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Rice Workshop

3.7 (19 reviews)
ModerateJapanese
Closed 11:00 am - 10:00 pm

Rice Workshop Photos

RICE WORKSHOP ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Moderate noise
Good for kids
Good for groups

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Curry on the side + chicken katsu bowl + shrimp tempura

Got the curry chicken Katsu and it was a solid filling meal. The chicken katsu was crunchy and not dry, and I really liked the spicy mayo from here. It has an addicting strong kick that will leave you no other choice but to dump an extra spoonful of it into your bowl. The service is also really quick, which makes it a great "fast food" option.

Chicken katsu with rice
Amita S.

This place isn't anything to write home about. If you're after cheap, quick curry and rice then come here. Don't expect flavor explosions though. What I loved the most from this place was their $2 matcha soft serve. Definitely swing by here if you have a craving for that. I must also add that we weren't a fan of their takoyaki stick, it was mega fishy.

Suzie R.

Nestled on the corner of Tattersall Lane, Rice Workshop fits in perfectly with the hustle and bustle of China Town and that area around the Target Centre. A little too perfectly to be honest as from the outside there's not much to distinguish it from the many other similar places in that area (even though I was looking for it I still nearly walked straight past it). Inside, the red and black stools are striking and the understated branded bowls give it a nice touch. There's a good mix of seating for both couples and larger groups and although the seating area downstairs is quite small (there are more seats upstairs) it didn't feel crammed. The place had a nice feel to it and seemed to attract a mix of people, we went in mid afternoon and it still felt lively. Service was fast, with cheerful, helpful staff and tables were cleared pretty quickly after people left keeping the seating area clean and welcoming. Nothing memorable, but nothing wrong - just efficient and pleasant. While there was nothing in the service or atmosphere of the place that would make it stand out from the many similar places in the area, it's Rice Workshop's menu that would have me coming back time and time again. They've hit the perfect sweet spot of giving a good range of choice without making it overwhelming or over complicated. I went for the create your flavour option, picking grilled teriyaki salmon with brown rice, broccoli and raw veggies, and it was great for many reasons. The salmon was well cooked, veggies were fresh, there was a good balance of the ingredients, I didn't feel like I was left scooping out forkfuls of rice at the end which can often happen. This is rice workshops gem, their unique selling point as it would be - I can choose something myself but I know it taste good, the ingredients appeal enough to the mainstream eater that you are confident enough to choose something nice without having to google lists of things to check what you are getting, but it still has enough authentic ingredients and flavours that it has a distinctly Japanese taste. I'm forever moaning that i don't eat enough veggies and this can be a real problem when we eat out, where Rice Workshop allowed me to do what I do at home and stack my dish as full with veggies as I like (without having to go for a vegetarian option). As a casual dining experience it's brilliant. It has a good central location, really affordable (it was just over $20 for both our meals), your food comes fast and it's good portion sizes with nice quality food for the price. It suited both my partner's simple taste and my more adventurous flair and need to eat something new every time. While the service and atmosphere will quickly become forgettable in the jumble of places I eat, it's the quick, good tasting food and well chosen menu which will ensure I return. And should they be worried about the forgettable exterior and standard "service with a smile"? Probably not, it was word of mouth that brought me to the place and I think word of mouth that will give them their continued success.

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Rice Workshop Reviews in Other Languages

Review Highlights - Rice Workshop

Rice WorkShop is a Japanese rice bar, which specializes in fuss-free, quick, affordable donburi (Rice Bowls).

Mentioned in 4 reviews

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Gochi - Chicken teriyaki

Gochi

4.4(9 reviews)
1.5 kmSouthbank
$$

Came here for dinner…read more The sushi was absolutely delish! After one bite it was a party in my mouth. Tastebuds were happy! I ordered salmon avocado and ebi panko. The ebi panko had prawn, cucumber and spicy mayo. Both were delicious and fresh. I also had traditional ramen which was equally delicious! It had original pork broth, thin noodles, bean shoot, spring onion, egg. and seaweed. Absolutely delish dinner!

