MFWF Robata’s Ghibli Inspired The Heart Inside Night

I was late for the MFWF’s Ghibli-Inspired “The Heart Inside Night” at Robata and had to squeeze into an empty seat in the middle of the long table, dashing out multiple ‘sorry’s and ‘excuse me’s.

Once seated, the first thing that caught my eye was the snippets of Ghibli movies playing in the background on the projector. Nice! I then introduced myself to my elbow-to-elbow neighbours. On my left were a couple, and on my right and front, a group of friends.

“What is my favourite Ghibli movie?”

The couple on my left got the conversation going. This was a valid question at an event showcasing Ghibli movies-inspired feasts. I got more than a few nods of approval when I answered with Spirited Away. I omitted the fact that I could only remember watching Spirited Away, My Neighbor Totoro, and the first 15 minutes of Kiki’s Delivery Service.

There was no need to clarify—I didn’t want to look less cool.

Also, a Ghibli-inspired course meal wasn’t the only reason I was sharing a table filled with strangers—Robata, the host restaurant, was an equal pull for the night. I had been there before—for a Sushi and Sake masterclass and knew they served good quality food and world-class sake. So, more than the Ghibli itself (I am sorry for all the fans out there), I was intrigued by Robata’s interpretation of Anime cooking.

The event that evening started with a teenager entertaining us with beautifully played flute tunes while we sipped our miniature Bloody Mary.

Then came…

MFWF x Robata’s Ghibli Multi-Course Appetizer

May All Your Bacon Burn! — How’s Moving Castle

Our Ghibli feast began with Howl’s breakfast – a piece of French bread with garlic butter spread, a strand of bacon, and a half-boiled quail egg. It was one of the best typical Western brekkie twists I have ever eaten. 10/10.

Soot Gremlins, Corn and Sardines — My Neighbour Totoro

Next came a My Neighbor Totoro-inspired platter. It had a piece of corn (Mei’s grilled corn with soy sauce), shredded nori (Susuwatari nori with beef tartare curry hidden inside it), and a tiny piece of fish (Satsuki’s sardine sushi with a single edamame and a tiny bit of plum sauce). With it came Tarusake ‘Choryo’ cedar-aged Junmai sake.

Come on! Quit Eating — Spirited Away

After a few celebratory dinner dates in Atlas, South Yarra, I have been programmed to think that fine dining must have quail on its menu. Tonight, Robata reaffirmed this with a plate of grilled quail, taro, and sansho pepper. Yummy!

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Once we were done with the appetizers, the event host came out with a mic. She thanked us for coming to the MFWF in Robata and announced that the event was extra special because it was a special night for someone special. And with all the specialness, I started to zone myself out until the guy who sat diagonal to me got on his knee and proposed to the girl beside me.

The rest of the table and I were like, “WHAT????”

After pulling my jaw back (witnessing an IRL proposal was as exhilarating as it was in the movies), I started taking some pictures of them. I finally understood why the guy asked about my camera earlier before saying that he was glad I brought it because something was going to happen “later”—and I thought he was talking about another attraction during the intermission.

Anyway, I took thousands of pictures and congratulated the couple together with the rest of the patrons. It was so much fun! Eventually, we let them be (in their bubble) and moved on to the main course.

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“I want to eat it all!” Multi-Course Main

Kaonashi’s Feast – Spirited Away

Judging from the many appetizers, I knew the main would be multi-course as well, but I didn’t expect the first course of the multi-course main itself to be a platter of multiple foods with a pairing of Shirataki Jozen Junmai Ginjo sake.

I started with the sake oyster, of course, and continued the feast to sashimi — salmon and seared scallops. Then I demolished the fresh tuna and kingfish nigiri before moving on to the homemade pickles and chili daikon.

Caclifer’s Feast — Howl’s Moving Castle

As a seafood lover, the grilled prawn on butter ponzu bed was heaven-sent. It smelled so appetizing and tasted equally as good – even looking at it, I’d love to have some now.

Here was a thing that I thought was not for me but ended up being another favorite: a lamb meatball yakitori with tomato and red miso sauce.

The last two appetizers were chicken thigh and beef short rib yakitori – both were good, but IMHO, the prior ones were way better, so if I had to skip these two, I’d be okay with it.

Try To Remember — Spirited Away

The onigiri for the night paid homage to the OG given by Haku to Chihiro when she felt overwhelmed in the movie Spirited Away. I can’t think of a single scene from the Ghibli Universe that I could relate to more than the scene of her eating the onigiri while crying and being comforted by Haku. Onigiri-white rice is my ultimate comfort food, and I have lost count of the times I recall this scene while eating and being comforted by white rice.

No points for guessing what my favourite food for the night was.

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Pig’s Gotta Fly — Porco Rosso

The final main meal of the night, aptly named Pig’s Gotta Fly, was a roasted pork rack with a dollop of mustard sauce. The piece of meat melted in my mouth, though it looked unseasoned in the pictures; with a swipe of mustard, it was a perfect melt-in-your-mouth bite — which I polished off with a glass of Syrah.

To-to-ro — My Neighbour Totoro

The Ghibli-inspired feast has been fantastic and generous. One thing I learned from dining in Robata was that one should not worry about being full—we were all going around the table declaring how stuffed we were when the dessert came. Totoro!

I’d never be too full for dessert, never too full for Totoro.

It’s made from black sesame mousse. It came with a Nikka Japanese whisky pairing, a hint of chocolate, and a dash of bitters. As usual, these Asian desserts were sweet but not too sweet, and the whiskey was a perfect pairing, marking a beautiful ending to a delicious night.

This event was a highlight of the month for me. I got to immerse myself in Japanese culture through Ghibli-inspired multicourse meals at one of the best restaurants in Melbourne. More so, I was lucky enough to tick off not one (eating anime food) but two (witnessing a movie proposal in real life) in one evening.

It also inspired me to watch more Ghibli movies. Do you have any recommendations on which one is the best to start with?

Read more of MFWF events: MFWF Mapo Tofu The Taste of Chengdu // MFWF Sunshine Wander of Iranian Nibbles, Ethiopian Platter and Viet Flan in Melbourne.

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