Where To Find Melbourne Japanese Food?

You may fulfil any hunger with Japanese food. In this regard, karaage chicken, for instance, can be prepared either mildly as an accompaniment or boldly as a main entrée.

Melbourne has a vast cuisine culture, featuring everything from sushi and ramen restaurants to izakayas and sake bars. Everyone from those on a tight budget to those seeking an unforgettable fine dining experience will find something to their liking in our list to Melbourne's greatest Japanese restaurants in 2021.

Is this a special occasion, or are you just looking for an inexpensive lunch? In the mood for some light bites and drinks at an izakaya, or a multi-course meal that exhibits the exquisite simplicity of Japanese cuisine? Here is a list of the best Japanese restaurants in the city, ranked by price and quality.

The Best Sushi in Melbourne

The unparalleled excellence of Japanese food guarantees that it will never become a passing trend in Melbourne. Still, it's a perk in the winter, when heartier dishes like noodle soups and ramen are prefered, and in the summer, when sushi and sashimi are all you can think about eating.

If you're craving Japanese food, go no further than these establishments. You've come to the perfect location if you're in the mood for a cosy inn café or if you want to dine with the A-list at one of Melbourne's many great Japanese restaurants.

Minamishima

It's not easy to choose the greatest Japanese restaurant in Melbourne. There are easily a half-dozen eateries in the area that might make the claim. This, however, is still an excellent choice for first place in 2021. In Richmond, at Minamishima, Chef Koichi Minamishima offers diners an omakase tasting menu.

With 30 years under his belt, he's a sashimi master. Each each item is crafted with great care and meticulous attention to detail. To call this place "Melbourne's best sushi" is not a claim we make lightly.

And here it is, discretely situated on a Richmond street lined with largely residential buildings. That's the definition of putting a candle under a bushel. When former Kenzan sushi expert Koichi Minamishima launched in October, he didn't even bother to send out a press statement.

Randolph Cheung, the seasoned sommelier at Minamishima, says this project has been in the works for two years (Azalea, Flower Drum). They were striving for accuracy. In what way, too. Fireworks conversation seems out of place in this refined, well-mannered establishment. The bustle and din of urban eateries have nothing on Minamishima. The score has jazz piano that is upbeat without being intrusive. The staff has been quite helpful. Cheung is so graceful that he could as well be skating. His sake pairings are creative genius.

These kinds of items are not cheap. For $150, you may trust your meal to Minamishima and his sidekick Hajime Horiguchi, previously of Noosa's lauded Wasabi. Not much of a say in the matter; you get what they've chosen from the store shelves. Whatever happens, you won't be too angry about it. There are 14 pieces of nigiri sushi, all of which are made from fish and are superb. It begins with a palate-cleansing appetiser of smoked and pickled vegetables.

The rice at Minamishima is excellent (at the ideal temperature and shape), but it's the proteins that will really blow your mind. You'll start by sampling two distinct preparations of toro (tuna belly)—one raw and rich like prime beef, and another that's been seared and almost as fatty as foie gras. And then there's the buttery flounder fin, with its slippery, tactile bite, and some wonderful, exquisitely scored calamari, which tastes like noodles made from clouds.

There are scampi with a zing of finger lime and frilly Japanese cockles that are just too cute. The uni (sea urchin) and spring onion on lightly charred sea perch provides a smoky umami punch. Calamari pucks, made from finely minced calamari, are served in a fragrant fish broth as the main course's second-to-last course.

So you're not really into Japanese sweets, then? You could alter your mind if you tried the yuzu granita on top of the sake jelly that was shaped to fit the bowl and slides out with a delightful squelch. It's a nasty thing that gives the meal a proper send-off with its energising citrusy sweetness.

A illuminated grooved stone wall in the background creates a tranquil atmosphere while also discreetly drawing attention to the cooks and their meticulously prepared dishes. One of the best parts of sitting at one of the 12 counter seats is getting to watch the chefs' deft hands at work with the knives and the speed with which they draw the rice onto their sushi rolls. However, there are a few hot dishes that aren't sushi that are available if you opt to sit in the dining room. In the future. Minamishima is the kind of place that gets filed away for "special occasions" by the masses. Mark the file as "worth it" and save it if it is.