If you had to eat the same meal for the rest of your life what would it be? Mine is SUSHI!…read more It's filling, delicious, affordable, easy and healthy! Ticks all them great boxes. As my family and I walked in to Gochi service was delivered straight away with it also being a busy environment. We were seated and served water and the menus which got me excited. I ordered the cprisy chicken, tempura prawn and cprisy salmon (with you had to ask for as it's not being on the menu). There was an order of 15 fresh sushi rolls and the wait, well I wouldn't even call it a wait. Service was defiantly spot on here with great time management. The sushi was presented lovely all cut up with ginger and wasabi on the side, yum! Everything about Gochi is amazing! -Great quality of food -Great customer service -Presentation wise of the overall place was beautiful with cute Japanese quotes all over the place. Was a great experience not only for myself but for my family with haven't tried sushi before. So it was an interesting lunch for them to finally listen to what all my bragging is about haha. See you again soon Gochi!

Photos
Gochi - Salmon avocado and Ebi Panko roll

Salmon avocado and Ebi Panko roll

Gochi
Gochi - Traditional pork ramen

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Traditional pork ramen

Izakaya Den - Comp salad

Izakaya Den

4.2(61 reviews)
0.3 kmMelbourne
$$$

Disappointed with this choice. hard to find with just a simple easel sign in an office type…read morebuilding entrance. Absolutely empty on this Tuesday night. Red flag. No one at the sushi bar or anywhere else. Moldy smell throughout which is a problem since this place is below ground. But to save a star, a great selection of sake. Menus are dirty and disorganized. Not easy food selections. Food was just ok. Too many other better options in the areas.

We were hoping for a meal of Japanese while in Melbourne, took the suggestion of Yelp and…read moreUrbanspoon, and ended up at Izakaya Den. I wouldn't say I regretted my choice, but I probably should have taken the advice of one of my friends for a place with sashimi and substantial food. Hidden down a narrow flight of stairs, Izakaya Den is a bit like a den with its cold, yet cozy interior. We didn't end up drinking anything throughout our meal, which I slightly regretted, since that is precisely what you do at an izakaya place. Either way, it was the middle of the day, so we weren't too keen. What we did get were baked scallops with a ginger garnish of some sort. The scallops were a delicious texture, just how scallops how should be, but the highlight was really the garnish on the side! We also went for the tuna tartare, which was alright in texture. Again, the highlight was the sauce. I should have gone for the tuna tataki, which seems to be the more popular dish. We also had the fish of the day (which I can't remember what), and that was really tender and baked perfectly. It wasn't salmon, though that's what it looks kinda like in the picture. The pickled daikon on the side was my favorite part of the dish - but the fish was also really delicious. It wasn't one bit fishy, and the meat just fell apart perfectly! The lamb skewers were also good, though I don't think I would order this again if I returned. They were slightly dry, and didn't taste much like lamb. At the end of our meal, they gave us complimentary house-made marshmallows! They were fluffy, not overly sweet, and quite yummy! Our next visit was Le Petit Gateau, so we didn't go for dessert... Though the food was just average to above-average, the service was really friendly and attentive, and they even hung our coats on a coat rack for us! Truly Japanese. =)

Photos
Izakaya Den - Private dining room

Private dining room

Izakaya Den - Sliced scallops with a citrus sauce (pretty good)

Sliced scallops with a citrus sauce (pretty good)

Izakaya Den - Sushi assortment

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Sushi assortment

Akachochin - Flash torched salmon

Akachochin

4.0(37 reviews)
1.9 kmSouth Wharf
$$

This place gets 3/5 from me because I had a special -50% discount on TheFork. At full price, it is…read moreprobably a 2/5 for me. Japanese restaurant by the harbour. Most of the dishes were good, except for the sushi. The fish was fresh, but the rice was falling apart, indicating that the kitchen didn't have a good sushi chef. Service was also incredibly slow - took ages for food to arrive. What should have been a fairly quick lunch meal stretched for more than 2 hours. Worth going if there's a good discount available on TheFork, otherwise I think it is slightly pricey for the quality and the service levels.

