Lovely little Gyoza place. Huge variety of small bites and a great drink menu. My husband and I…read moresaw this gem and thought we'd give it a try our first night in Melbourne. Salmon tartare was my fav!! So light and flavorful, three delicate pieces packed in yumminess. We ordered a few more Gyoza appetizers and two drinks. The food is mostly $6.80 each for small plates which was perfect for a little nibble. Very clean place and friendly, helpful wait staff.

This Izakaya Style Tapas Restaurant is a great place to sample lots of small bite size dishes for…read morethe price of $6.80. Order a salad and then add to your order another four choices for a great affordable meal. The Gyoza here is a specialty. Order at least a couple of plates! The spicy chicken salad is very spicy Beware. After attempting to eat this my mouth was on fire. Pity as I usually like hot spicy food All dishes we ordered were very tasty and well presented.

My husband and I grabbed a quick veggie gyoza order for takeaway and were not disapointed. The…read moredumplings were vegan and delicious! They were fresh and tasty. The shop is small and has one table outside. The staff were friendly.

Stumbled across gyoza gyoza by accident Friday night and ended up with dinner and drinks and were…read morequite pleased. A little Japanese gem in the middle of Chinatown Melbourne. All good items on the menu cost $6.80 and is really good quality. Ordered Karachi chicken, chicken ribs and their signature gyoza. Delicious. We also had a Asahi mix between pale and the dark which wasn't too shabby. A good compliment to the fried chicken. It was rather busy and there was a bit of a wait but it was definitely worth it. The décor is classy and an especially cool feature is the wood finish under the bar. A special shout out to our waitress Mae from Tokyo who had only been in the country 2 months. She was very pleasant and adorable. You'll be lucky if you receive her service :)

YUM! The food here is incredible. Generous servings and attentive, friendly service made for a…read morememorable night. Extensive range of Sake. Can not WAIT to return with friends!

Great food, distinctly Japanese décor, could upgrade their presentation but it would change their…read moreclientèle. I will be back for it's the best Japanese in my area.

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. =)

Chiba used to occupy a much smaller venue on Hall Street closer to the Mt Alexander Rd end. They…read morewere pumping then, always having a full dining room so I was interested when they moved to see if they could keep it up. They can! The food is fresh and tasty. The Kaki Fry (fried oysters) is one of my favorites and never fails to satisfy. The sushi is delicious and creative. The staff are friendly and helpful. The restaurant decor creates a good atmosphere however this is let down whenever the phone rings. The ringing tone sounds like a poker machine and gave myself and my guest an unfortunate vibe last time we visited. This aside Chiba is a great Japanese restaurant that i will continue to visit.

As someone who consistently seeks new flavours, experiences and techniques, Chiba Japanese…read morerestaurant has again proven its longevity after I've returned for yet another of its simply and expertly executed meals. The decor is modern and the furnishings clean, with finesse that is uniquely Japanese, setting the tone for the meals that rapidly flow from the kitchen. Fresh & traditional dishes are served by polite wait staff who weave through the often fully booked restaurant efficiently and professionally. All levels of flavour preferences can easily be met; you will often see children with their parents at the first dinner sitting, and popular Western favourites like hand rolls and teriyaki chicken also grace the menu. This however, is not what should be expected as the standard from Chiba, as they offer dishes for a more refined palette like takaki beef and octopus sashimi. Comfortable, impeccable and very reasonably priced, Chiba Japanese restaurant never disappoints.

My wife and I are visiting from the States. We love sushi and were lucky enough to find Shoya on…read moreour first night. The fish was incredibly fresh and delicious. We sat at the sushi bar and watched Chef Shigeo work. What a treat! The man is wizard with a knife. I think we're going back tonight.

We would never have discovered Shoya at all had it not been for the small write-up it received in…read moreThe Age Good Food Guide. So off we ventured to Melbourne's Market Lane one Friday night with a strong craving for good Japanese food in our bellies and our minds. Shoya is a large, multi-levelled restaurant so there's never much trouble getting a table. We opted for a regular table rather than the horigotatsu style (sunken tables) or seating by the sushi counter. I have now been to Shoya twice and the only seating I've yet to try is the by the sushi counter, but I can tell you that the sunken tables are more fun than the regular ones. Their sake list is excellent and I really recommend overlooking the wine list for a good sake (not that the wine list isn't good, but you know, when in Rome/a Japanese restaurant...) or placing your order with your very professional waiter and letting them match a sake to the dishes you've selected. By the way, if the menu gets to be too much, there is no shame in opting for the degustation or omakase. This way you know you're letting the chef show-off his best and finest dishes to you. Order from the menu though and you will be rewarded with immaculately clean and balanced flavours. Try the agadashi dofu and the Hokkaido spider crab legs (lightly battered and fried, and to die for).

From start to finish, Kisume provided a delightful dining experience for our honeymoon. We sat at…read morethe sushi bar, which provided an entertaining environment and excitement for our chef's tasting order. All of the food looked incredible! Our courses included the kingfish sashimi, assorted sushi, ponzu chicken, fish substitution for angus steak, cos lettuce and hazelnut dacquoise. The kingfish was unlike any other sashimi we've had with the truffle sauce. All of the sushi was incredibly fresh and flavorful. I wish we lived closer to dine here again soon!

We booked Kisume after a fantastic experience at Chin Chin. Kisume did not disappoint! We didnt…read morethink there was room for improvement during our week of phenomenal food in Melbourne, Kisume proved our assumption incorrect and amazed us with the brilliant food and service ! Lovey decor and lively ambience. The scallops and the kingfish was the highlight .

Don't let location and its modest look deceived you. Authentic Japanese, modern twist without…read moreleaving its roots. Kudos to the Chef and team.

I was very disappointed with the takeway we had recently from this restaurant. The quality of the…read morefood was fine--nothing outstanding, but nice--but the serves were very small even though the prices were not. We did not feel that we received value for money. The piece of salmon in my wife's bento was the size of a credit card and the sashimi would not even be thought of as a children's portion. I expect better when I pay $173 for takeaway for four people.