Ishizuka

Ishizuka is the place to be if you have a taste for the finer things in life. You can trust that the high quality of the cuisine served here matches the high quality of the atmosphere. The eleven exquisite dishes that make up the nightly set menu rotate with the seasons and the day.

The kicker is that they only allow sixteen customers per night. Booking early is recommended if you want to get married in 2021, as popular dates book up quickly.

Ishizuka is an up-and-coming kaiseki restaurant in Japan. It's also a bit of a rabbit hole, both literally (the process of finding it involves going through a nondescript door, along an arcade, down a level via a keypad and elevator, and through another nondescript door) and figuratively, thanks to chef Tomotaka Ishizuka's needlepoint-like creations with food. This is no shabang izakaya. Each diner enters without being greeted with a loud chant of "irasshaimase!" after their adventure with the elevator and keypad.

Almost everyone would need to see a therapist before committing to a 10-plus course, two-plus hour parade of miniature meals at $220 a head, without drinks, in today's commitment-averse society. Nonetheless, Ishizuka is well worth the effort, money, and exploration required to locate it.

The space under Bourke Street is eerie due to its lack of furnishings. The rough surface of the concrete is meant to evoke the texture of tree trunks, hence the name "trunk" columns. A white cloth lantern the size of a hot air balloon hovers above the bar, separating it from the rest of the room like a wonderful illusion. After honing his skills in Kyoto (the birthplace of the kaiseki) and most recently running Crown's Japanese glamourpuss Koko, Chef Ishizuka keeps a low profile in the kitchen.

The tiny group of Japanese servers who serve you share his mindset; they talk about the various characteristics of saké with an earnestness that verges on veneration.

The 16 people sitting at the kitchen's counter are comparing their lives to those in Minamishima. Perhaps... but not really.

The Australian public has taken to sushi with the same fervour as Captain Ahab, but this is a whole other ballgame. Kaiseki is Japan's answer to French haute cuisine; it's a multi-course feast that's heavy on technique, sprinkled with high-end ingredients, and presented with enough pomp and circumstance to impress even the king or queen of the Chrysanthemum Throne.

Sushi and sashimi will play a role, but so will other dishes like grilled meats, stews, fried foods, pickled vegetables, and soup.

To begin, a cup of sweet, stomach-warming ginger tea is poured as guests take their seats. This is followed by a parade of delectable little plates, each of which was painstakingly arranged by a Kyoto artisan. A small, but mighty, puck of edamame tofu with sweet scampi tendrils, a scoop of real caviar, and a dab of wasabi. The thought of smashing the delicately crafted objects on a glass plate gives rise to a brief Godzilla complex; the smoked salmon orbs filled with cream cheese look like cherries and even have artificial stalks.

Crayfish in a dashi broth with junsai, a gelatinous, tadpole-like water vegetable, contrasts its natural sweetness with the mild umami and herbal flavour of the broth. For Western tastes, the rabbit hole drops deepest when duck breast is simmered in a thick slick hovering somewhere between soup and sauce and served with perfectly twisted veggies and star-shaped blobs of gluten (apparently, it's a textural issue). Maybe it's just my biassed opinion that the sushi and sashimi are the best parts of the meal. Snapper sashimi with a blast of bottarga powder and wasabi stem is one-bite transcendence, as is the pale toro sushi and nine-score wagyu, scored and just-scorched to unleash the buttery fats into a luscious palate-coating torrent.

The Japanese have a phrase for the experience of realising you're still hungry when dessert is served: betsubara (, "extra stomach"). Whether or whether this holds true for Ishizuka's kuzu nankin depends on how one reacts viscerally to the presentation of a red bean centre hiding under the yolk-like gloss of a pumpkin skin. Maybe. Perhaps not. Light applause may be given to one course while a full roar is given to another (like that wagyu, for example; and trust us, Chef Ishizuka won't object if you request another). Kaiseki is a way of cooking that takes a lot of time and pride in its presentation, so relax and appreciate the spectacle before you.