Sometimes there's those restaurants that win you over in a quiet, subtle, way. The ones you find…read moreyourself daydreaming about when you're at your desk at the end of the day and thinking ahead to dinner... the ones that have menu items that keep you awake at night wondering how they get the flavour and the texture just so perfectly right. For me, one of those places is Akachochin. I've been here a number of times in the last few of months. Dinners, lunches, a quick snack and glass of sake before heading to other places. Every time I've left feeling happier than when I walked in. Satisfied, but not stuffed. Content. It's open and bright, clean and slick without being too minimalist. The food is presented on beautiful crockery, your chopsticks rest on what looks like a pebble but is actually a beautifully moulded piece of clay. Sake is drunk from pretty glasses that look like something from deep inside the ocean. Before I even eat anything, I already feel better about the world. For the most part the service is unobtrusive, gentle even. I always feel taken care of at Akachochin, which of course is what service is all about but most places don't have the inexplicable magical touch of giving me everything I want and need without making me feel like I've been "worked". Some of the waiters here get it right better than others and I almost feel like I should make my booking especially when I know my favourite, Mason, will be working. (Would that be creepy?) The food? Oh yes, let's get to that shall we? The Hiramasa Namerou (a chopped kingfish tartar) is the stuff that keeps me awake at night. Even after attending a lunch where Chef Kengo Hiromatsu taught me how to make this dish, I still can't quite put my finger on why it tastes so amazing. There's spring onion, wasabi, miso, seasame seeds and other goodness in there... it's such a perfectly balanced dish and texturally rocks my world with the crunch of the accompanying home made rice crackers. This is one of those dishes I could eat multiple times in a week and never tire of, though I suspect the magic ingredient is all about having Kengo prepare it for you. Also on the menu is a very fine selection of sushi and sashimi, and if your'e lucky you can score a seat at the chef's bar and watch the masters at work as they slice your fish, form your nigiri and plate everything in an artful way. It seems a shame to eat the resulting masterpieces. There's grilled items, Udon, slow braised meat dishes and all manner of vegetable items. It's easy to order a few items and then order more as your stomach demands. Come at lunch time and enjoy a $20 bento that is generous and delicious. With multiple choices available, you could be eating Chicken Udon or Grilled Pork or perhaps fried tofu with mountain vegetables. Each bento also comes with some sashimi, rice and pickles. Yes, I have a bit of a soft spot for Akachochin and hope you will too. .

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Akachochin
Akachochin
Akachochin

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Tsuru Japanese  - Almost everything we got

Tsuru Japanese

4.8(5 reviews)
0.6 kmMelbourne

Ate here with 2 of my homegirls when I was in town, I guess she picked it cus it's rated really…read morehigh lol... it's actually really good and of course I ate most of it. It was really good Japanese food. The sushi rolls, to some of the raw fish, and even the karage was just really textured well. It was exceptionally good for being a in a low key quiet area on a

Mid-high end Japanese restaurant, located in the same building as a hotel (Hyatt I think?)…read more I went there for a weekday lunch, as they do lunch specials. I went for the sashimi and sushi set ($48) which was good value for the amount of food you get, but the quality of the sashimi and sushi was average. For the set, you get quite a bit: chawanmushi, miso soup, a yakitori skewer, pickles, and the food you order. Extremely good value for the cheaper sets (I think like a bento for 20-30?) The sashimi and sushi set was a bit disappointing. The fishes given for the sushi and sashimi were on the cheaper end. I don't think there was even a tuna. They did give two pieces of scallop, which was tasty. Overall, I would have either expected one or two pieces of pricey fish, or a few extra pieces of sushi or sashimi. The rice was also cold, rather than slightly warm. Overall, it felt like an average sushi lunch, not fitting the mid-high end positioning they are going for. Tip: don't forget they have 20% off on EatClub; which if you use with the lunch offer, is great value for money.

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Tsuru Japanese  - I don't know lol

I don't know lol

Tsuru Japanese  - Placemat and backside of menu

Placemat and backside of menu

Tsuru Japanese  - Sweet potato fries

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Sweet potato fries

Rice Workshop - japanese - Updated May 2026

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