Group bookings are supported. Bookings only taken for groups of 5 or more
Seats 40
Wheelchair access
and wheelchair-accessible toilets
All reviews and ratings are the expressed opinions of our users, and in no way reflects the opinions of yourRestaurants, its staff and its affiliates.
Posted by:
Sarhegg
|
12 October 2010, 10.46pm
Yumbo!
Well, we went to Maedaya tonight for a 'yay, we've been in Melbourne 4 years' anniversary and wow! We are even more in love with Melbourne after tonight! The food was just amazing, and seemed to be pretty authentic since most of the patrons were Japanese, which is always a good sign.
We had quite a few dishes between the two of us, since it's kindof a tapas place. We had to stop ourselves from ordering more because everything looked and sounded so good. Lets see if I can remember what we had... We had a Yakatori tasting plate which had 5 different skewers consisting of 2 different marinated chicken skewers, a beef ball skewer, a pork belly skewer (YUM) and a bacon & cheese skewer. We also had some tuna sashimi which had a really lovely sauce & wasabi mayonaise. My other half has always been too scared of raw fish, but he tried it and loved it! He was amazed at the non-fishy flavour and tenderness. It was the best sashimi i've had too.
We also had a plate of pork belly which was very tasty, scallops & mushrooms in the most unusual peppery sauce which was also delicious AND of course Gyoza (pork dumplings).
We also received on sitting down a complimentary serve of deep fried lotus root with the daily special sauce which was sweet miso. You can choose from a range of about 5 different side condiments to enjoy through the meal. We got the wasabi mayonnaise which was very good.
The best advice is to book ahead! On the recommendation of other reviewers, we thankfully booked yesterday and glad we did as there were people waiting for a table when we arrived but we were seated immediately. Every restaurant we walked past on the way there was pretty much empty (a Tuesday night and all) but Maedaya was packed! And people kept coming. No wonder... the food is amazing and the prices are too good to be true. We ordered a lot of food, beer, softdrink & a sake mixer drink and it came under $80.
WE'LL BE BACK!
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Visit: Tue 12 October 2010
Mealtime: dinner
Service:
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Posted by:
The Jump
|
26 August 2009, 8.58pm
Love it
Amazing food and way too cheap for the quality. Service is quick and food always consistently fantastic. Deserts are a must!!
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Visit: Wed 26 August 2009
Mealtime: dinner
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Posted by:
Anthropic
|
14 August 2009, 12.21pm
My 11th time this year so far
I go there at least once every six weeks, I think I have taken almost every one of my friends now. I look for any excuse, the menu is so large it is sure to please anyone.
The cocktails are excellent with sake master mixing things up with plenty of fabulous tasting treats to compliment any meal selection.
My only issues with this place is it fills up too quickly and I often call too late to make my desired booking, I really think they should expand and serve the downstairs menu upstairs and the upstairs menu at a new location nearby. Or just open a second one closer to Camberwell!
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Visit: Fri 14 August 2009
Mealtime: dinner
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Posted by:
Registered user - name withheld
|
17 July 2009, 10.29am
Delicious
Really delicious. though there are some annoyances. Some dishes are only available downstairs and some only available upstairs, and which are which has changed from time to time. It's inconvenient, especially with regard to drinks, why can't everything be available? The prices are very cheap as well.
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Visit: Fri 17 July 2009
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Posted by:
vasiliky
|
22 June 2009, 3pm
this is a great place!
great place for a couple to eat out. if its juts the two of u, get a counter seat. they are great. and the tofu is fantastic. as is the squid. everyone was so lonely! the only thing that was negative was they forgot to bring us a sample plate. but it doesnt matter. and so cheap! we got about 8 dishes and had 2 sets of drinks each for only $110. def go there! and for dessert get the black sesame pudding. so great.
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Visit: Fri 19 June 2009
Mealtime: dinner
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Posted by:
FoodLoverIAm
|
21 April 2009, 10.23pm
A little piece of Japan in Melbourne
My wife and I have been back twice since we found Maedaya, once dining downstairs and once upstairs for the BBQ. The food is fantastic and authentic, the staff terrific, and the atmosphere authentic and sensational. I cannot say enough other than to recommend you go and try it for yourself and you won't be dissapointed. They have a wonderful sake range, but also a pretty good stock of Japanese beer that you'll be hard pressed to find elsewhere. Try it!
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Visit: Tue 21 April 2009
Mealtime: dinner
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Posted by:
moushe
|
17 February 2009, 10.27pm
great experience!
A couple of girlfriends and I decided to try the upstairs, do it yourself, Japanese BBQ area where you chargrill whatever you choose from the array of meat/poultry/seafood and vegetables from the menu. It is a lot of fun and also very tasty once you have the cooking techniques sorted. We chose to have some beef, chicken, skewered chicken mince balls (these are delicious), accompanied by some rice and pickled vegetables (also seaweed salad). There was plenty of food for the three of us and the prices were very reasonable, less than $20 each including drinks! A very enjoyable experience, lovely food and attentive Japanese staff and therefore a must try for Bridge road!
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Visit: Tue 17 February 2009
Mealtime: dinner
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Posted by:
kazmik
|
16 October 2008, 1.08pm
Just lovely Japanese!
Have been to Maedaya twice, both times we ate upstairs doing the DIY BBQ thing, with all the lovely sauces, meats and vegies. Its a great experience and a great way to really share a meal. Loved the salads too. Staff were very friendly and after all the stuff we ordered, was still VERY reasonably priced. Would definitely go back again. If you go upstairs though, be prepared to smell all smoky!
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Visit: Thu 2 October 2008
Mealtime: dinner
Service:
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