Kisumé

Having a name like Kisume, which means "a pure passion with beauty," seems fitting for such a breathtaking place. The first story is dedicated to sushi, while the second floor is a bar and omakase area, and the basement houses the hot cooking.

The team, lead by chef Yonge Kim, is equally as impressive, with extensive knowledge of sushi and sake.

Izakaya Den

Izakaya Den serves the best gyoza in the city, a dish that is synonymous with Japan. Not only is the restaurant's trendy wooden bar, open grill, and concrete floors aesthetically pleasant, but the menu's remarkable variety of traditional dishes, such as grilled octopus, agedashi tofu, and salted edamame, is a feast for the taste buds as well.

For those not interested in the seafood options, there is a new vegan menu. The place becomes really busy on Friday and Saturday nights, so make your reservations in advance if you want to stay here.

Boss Bincho

The departure of chef and (ex-)owner Tomotaka Ishizuka from Ishizuka shortly after the restaurant received two hats in the 2019 Good Food Guide is one of the worst-kept secrets in Melbourne's dining scene. Ishizuka made $235 in profit after expenses at his secret, 16-seater kaiseki (degustation) restaurant. Instead, he created an izakaya with dishes centred around the bincho tan, a grill fueled by expensive, dense Japanese charcoal, a few blocks up the street.

The goal at Bincho Boss, as with any other izakaya, is to imbibe and sop up all the booze with amazingly wonderful booze-friendly appetisers. Even when not at the bar, seating is at bar height on stools, so feel free to double-park your drinks, rest your elbows on the table, and eat with your fingers.

Japanese twists on traditional cocktails include the citrusy Negroni-like Mandarin Sakegroni (made with sake instead of gin) and the sweet, bitter, and spicy Highball–like Matcha (made with cinnamon whisky, ordinary (unflavoured) whisky, green tea, and soda). Premium sakes like as junmai and junmai daiginjo (produced from rice that has been polished down to 60% and 50% of its original size) are available in single servings, 300 mL pours, and 720 mL bottles, respectively, to accommodate individuals, couples, and small groups.

We won't pass judgement on your selection of appropriate sizes. There is a small but well-curated selection of wines available, all of which retail for around $70 and honour both classic and experimental methods of winemaking in Australia. Oh, and Asahi and Asahi Black are available on tap, so everyone who orders from the fried side of the menu can wash it down with a cold, 400mL handle. And who are we to go against the grain?

Bincho Boss provides exemplary tako (octopus) karaage as an illustration of his frying prowess.

where the tentacle nuggets, even after the obligatory squeeze of lemon, are incredibly crisp. Similarly, the deep-fried Japanese fish cake is a shamelessly trashy but delightful creation that involves stuffing tubes of chikuwa fish cake with cheese before frying and sprinkling with seaweed.

The naturally sweet soybean foundation is tickled by notes of pepper, salt, and crunch to make you rethink everything you thought you knew about tofu, and it comes served cold in a shallow bowl with shredded ginger, chives, and Yarra Valley salmon roe.

Chicken, prawn, shimeji mushrooms, and okra embedded with the ubiquitous and often abused chawanmushi (steamed egg custard) is equally excellent. Salmon sashimi is offered in six- and fifteen-piece portions, and features both fillet and fatty belly meat. It is served with authentic wasabi (instead of the artificially coloured mustard and horseradish mixture from a tube) and pickled fennel.

Although chilled duck may not sound appetising, Ishizuka's rendition, which features pink slices of breast that have been delicately smoked and rest above a dollop of pungent, sweet miso, accented by mustard and the sharpness of sorrel, is sure to become a favourite.

Whitefish salad, which features raw kingfish slices nested between lengths of okra boiled to retain its crunch rather than release its slime, blanched Brussels sprout leaves, and a fan of purposefully unripe tomato, is flooded ceremoniously at the table with sweet Japanese mustard dressing.

