This restaurant has really amazing food! the rolls are amazing (the ones i tried) the Udon there i…read morelove! It just tastes so good! The service is great! Everything is fresh and delicious! My mouth is watering just by talking about it right now! And its a great place to eat at over and over!

Having been to Japan a few times I wouldn't say this sushi is the best in comparison... it wasn't…read moreterrible either though. The miso was a little on the weaker side. The service was also a little slow, we had to get the waitresses attention every time we wanted something. But the price made up for it. We had 3 decent sized sushi rolls, two miso soups, 2 pots of green tea, a desert and a gyoza dish for around $63. We will probably go back because of the price and because it's one of the closest Japanese restaurants near sunbury.

Wonderful Place. Recently opened (in last 6 months) Seoul Kitchen has excellent service, with very…read moreattentive staff, and food that tastes amazing. You are able to have a la carte or the BBQ option where you choose your meat and vegetables and cook them yourself. They offer to cook the food in front of you if you prefer as an option. A definite must in the the area if you enjoy great service and great Korean food.

Great fresh Japanese food. We have eaten here many times and it's been fantastic EVERY time. My…read morestaples are the salmon nigiri and vegetarian futomaki. I especially like the sesame seeds rolled on the outside of the futomaki. The Ma Po tofu is a good warm dish, as is the teriyaki beef. The hot dishes have a lot of rice with only a smallish sauce/meat/vege ratio - but for the price I think that is OK! Really friendly service here too. Recommend a visit if you're in the area.

Provincial style japanese food, lacking in flavours. I had been looking forward to visit Sakana…read moreafter hearing so many positive reviews. I found the experience quite disappointing. The staff are ready to provide assistance which is warming, and makes up for the run-down, unkept interior. The sushi rice is average quality in flavour and served relatively cold, which means it may have been prepared hours earlier. I found the Chicken Teriyaki dish to be lacking in flavour and seasoning. The chicken was laid on top and came out cold and dry, while the teriyaki sauce was sitting at the bottom of the bowl buried under the rice. Unfortunately the dish tasted like overcooked chicken that had not been reheated properly, and did not taste exactly fresh.

New menu doesn't cut it…read more They run out of the spare ribs at 7:30pm. The snapper main is much smaller than the entree octopus! $27?! #letdown Gyoza was nice.

I'm not sure what happened, but I think that Yuzu underwent a management change a few months ago…read more They closed for a few weeks, and when they came back things just weren't the same. I've often found myself waving for attention, desperate to order after being forgotten by the waitresses for 10-15 minutes at a time. Even though I order the same thing every time (chicken box) my order's been messed up too many times to count, and the staff are prone to arguing over an order instead of just admitting their mistakes. I'm fairly chilled out and lenient on waitstaff, but I have no tolerance for situations where they make me feel stupid and embarrassed for no reason other than saving their own hides. The food is still good, and lunch can be a good deal - dinner is very overpriced, though. Some days are better than others.

In my never ending quest for amazing Japanese restaurants outside of Melbourne's CBD, I decided to…read moretry Akita Japanese restaurant in North Melbourne. ~ What's with the small menu? Honestly, there were six mains. Their "specials" menu was larger than their regular menu by a long shot, and I was kind of disappointed they didn't have a more diverse or comprehensive selection. ~ VEGETARIANS BEWARE. None of the mains were vegetarian compatible; they all had meat/seafood in them. Even the vast majority of the entrees were meat based. This is particularly peculiar for Japanese cuisine. When we asked what was on offer for vegetarians, they recommended three dishes, mostly from the specials menu. The only positive I can attribute to Akita in this respect was that the waiter did come back a few minutes after ordering to confirm that egg was okay in the vegetarian dish. But I probably wouldn't come back here with a vegetarian person; the difficulty of working out what is edible and the severe limited choice makes the whole thing too much hassle. ~ From the outside, the door is somewhat hidden the place looks relatively small. When you look around the main entrance, you also get the feeling of smallness. However, there is actually a labyrinth of seating areas, all hidden away in their own rooms. In this respect, Akita reminds me a lot of Stalactites in the city, except more enclosed. This causes the environment to feel more intimate, and probably reduces noise too. The atmosphere was of a high calibre here. A++. ~ Overpriced. We all know that Japanese cuisine is expensive, but even for Japanese standards this place was overpriced (especially for its location). If you can, check out the photo of the entree sashimi to this venue. You can get better quality fish at a cheaper price than $18 from elsewhere. ~ Forgot the drinks. Unfortunately I forgot to check the bill to see if they had charged us, but we ordered tea twice and we didn't end up getting it either times. ~ No ginger with the sashimi. What! For a so-called *authentic* Japanese place you kind of expect them to provide some ginger with the sashimi; they didn't, which was a little disappointing. Upside was that they gave me so much wasabi. Overall the food (albeit small and expensive) and atmosphere were good. The location is convenient for drivers (heaps of parking), and the staff were kind (although they forgot drinks). Would I be back? Probably not -- the limited menu is a dealbreaker.

