Gekkazan, the best vegetarian sushi in Melbourne CBD

Sushi shops are so common in any shopping centre in Melbourne that you might be forgiven for thinking they are much of a muchness.  However I have discovered the best place to by sushi in Melbourne CBD.  It is a little Japanese cafe in the laneway between Myer Department Store and the old GPO building.  They have lots of great food but if you have ever wanted a range of flavours, purple rice or just the fun of rolling your own, I suggest you get down to Gekkazan.

Until recently I loved to visit this part of the CDB.  The old GPO building is one of the fine Victorian buildings in the city.  I loved to visit the ABC shop and wander through the building, perhaps to stop at the cafe in the middle of the GPO shopping centre.  It was with sadness that I have watched it transform into foreign owned shopping monolith H and M.  Myer is no longer what it used to be.  And I have written more about the new Emporium shopping centre in another post.

Thankfully there are few changes to the Gekkazan laneway.  (Though it has changed names in the last few years since I first wrote about Kenzan at the GPO in 2008).  I particularly love some of the historic signage that has been preserved.  Be warned it is often busy with city workers.  There are lots of seats at Gekkazan with heaters in winter and sparrows throughout the whole year.

The reason I keep going back to Gekkazan is the roll-your-own sushi.  For those who only ever eat sushi from a sushi shop in a shopping centre, it tastes different when the nori is fresh and still has a little crunch.  And it is fun.  The fillings are fairly standard vegetarian mixtures of avocado, pickled vegetables, carrot and tofu.  My only reservation is that this is not so good for the environment with all the extra packaging.  And it is more expensive than your usual sushi hand roll.

Not all the sushi is roll-your-own.  Recently I have tried a few different flavours.  I really loved the crumbed potato and lettuce filling (top photo).  I also was very taken by the purple rice hand rolls.  The seaweed filling made for great colours.  However I tried the chilli tofu filling, which was mild enough for my palate (top photo). 

Recently while rushing around town, I bought a sundried tomato and sour plum onigiri.  It was very unusual.  I had rushed off without realising it was a roll-your-own and without stopping for some soy sauce.  It had a very sharp flavour which would have benefited from soy sauce.

Another reason I have been returning to Gekkazan is that it is quick, has enough room for a stroller and I can buy a tub of edamame which Sylvia loves alongside a sushi hand roll.  The above photo is taken on a day when there was a pop up washi tape shop in Melbourne Central and you can see we had fun choosing some rolls.

I took a friend of mine there for lunch last year.  Jane had lived in Japan for a while and made me realise I should try other dishes.  She introduced me to the bento box.  It isn't cheap but it is so good.  It included tempura vegetables, vegetarian sushi, seaweed, edamame, yakisoba (rice, fried noodles with vegies), and soft tofu salad with a slightly sharp and sweet orange sauce.  Miso soup is included for a slight increase in the price.  I loved the combination.  The tofu salad is slightly bland but the whole meal is greater than the sun of its parts. 

I have also tried one of the noodle soups.  I think it was ramen but my notes weren't too detailed.  I can tell you that I enjoyed it with lots of slurpy noodles and fresh vegies and I think there was tofu.  I keep meaning to return and try the soups and gzoya but all too often it is lunchtime, I am busy, and I just want something quick and cheap and only have sushi. 

Gekkazan
Shop 28g, Postal Lane
350 Bourke St, Melbourne CBD
03 9663 7767