What about the bincho tan, if I may ask? A highlight of the show. In that case, go ahead and eat everything that's on the plate. Even if the carbon footprint gods are screaming, $15.50 for five grilled Hokkaido scallops cooked rare and slathered in garlic butter with King Brown mushrooms is a steal and a joy.

The eight-score Wagyu porterhouse is served to the table with a salt crust on top; the wait staff then uses a mallet and some chopstick gymnastics to release the fatty bovine delights, revealing pre-sliced, charcoal-cooked steak that is, after all the theatrics, a touch overdone and finished with a soy, garlic, and butter sauce. Let's pretend, nonetheless, that you enjoy eating meat from skewers. In this case, Ishizuka's turkey meatballs are his version of tsukune (often chicken meatballs): they're light and airy, with a teriyaki sauce that has hints of bincho-tan caramelization and is studded with black pepper and leek.

Bincho Boss is a departure from the kaiseki meals that have made Ishizuka famous. Despite this, izakaya in Melbourne are light years ahead of what we're used to, and alcohol is kept at surprisingly affordable pricing. To avoid feeling terrible in the morning, it's best to buckle up, eat a lot, drink a lot, and get a little boisterous.

Ramen Ikkoryu Fukuoka

This ramen chain, which first opened in 1970, can now be found all over the world, including in Melbourne. Ikkoryu Fukuoka Ramen, the first of its kind in Australia, serves up delicious bowls of authentic Japanese ramen noodles.

Numerous variations are available, each with their own distinct broth flavour, noodle texture, and optional toppings. The beautiful five dollar lunch special is family friendly, so feel free to bring the little ones along.

Yakimono

Grilled to perfection, this new Japanese eatery is a must-try for fans of robata and other robata-style dishes. Chris Lucas, who spent three years working and living in Japan, came up with the idea for his late-night izakaya bar, Yakimono, which is set to open at the tail end of 2021.

This two-story Japanese restaurant in the heart of Melbourne's fashion district features an outdoor patio and an abundance of chic touches throughout.

Robatayaki, or Japanese barbeque on a clay oven

With the opening of Robata Japanese Grill, the San Telmo Group is making its first foray into the Japanese market.

Fresh fish, grilled skewer-based dishes, pork katsu, wagyu beef, pork belly, and many more items will be available on two different set menus for supper and one for lunch if Melbourne's lockdown is lifted. We can't wait to order a toasted-sesame whisky highball from them.

Restaurant Don Don (Japanese)

Don Don Japanese Restaurant is well recommended for its affordable and speedy rice and noodle dishes. Possibly a Japanese-style curry with tofu, chicken, or beef, or a soup with udon or soba noodles.

Spend your spare change and return home with baggy pants (still on the lookout for the two guys called Don).

Chuji Izakaya, a Japanese Eatery

When it first debuted in 1989, not many locals in Melbourne were aware that izakayas are Japanese drinking establishments that also provide meals. Japanese restaurant Izakaya Chuji hasn't altered much since the '90s (the major exception being the addition of sister bar Nihonshu next door).

From sashimi to Japanese-style chicken wings, everything on this list is a tried-and-true crowd-pleaser, whether you're in the mood for a fast bowl of ramen or a large spread.

Supernormal

Andrew McConnell's Supernormal is the city of Melbourne's most talked-about lobster roll and the restaurant's crown gem. It's important to note that the Supernormal menu is always evolving. It's always meant to be shared, so get up some pals (or a potential date) and order the duck bao, whole snapper in scorched butter sauce, wild watercress and shaved kombu, beef tartare, and everything else you can fit.

Affordably Opulent

Ima Project is a refreshing new addition to Elgin Street. Sustainable chopsticks and "ugly vegetable" mascots set this Carlton Japanese restaurant apart.

Try the fish, pickled vegetables, and miso soup of a traditional Japanese breakfast, or splurge on their speciality fried chicken, kimchi, and soft boiled egg bowl.

