The Blogging of Webster 582

On the outside, it’s just a wooden door with a small sign located under an office building. For classic ramen lovers, their menu has a classic Tonkotsu soup with spring onions, seaweed, bamboo shoots and slices of BBQ pork. If you like your ramen hot, then you’ll love their tan tan men ramen which is made with chilli-infused soup and spicy minced pork, topped with chashu, nitamago and corn. Kenzan will ensure that your dining experience with us is a memorable one.
Chef Kazuki Tsuya (formerly the Chef’s Hat awarded Kazuki’s Daylesford, now Sakana), and his partner Saori, transported Kazuki’s from its former home in Daylesford to Lygon St several years ago. Kazuki’s is based in the tradition of ‘Omotenashi’, which refers to an intuitive, kind and distinct Japanese approach to hospitality. The restaurant offers both a set tasting menu and Sushi à la carte menu , so whether you’re ravenous or curious is irrelevant—they’re both sure to satisfy. Gyoza is iconically Japanese, and Izakaya Dendoes the best little bags of steamed goodness in town. We suggest booking ahead—this place gets pretty rammed on Friday and Saturday nights. You can now get sushi, saké and some truly insane fusion food, right here in Melbourne.

Try one for yourself and experience Japanese fine dining in Melbourne here at Hakoya Izakaya. When one talks about the uppermost echelons of fine dining, one expects that the courses will be small and many. This is especially true if we talk about Japanese fine dining in Melbourne. Here at our Japanese restaurant near Melbourne Central, we serve satisfying set meals – an ensemble of rice, Japanese main dish, soup, and a selection of sides that are all served up enticingly in the Japanese way.
We only work with the best ingredients available in Melbourne to offer our unrivalled Kaiseki Menu from Wednesday through to Monday. While Kaiseki might have once been experienced beside a traditional Japanese courtyard, contemporary Kaiseki restaurants are often private spaces hidden below ground or on the upper floors of Tokyo high rises. Kaiseki represents the absolute pinnacle of Japanese haute cuisine and counts among the world’s finest food experiences. Cap off the night with sake and snacks at Japanese bar Robot, or get a taste of Japanese culture at karaoke bars around Little Bourke Street. Sample heart-warming Japanese breakfasts and lunch at Collingwood's Cibi cafe, and slurp a bowl of handmade ramen at Smith Street's Shop Ramen. Pick your favourite soup and noodle combination at Shizuku Ramen in Abbotsford.

One of the oldest and most revered Japanese restaurants in Melbourne when it comes to teppanyaki, Teppanyaki Inn has been the one-stop-shop for getting an egg thrown 'artfully' at your patiently waiting face bowl since 1975. As the first teppanyaki restaurant to ever open in Australia, they've mastered the art of the open grill and you can expect the freshest, most mouth-pleasing nosh this side of the hemisphere. If you're in the mood for Moreton Bay Bugs and broken fried rice, bookings at Teppanyaki Inn are essential on the weekend as their reputation spreads far and wide across the country. Supernormal is Andrew McConnell's crown jewel and home to the most famous lobster roll in Melbourne. A charming little Japanese restaurant with a cluttered interior that feels a bit like being in Japan.
The slow cooked lamb was delectable but it was the sauce that arrested attention. Smoked beef, mustard leaf, clam mayonaisse was a triumph of taste and texture with cream, crunch and silky beef. By now our Canadian friends and my mother in law were impressed with the class and broad taste profile at Supernormal.
Here at our Japanese fine dining restaurant, we have a rich and varied menu for lunch and dinner. First on the list is our must-try sukiyaki and unagi teishoku which is a traditional Japanese set meal that comes with 7 different kinds of side dishes expertly crafted by our main chef. Tempura Hajime’s dinner menu offers incredible dishes including chef Shigeo’s selection of delicious tempura with mixed seaweed salad and Japanese wagyu beef layered on top of vinegared sushi rice. Their lunch menu offers tempura dishes such as eel, John Dory, scallop, nori, potato and sea urchin, although it does depend on what’s in season.

