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 :)

Just finished a quick lunch at my favourite Japanese joint. I'm a big fan of their bento box…read morespecials for lunch, at $18 I haven't needed to go any further. The Tempura bento is great, with veggies and seafood tempura, miso soup, sushi & sashimi, rice salad and a small starter it's bento heaven. The ingredients are fresh service is friendly and fast, making it a great place to eat. The volcano roll at $17 is a little pricey but just about my favourite sushi. Yeeees

I went to Hibachi for lunch after seeing its 5 stars on Yelp. And what a disappointment it was!…read more I'm vegetarian, and restaurants can usually cater to me pretty easily. But not at Hibachi: the waitress repeatedly asked me if I was allergic to sea food. No I'm not, but being vegetarian should be reason enough not to put fish in my dish! The chef couldn't whip up something without fish stock in it, making me question how fresh things really are there... I ended up having a vegetarian roll, which was quite good but cost me 18$! My friend had a bento menu and was not that amazed by the flavours, although I have to admit there was a lot of food on the tray. One place I'm sure I won't go back to!

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. .

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.

This is my favourite Japanese restaurant in Melbourne. Very traditional place, just like Yokyo…read more Staff are great. Try the Toro "tuna belly" sashimi or sushi, it's incredible. Here the sushi has only small amount of rice, proper Japan style. The sushi and sashimi platter is amazing, the Prawn Dumplings, Sukiyaki, Shabu Shabu, everything here is just like real Japan! Love it!

Extremely friendly staff and very quick service. Quite expensive mains considering portion size but…read moreworth it for the quality of food. Amazing experience for anyone visiting Melbourne

Hello, me and my husband went to this sushi place and we were shocked when we found out that we…read morecould only get sushi. What if my husband was allergic to sushi. I was disgusted by the sushi hand rolls and are definably not worth my $2. The service here was appaling, the lady wouldn't serve me anything but sushi and I was lost. I needed the manager and even still he wouldn't give me anything but sushi. The ambiance surrounding this place was horrible, there was children and little rats scarring by my feet. Not happy! - Karen Smith signing off

Handrolls were average but nothing to complain about. Didn't quite live up to the reviewsread more

So happy to finally cross Gypsy & Pig off my list, a Japanese pork speciality spot in CBD that I…read morehave been eyeing on for a while. Hidden in plain sight, precisely located in a tiny corner, down one end of Hardware Lane with no obvious signage - do look out for a piggy sign and you are at the right place ;). The restaurant might have small physicality, but the decor is simply adorable, black loving interiors surrounded with pig ornaments to match the theme - A porky heaven! Oink~ Their menu is specialized in Katsu of different variants. Not the healthiest indulgence, but for me there is something utterly satisfying about biting into crunchy katsu. And for my first visit, I was excited to order their special mix fry: kurobuta cheese Hamburg, eyefilet, crabmeat croquettes and Anago (sea eel). Best of both world!! As much as I wanted it to be good, everything was underwhelming. The unagi has many small bones in them, making it so troublesome to eat. Adding to that, the Kurobuta hamburg with cheese had this musty smell that's so unpleasant. I was hoping the crab croquette would save the day, but sadly the texture was so soggy it completely threw me off. The stuffed chicken wings appetizer, however, was quite delicious and worth ordering a second. The service, was also quite impressive. All smiles and making sure that you are taken care of the moment you stepped in the door. In addition to that, they also pride themselves on using the highest quality Kurobuta pork... which then resulted in their premium prices. Overall, I love Gypsy & Pig for their venue because the space is so cute, authentic and really sets the mood! In terms of the food, sadly it just doesn't strike a special chord with me, well at least on my visit... :)

Make sure you make a booking because this place is cozy. It's small. You will get table seating if…read moreyou are a group of four or more otherwise you sit at the bar and watch the chef cook. This place is known for their kurubota - or black pig meat. It is recommended by urbanlist that you try their katsu curry, their scotch egg, and their green tea cake/pudding. We had the katsu kurubota curry, the scotch egg, some sushi, and the kimchi kurubota eggplant hotpot. My food came in a steaming hotpot duh. The fermented smell was heavenly. The kurubota was so tender. It was such good meat - meat that I had never tasted before. The eggplant - well, you couldn't even tell it was eggplant. The rice was seasoned and I enjoyed having it on its own at the end. All three of us loved our meals and can't wait to come back for more. Great portion sizes. Split bills accepted and attentive staff.

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.