Kazuki’s

Posting from Lygon Street. It's not far from Toto's Pizza House to the south and Universal Café to the north. So here we are at the red sauce capital of the world, where street vendors try to recruit you into their empire. Kazuki's has also entered this realm of carbs and cheese. Yes, the trendy Japanese/French restaurant in Daylesford has relocated to central Victoria, fighting the real estate migration trend.

Kazuki and Saori Tsuya, two highly successful restaurateurs, closed their doors in the city seven years ago. (Their former Daylesford location is now a more laid-back Japanese eatery named Sakana, so there's still a good reason to go there.) Thankfully, our job does not require us to investigate the mental states of such people, but rather to pass judgement on their behaviour. And the omens are bright for Kazuki's and for all of Lygon Street.

In every respect, it improves upon the original Daylesford. With help from the Design Office, we were able to achieve a surprisingly zen-like aesthetic by stripping the space of all unnecessary ornamentation. The walls are an edgy raw grey-blue. The golden yellow carpet is gloriously soundproof. The two enormous paper lanterns (one of the few permitted decorative flourishes) and the assortment of wabi-sabi (perfectly imperfect) pottery expertly convey the Japan-inspired atmosphere.

Similar attention to detail was put into the plates' appearance. Kazuki-san is still the executive chef, although he spends less time in the kitchen and more time on the floor. He has delegated most of his responsibilities to head chef Anthony Hammel, a former mentee of Mark Best whose meticulous approach to cooking is evident. The two-leaf chicory garnish on the delightfully gamey slice of aged duck breast with shiitakes, radicchio, and black garlic is there for its bitterness and not simply its lovely red-stemmed green flourish, in keeping with the "make everything count" attitude.

At Kazuki's, you may choose between two menus, one with five courses for $130 per person and the other with seven courses for $160 per person. Our recommendation is that you choose from the five course menu, if for no other reason than to avoid the temptation of ordering four appetisers before the main dish arrives. It's possible that your quartet is made up of meaty little Goolwa pipis on the shell, a mouthful of ocean heaviness with a ginger and soy supporting track.

Sweet and sour plum dust is dusted on top of a big profiterole filled with chicken liver parfait and thick Davidson plum and umeshu jam. Imagine your favourite French appetiser colliding with a Queen Vic Market doughnut, and you'll have an idea of what this dish is like. On top of a thin nori crisp, we've added a smooth line of taramasalata and a dollop of salmon roe marinated in sake for a boozy kick. The house furikake sprinkled over the hibachi-grilled duck hearts is the single misstep in an otherwise flawless snack barrage.

With the velvety swatches of gently kombu-cured NZ King Ora getting its semi-salad on with pomelo, radish, and cucumber, even salmon (yep, plain old salmon) merits its position at this table. As crisps, the skin serves as a convenient transport mechanism for the rest of the meal.

There's a lot going on here, from the subtle hints of ginger oil and buttermilk dressing to the bright tang of lime zest, but it never quite transcends being pleasantly delicious. Yes, but what about that duck? Very lethal since the radicchio puree and black garlic powder counteract the robust gaminess from being hung for seven days in the coolroom at Kazuki. The Northern Territory's seafood supermodel, the Skull Island tiger prawn, is prepared by grilling it over an open flame before dousing it in sake beurre blanc and topping it with salty specks of avruga.

Booze matching is a must if you want to save money on shipping costs for those 19 lavish pages written by someone whose soul is in Victoria but whose hands have been all over the world. Yuzu sake tastes surprisingly like limoncello, and it pairs well with desserts that have yuzu curd, ANZAC biscuits, mango, and yoghurt ice cream.

Even yet, leaving this peaceful oasis and entering the more rustic Lygon, where locals sit under plastic awnings and eat pizza from metal trays, can be a bit of a cultural shock.

Hihou

Don your best socks for a day of exploring Hihou. In the upper floors, near the corner of Flinders Lane and Spring Street, you'll find a steamy sake den with a secret entrance. You may dine with your clothes on in the front area, which has comfortable bar stools, tiny, shrunken tables for two, and a leafy vista over Treasury Gardens. If, on the other hand, you have made a reservation for a table in the plushly carpeted upper dining room, you will need to take off your shoes in order to fit under one of the low-set tables.