Kisume has multiple dining experiences in the one venue, all tied together with the kind of classy, muted minimalism that perfectly communicates the no-fuss approach to fine food and even finer wine. The exquisite 18-course Chef’s Table experience is the heart of this offering, ever-evolving but always laser focused on expressing Japanese perfection by way of the freshest Australian seafood available. Kisumé draws on the purity and integrity of Japanese cuisine while infusing it with an Australian sensibility. Discover dishes both familiar and unknown, all designed to highlight the freshest local produce. Gaijin is a restaurant we fell in love with and is a fun excellent dining experience at affordable prices. Gaijin impresses with the Big Bang dish, surprising due to the level of fusion, featuring crab stick enoki mushroom and cream cheese rolled in salmon slice then baked with spiced mayo.
And with multiple awards including a Chef’s Hat in 2007, 2011, 2013, 2016 and 2019, it’s not hard to see why. As teleporting straight to Tokyo is still a long way off, visiting Kenzan is the next best option. Kazuki and Saori Tsuya, a husband and wife team, are the masterminds behind Kazuki’s Restaurant located on Lygon Street in Carlton. Strongly influenced by the traditional Japanese saying “ichi-go ichi-e”, meaning to treasure every moment, Kazuki’s Restaurant embodies this philosophy down to its very core.

Though securing a seat at Australia's best Japanese restaurant can take the patience of a Zen master, it's a wait that's always worth it for the seafood fans who revere Koichi Minamishima's hushed confidence with fish and rice. Sommelier Randolph Cheung oversees a list of superb sake and wine, and starch-collared staff move with poise and grace. A large, colourful restaurant with a menu that touches on nearly every aspect of Japanese cuisine. Here you'll find sushi, gyoza, tempura, plus hearty bowls of ramen and don. Plus a fun drinks list that includes sakes, Japanese-influenced cocktails and craft beers from Tokyo.
Don’t be fooled by the small interior as Tempura Hajime offers one of the best izakaya experiences in Melbourne. Melbourne is home to a huge variety of incredible Japanese restaurants, whether you’re wanting to indulge in a decadent fine dining experience or catching up with friends over a bowl of ramen in a side street. You will easily find many delicious types of Japanese food in Melbourne, from the classics such as sushi, ramen and takoyaki, to the fancier dishes such as scallop nigiri, tempura sea urchin and beautifully marbled Japanese wagyu. Serving a nightly set menu of up to 11 courses, Ishizuka’s approach is informed by the Japanese philosophy that honours the integrity of produce, using minimal seasoning to open up the authentic flavours of the finest natural ingredients.
The World Loves Melbourne was invited to sample the menu, particularly six standout dishes that have stood the test of time. Pork katsu sando is a standout, and one of the best in Melbourne. Bread crumbed and a generous 200g pork loin cooked to perfection, with tang of mustard and BBQ sauce, this is a superb dish for a reasonable price. The thick pork loin has a good amount of fat and is juicy, perfect against the soft white bread. Supernormal largely caters for shared dining and the Slow cooked Szechuan lamb, spring onion pancake, coriander paste was a highlight.

A secret within Melbourne’s city centre, Ishizuka offers a refined kaiseki experience, reflecting the pinnacle of fine dining in an intimate, subterranean restaurant space. If you’re looking for one of the best Japanese restaurants in Melbourne, then drop by Hakoya Izakaya today. Putting quality at the core of our dishes, there’s no Japanese restaurant near Melbourne Central that is quite like us. Bring your friends and family and treat yourselves to some fine dining in Melbourne CBD here at Hakoya Izakaya. We strive to be everyone’s go-to Japanese restaurant near Melbourne Central, offering delectable meals that are sure to treat your tastebuds. Our signature dishes, Wagyu sukiyaki Nabe and Wagyu seiromushi, are made from premium Wagyu beef.
With Japanese cooking classes, specialised groceries and fresh produce, this is your friendly neighbourhood Japanese retreat. The ever-expanding international food hub around Glen Waverley station holds many treasures. While hardly a secret, Shira Nui remains one of its most glittering. With two seatings at lunchtime and two at dinner, cheerful staff need to keep plates moving. Nasu dengaku (that's baked eggplant with a miso glaze) is practically a savoury pudding and the tight, tasty gyoza may beckon, but it's chef Nishikura's omakase menu that keeps the reservation book full. Pungent fish floss for seasoning and pickled daikon are served on the side.