I was craving food so I did a quick search and found this establishment closeby! I love Japanese…read morefood so I was good to go. Ambiance: Very very good. The restaurant is large and spacious with a series of different dining rooms. It has an old feel to it, but very clean and modern at the same time. They have light Japanese music playing which makes for a really incredible dining atmosphere! Customer Service: The servers were very polite, courteous, and attentive. However, I do have to remark that the kitchen staff is a bit slow. The wait time for the food is EXTREMELY long. Food: One thing I have to note is that this place is probably good for large groups, but I would avoid it if you're only going by yourself or with 2 people. The menu comprises of large platter-like dishes of sashimi and sushi rather than anything that is convenient for an individual set. The only thing I pretty much can order is Nabeyaki Udon Soup (udon noodles with tempura shrimp, egg, veggies, thin slices of beef, and mushrooms) for 12 dollars and a plate of Gyoza for 8.50. Like I said, the wait time is long. I ended up getting my Gyoza after my main... when Gyoza is an entree. What's up with that? When I picked up a piece of Gyoza, I thought to myself "This better be worth it". It was good... but not worth the 30 minute wait. The Gyoza wrap was very thin, which is a bit unique I suppose but I prefer thick wraps. The Nabeyaki Udon Soup at first glance was rather tiny - so it was very alarming. However, it was absolutely delicious! Probably the best Udon Soup I have ever had. The meat was good, tempura soft and tasty, and the egg accented the dish really nicely. I absolutely loved it. Things they can improve on: ~ Adding more variety to their menu. Where are the bentos? The ramen? And donburi? Everything is pretty much just a platter, which excludes the people who just want individual meals. ~ Upping their efficiency! I'm not sure how exactly they can do that, but at least bring out the Gyoza before the main so my stomach isn't growling like mad. Overall, I did enjoy my meal - the atmosphere was great, the service was nice, and the food was tasty. However, 1 star off for the lack of variety and another star for the horrid wait time. I would come here again, but only if I'm with a large group of people ready to order some platters.

Izakaya Chuji is a little gem! Izakaya-style dining, which is basically Japanese tapas, is…read morecurrently in vogue in Melbourne thanks to the Den, but Chuji has been kicking along steadily for more than 20 years regardless of fashion. Watching the chefs at the open kitchen in Izakaya Chuji is truly inspiring - they are super-fast and know how to handle a sharp knife. The food is traditional, fresh and beautifully presented. Don't miss the ika butter, which is squid cooked in butter. It literally melts in your mouth. These are the guys that own Nihonshu Sake bar on Londsdale, so Izakaya Chuji has a pretty impressive range of beverages. They do both warm and cold sake, beers and there's a big range of whisky. Izakaya Chuji can get pretty loud when it's pumping, but that's part of the fun - highly recommended!

I can't believe it's taken me this long to get to Izakaya Chuji! What a great little spot…read more The eggplant with miso sauce is the sexiest thing I've put in my mouth all month - it's silky and slippery, savoury and sweet all at once. I was sad I had to share it with three friends and considered trading their portion for my skewered beef with terriyaki, but then that was delicious too! It has a fabulous atmosphere perfect for a date or a catch up with friends over a bottle of sake and a bowl of edamame (which are really good!). I'm adding this to my list of regular mid-week haunts. Love it.

Look, it's true the service here is terrible...but hell, I'll forgive them because the food is…read moregreat - authentic Sichuan flavours here, with a good balance of peppercorns for that 'ma la' tang, mandatory chilli oil, generous doses of mince garlic and some surprisingly good meat pieces (ie. the pork ribs actually had nice chunks of meat and fat as well as bone). Prices are around $17-40 for sides and mains, and the drinks menu is a little sad but does the job. And for brave, they also do Sichuan Hotpot.

Their hotpot buffet is quite good, and service is friendly. Unlike some hotpot buffet restaurants,…read morethey bring out the dishes fairly quickly, and they always clear the empty plates for you.

We were looking for another cheap, tasty spot to try in the CBD and Purple Peanuts Japanese Cafe…read moresounded like a good fit. It's located right beside Perkup Cafe & Burger Bar (and across the street from Krispy Kreme). We dropped in on a Thursday evening (around 7:30pm). The inside is pretty small with16 seats but there were another 3 seats outside to people watch. The menu is up behind the counter. It's a bit hard to decipher but it's broken into cold, burgers, hot, hot stuff and noodles. There's also a bunch of pre-made items right when you first walk in if you're in a rush. - Matcha shake ($5.90 AUD) - green tea, vanilla bean, white choc & kirsch base mixed with ice cream, red bean, whipped cream and homemade matcha cookie crumbs. - Tsuke don ($13.50 AUD) - salmon sashimi marinated in mirin, sake, sesame and soy. Served with vinegar. - Beef curry soba ($11.90 AUD) - thinly sliced beef & veggies with buckwheat noodles in a mild Japanese curry. - Teriyaki chicken ($13.50 AUD) - flame grilled chicken marinated in soy, sake, sesame and ginger. Served with carrot and bean sesame salad and rice. Hit the spot for us.

Nestled across the Southern Cross station, among the multitude of eateries in the busy business…read moredistrict of Collins Street, one could easily passed Purple Peanuts without noticing its presence. Purple peanuts is a lovely Japanese cafe with a very intimate (a.k.a limited seating capacity) setting. Despite of their humble interior, their menu is certainly more grand, listing impressive variety of hearty home-cooked tasty meals at reasonable prices. Menu such as curry rice/noodles, hot burgers as well as sashimi salad are some of the things to look forward to here. They also carry wide arrays of ready made sushi rolls/sashimi and salad... hearty and healthy meals suddenly becomes so convenient. For my lunch, I ordered the Tsuke don ($12.50), which consist of premium salmon sashimi marinated in mirin, sesame soy and sake tossed with homemade pickles, salad and served on top of warm sushi rice. First of all, the presentation was creatively executed. Taste-wise, I love how the fish was fresh and well-seasoned, there won't be a bite where it's not flavorful! Adding to the already wonderful salmon was the mango, radish, onion pickle salad, which adds interesting sensation in each bite. Much love to this delicious dish! Even though this is a self-served place, the counter service was gracious and friendly. Overall, I had an enjoyable lunch at Purple Peanuts, its an affordable and unpretentious cafe serving up delicious, genuine Japanese comfort dish that satisfies the tummy & I guess that's the beauty of it :).