Hihou was established by Simon Denton and the staff behind Kappo (Time Out's 2015 Restaurant of the Year) and Izakaya Den, so exposing your toes is a little price to pay for the superb Japanese cuisine served there. The Hihou hot dog, a smoked arabiki pork sausage on a sesame-dusted bun with sharp pickled onions and bottles of wasabi mayo and tonkatsu (barbeque sauce), is not to be missed. The "Cuban" hot tuna cigar, a cylinder of crisp brik pastry packed with a fine dice of tuna sashimi and seven-flavored shichimi pepper, is another fan favourite.

Rolls of nori containing black rice, cucumbers, and teriyaki-sweet anago (eel) are served with a side of teriyaki sauce. Golden lotus root chips are a great addition to a beer.

These small plates are filling enough to serve as a dinner, but you should also try some of the entrees.

Slices of pork belly or duck breast can be stuffed into robust buckwheat crêpes, or you can have the swordfish sashimi with a dash of tangy ponzu. The premium whiskies and sakes from Japan are served with hand-chipped ice and in exquisite porcelain vessels, respectively.

To show proper respect, even the cocktails, which may have Japanese ingredients like yuzu citric, umeshu (plum wine), and shochu (grain alcohol), are blended in laboratory beakers with stirrers and served in high-quality Riedel glasses. It's more refined than raucous, which is great for Melbourne.

Akachochin

The contemporary izakaya on South Wharf offers tasty Japanese bar snacks that are ideal for enjoying as the sun sets over the sea.

In addition to its crab croquettes, the Akachochin team is known for their refreshing Japanese-inspired cocktail menu. During the daily happy hour (from 3-6 pm), you can have one for for $12. The $66 six-course meal is another great deal that will have you living large without breaking the bank. Kanpai!

Conclusion

Melbourne has a vast cuisine culture, featuring everything from sushi and ramen restaurants to izakayas and sake bars. Here is a list of the best Japanese restaurants in the city, ranked by price and quality. Choices include an omakase tasting menu at Minamishima and a cosy inn café. Randolph Cheung, the seasoned sommelier at Minamishima, says this project has been in the works for two years. For $150, you may trust your meal to him and his sidekick Hajime Horiguchi, previously of Noosa's lauded Wasabi.

Ishizuka is an up-and-coming restaurant in Minamishima, Japan. Chef Tomotaka Ishizuka's needlepoint-like creations with food are exquisite. Booking early is recommended if you want to get married in 2021, popular dates book up quickly. Kaiseki is Japan's answer to French haute cuisine. It's a multi-course feast that's heavy on technique and sprinkled with high-end ingredients.

The food is presented with enough pomp and circumstance to impress even the king or queen of the Chrysanthemum Throne. Izakaya Den serves the best gyoza in the city, a dish that is synonymous with Japan. The menu's remarkable variety of traditional dishes, such as grilled octopus, agedashi tofu and salted edamame, is a feast for the taste buds. The departure of chef and (ex-)owner Tomotaka Ishizuka is one of the worst-kept secrets in Melbourne's dining scene. Bincho Boss is a izakaya with dishes centred around the grill fueled by expensive, dense Japanese charcoal.

Ishizuka's izakaya in Melbourne are light years ahead of what we're used to. Salmon sashimi is served with authentic wasabi and pickled fennel. Chef's turkey meatballs are his version of tsukune (often chicken meatballs). Don Don Japanese Restaurant is well recommended for its affordable and speedy rice and noodle dishes. Supernormal is the city's most talked-about lobster roll and the restaurant's crown gem.

From sashimi to chicken wings, everything on this list is a tried-and-true crowd-pleaser. Kazuki's, the Japanese/French restaurant in Daylesford has relocated to central Victoria. Kazuki-san is still the executive chef, although he spends less time in the kitchen and more time on the floor. Head chef Anthony Hammel's meticulous approach to cooking is evident. Two menus are available, one with five courses for $130 per person and another with seven for $160 per person.

