Eis

188 Bridport St
Albert Park, VIC 3206

In the Albert Park hub of Bridport St & Victoria Ave (or Vic-Ave as the locals call it) sits a number of mediocre, overpriced eateries (Hint, one of them begins with A and ends with lbert Park Deli). So whenever I go there for lunch it always surprises me the Eis is almost always empty.

Why am I surprised? Simple, Eis' food is exceptional and the Bento boxes terrific value. Perhaps it is the stark white interior, or perhaps it is on the wrong side of the road to get the afternoon sun, but for some reason it doesn't seem to attract the locals for lunch. That said, I shouldn't complain since getting a seat and quick service is a bonus.

The Traditional Bento box I ordered is a greatest hits of Japanese cuisine. All the components of the Bento are exceptional, but if I were to single out one item as the star it would be the Katsu Chicken. The Japanese have plugged away with their Fried Chicken with the obsessiveness of a Heston Blumenthal and when they got it right with Katsu chicken they stuck with it.


The Katsu chicken offers great panko crumbed crunchiness with a  moist, tender, juicy filling that shows "The Colonel" is a bit of a lightweight when it comes to fried chicken. This alone is worth the price of admission, but the sashimi and green salad both add to what is one of the best Bento boxes in Melbourne.

Eis also has the coolest ice cubes spheres in Melbourne, a perfect clear sphere the size of a cue ball bobbing away in my Lemon Lime and Bitters is a pretty neat trick.

So despite the lack of crowds, there are certainly other reasons to venture to the roundabout end of Bridport St that isn't Andrew's Hamburgers.

Eis - 4/5