Our recommendation is to opt for the five course menu so you don't have to eat four appetisers. Hihou was established by Simon Denton and staff behind Kappo and Izakaya Den. The Hihou hot dog, a smoked arabiki pork sausage on a sesame-dusted bun with sharp pickled onions and bottles of wasabi mayo and barbeque sauce is not to be missed. Akachochin is known for its refreshing Japanese-inspired cocktail menu. The $66 six-course meal will have you living large without breaking the bank. Cocktails are blended in laboratory beakers with stirrers and served in high-quality Riedel glasses.

Content Summary

1. You may fulfil any hunger with Japanese food.
2. Melbourne has a vast cuisine culture, featuring everything from sushi and ramen restaurants to izakayas and sake bars.
3. Everyone from those on a tight budget to those seeking an unforgettable fine dining experience will find something to their liking in our list to Melbourne's greatest Japanese restaurants in 2021.Is this a special occasion, or are you just looking for an inexpensive lunch?
4. Here is a list of the best Japanese restaurants in the city, ranked by price and quality.
5. The Best Sushi in MelbourneThe unparalleled excellence of Japanese food guarantees that it will never become a passing trend in Melbourne.
6. MinamishimaIt's not easy to choose the greatest Japanese restaurant in Melbourne.
7. Randolph Cheung, the seasoned sommelier at Minamishima, says this project has been in the works for two years (Azalea, Flower Drum).
8. The score has jazz piano that is upbeat without being intrusive.
9. For $150, you may trust your meal to Minamishima and his sidekick Hajime Horiguchi, previously of Noosa's lauded Wasabi.
10. There are 14 pieces of nigiri sushi, all of which are made from fish and are superb.
11. However, there are a few hot dishes that aren't sushi that are available if you opt to sit in the dining room.
12. IshizukaIshizuka is the place to be if you have a taste for the finer things in life.
13. The kicker is that they only allow sixteen customers per night.
14. Booking early is recommended if you want to get married in 2021, as popular dates book up quickly.
15. Ishizuka is an up-and-coming kaiseki restaurant in Japan.
16. Nonetheless, Ishizuka is well worth the effort, money, and exploration required to locate it.
17. The space under Bourke Street is eerie due to its lack of furnishings.
18. After honing his skills in Kyoto (the birthplace of the kaiseki) and most recently running Crown's Japanese glamourpuss Koko, Chef Ishizuka keeps a low profile in the kitchen.
19. Kaiseki is Japan's answer to French haute cuisine; it's a multi-course feast that's heavy on technique, sprinkled with high-end ingredients, and presented with enough pomp and circumstance to impress even the king or queen of the Chrysanthemum Throne.
20. Sushi and sashimi will play a role, but so will other dishes like grilled meats, stews, fried foods, pickled vegetables, and soup.
21. This is followed by a parade of delectable little plates, each of which was painstakingly arranged by a Kyoto artisan.
22. Maybe it's just my biassed opinion that the sushi and sashimi are the best parts of the meal.
23. Kaiseki is a way of cooking that takes a lot of time and pride in its presentation, so relax and appreciate the spectacle before you.
24. Izakaya DenIzakaya Den serves the best gyoza in the city, a dish that is synonymous with Japan.
25. The departure of chef and (ex-)owner Tomotaka Ishizuka from Ishizuka shortly after the restaurant received two hats in the 2019 Good Food Guide is one of the worst-kept secrets in Melbourne's dining scene.
26. Ishizuka made $235 in profit after expenses at his secret, 16-seater kaiseki (degustation) restaurant.
27. Instead, he created an izakaya with dishes centred around the bincho tan, a grill fueled by expensive, dense Japanese charcoal, a few blocks up the street.
28. The goal at Bincho Boss, as with any other izakaya, is to imbibe and sop up all the booze with amazingly wonderful booze-friendly appetisers.
29. Similarly, the deep-fried Japanese fish cake is a shamelessly trashy but delightful creation that involves stuffing tubes of chikuwa fish cake with cheese before frying and sprinkling with seaweed.
30. Salmon sashimi is offered in six- and fifteen-piece portions, and features both fillet and fatty belly meat.
31. What about the bincho tan, if I may ask?
32. A highlight of the show.
33. Even if the carbon footprint gods are screaming, $15.50 for five grilled Hokkaido scallops cooked rare and slathered in garlic butter with King Brown mushrooms is a steal and a joy.
34. In this case, Ishizuka's turkey meatballs are his version of tsukune (often chicken meatballs): they're light and airy, with a teriyaki sauce that has hints of bincho-tan caramelization and is studded with black pepper and leek.
35. Bincho Boss is a departure from the kaiseki meals that have made Ishizuka famous.
36. YakimonoGrilled to perfection, this new Japanese eatery is a must-try for fans of robata and other robata-style dishes.
37. Chris Lucas, who spent three years working and living in Japan, came up with the idea for his late-night izakaya bar, Yakimono, which is set to open at the tail end of 2021.This two-story Japanese restaurant in the heart of Melbourne's fashion district features an outdoor patio and an abundance of chic touches throughout.
38. Robatayaki, or Japanese barbeque on a clay ovenWith the opening of Robata Japanese Grill, the San Telmo Group is making its first foray into the Japanese market.
39. Restaurant Don Don (Japanese)Don Don Japanese Restaurant is well recommended for its affordable and speedy rice and noodle dishes.
40. SupernormalAndrew McConnell's Supernormal is the city of Melbourne's most talked-about lobster roll and the restaurant's crown gem.
41. Try the fish, pickled vegetables, and miso soup of a traditional Japanese breakfast, or splurge on their speciality fried chicken, kimchi, and soft boiled egg bowl.
42. Kazuki'sPosting from Lygon Street.
43. So here we are at the red sauce capital of the world, where street vendors try to recruit you into their empire.
44. Yes, the trendy Japanese/French restaurant in Daylesford has relocated to central Victoria, fighting the real estate migration trend.
45. Kazuki and Saori Tsuya, two highly successful restaurateurs, closed their doors in the city seven years ago. (
46. Kazuki-san is still the executive chef, although he spends less time in the kitchen and more time on the floor.
47. At Kazuki's, you may choose between two menus, one with five courses for $130 per person and the other with seven courses for $160 per person.
48. Our recommendation is that you choose from the five course menu, if for no other reason than to avoid the temptation of ordering four appetisers before the main dish arrives.
49. With the velvety swatches of gently kombu-cured NZ King Ora getting its semi-salad on with pomelo, radish, and cucumber, even salmon (yep, plain old salmon) merits its position at this table.
50. The Northern Territory's seafood supermodel, the Skull Island tiger prawn, is prepared by grilling it over an open flame before dousing it in sake beurre blanc and topping it with salty specks of avruga.
51. Even yet, leaving this peaceful oasis and entering the more rustic Lygon, where locals sit under plastic awnings and eat pizza from metal trays, can be a bit of a cultural shock.
52. In the upper floors, near the corner of Flinders Lane and Spring Street, you'll find a steamy sake den with a secret entrance.
53. You may dine with your clothes on in the front area, which has comfortable bar stools, tiny, shrunken tables for two, and a leafy vista over Treasury Gardens.
54. Hihou was established by Simon Denton and the staff behind Kappo (Time Out's 2015 Restaurant of the Year) and Izakaya Den, so exposing your toes is a little price to pay for the superb Japanese cuisine served there.
55. Golden lotus root chips are a great addition to a beer.
56. These small plates are filling enough to serve as a dinner, but you should also try some of the entrees.
57. The premium whiskies and sakes from Japan are served with hand-chipped ice and in exquisite porcelain vessels, respectively.
58. It's more refined than raucous, which is great for Melbourne.
59. AkachochinThe contemporary izakaya on South Wharf offers tasty Japanese bar snacks that are ideal for enjoying as the sun sets over the sea.
60. In addition to its crab croquettes, the Akachochin team is known for their refreshing Japanese-inspired cocktail menu.
61. During the daily happy hour (from 3-6 pm), you can have one for for $12.