This place feels genuine and high-end. From walking in on their stone-tiles-on-pebbles entrance to…read moresitting down to funky twisted cutlery (ok, small shiny things amuse me) - this place immediately makes you realize you're not going to get a stale two-buck-fiddy California roll served to you. The staff were friendly and the restaurant was clean, clever and inviting. This place was nice and warm when it was freezing and windy outside. The selection of food is what I would call high-end Japanese. I'm not a Japanese food expert but their menu sounded well rounded. You can choose to eat traditional dishes like sashimi or raw tuna and oysters, or go for their selection of steaks. They had a wagyu steak for $70+. Sounded amazing. However, I went for the green peppercorn and it was so tender and soft. Loved it. They also gave us what I can only describe as potato salad/coleslaw starters. Unexpected food items are always nice and these things tastes amazing. Wish they had a whole main meal of these things. Overall, an excellent night. Thought this place was fantastic.

Oritas, just off Toorak rd, is a superb japanese fushion restaurant! I felt that I had transfered…read moremyself back to Japan the moment I stepped in and our evening could begin! We were a big group and the service umpeccable! The food gets 5 stars from me and if you're looking for a true japanese with a mix of today, go here!

My favourite place!! The food so yummy and it's cheap, fast…read moreand so satisfying! All meals are under $10 the are full of flavour and spice. They also give good amounts that won't leave you still hungry!

I was actually here for the opening (Well, promoted opening) of Hanaichi, where they were handing…read moreout free drinks to passer-byers (And yes i did indulge). I must say Hanaichi was a pretty good eating experience, there's a diverse range of meals on the menu - Tempuras, Curries, Ramen and more, there's a heap of different dishes to try. The meals are pretty large in size and i like the idea of the cardboard plate / bowl so you can eat in and take-away if you like. The Japanese cuisine here is quite good for something whipped up quick and take-away.

I was excited to try this after reading the reviews but I'm afraid it didn't quite live up to my…read moreramen standards. It might be more fun when drinking beer or sake but it was quite sobering otherwise. The okonomiyaki on a stick was good. It wasn't amazing but a nice start to the meal. I suggest getting one per person next time as it would have been easier than sharing. The shoyu ramen had all the right toppings but the broth lacked real flavour. Even after adding spices I still felt like it was just average. The pork, whilst tender, was bland. It could have used some braising on the grill. I would rather take a trip to the CBD for better ramen options but perhaps their other broths would provide more reason to return. Overall the portion size was worth the price.

We used to live around the corner from here and frequently dropped in. I'd never even heard of…read moreramen before coming to this venue. The bowls are a decent size and there is a range of delicious ramen flavours. Also they do edamame like no other place in the world. It's delicious and you will find no equal, a unique blend of salt, garlic and chilli, it's crunchy and tasty. The karaage chicken or JFC is really good as well. There is a cute courtyard out the back that is nice and quiet most of the time. The restaurant itself is quite popular and can get busy around dinnertime :)

We had the gutan (oxe tongue), buta no shogayaki (pork ginger strips) & katsu nabe (fried pork…read moresoup). The last two were excellent, on par with the best i have had in japan. At these prices together with friendly service, clean and japanese styles setting what more could you want?

A great find for a sneaky Wednesday lunch. We (a table for two) shared a hotpot. It was spot on…read more Lovely food and lovely service. Thank you!

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.

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!

Having lived in Japan for a full year (365 days), and Japanese cuisine being my favorite, I was…read moreexcited to try this restaurant And I have to say that my expectations were met It has a good amount of seats inside, and a few outside The look and atmosphere is typical Japanese, including with the open kitchen, loved it Staff is very welcoming The menu offers a good variety, with very different items that are popular in Japan, both in regular restaurants and street food/ good trucks type: gyoza, takoyaki, tempura, okomomyski (savory pancakes), ramen, udon, soba, katsu (cutlet), donburi, bento, teriyaki, curry, niku (BBQ), sushi, sashimi... As for drinks they have done typical ones, such as Ramune, which I ordered I was willing to have takoyaki and gyoza, and so I did But I also followed their recommendation and tried niku tadaki Good choice. You get your personal grill, allowing you to cook it exactly as you'd like. It came with green salad, miso soup, and steamed rice. A must try Just like this restaurant Recommended!

Enjoyed dinner here on a weeknight. Started with the appetizer of 6 takoyaki balls (octopus), they…read morewere a bit small from what I am accustom to, but were hot and delicious. My companion tried the Gyukatsu Tadaki (raw beef), which was grilled at the table on a small personal grill. Beef was fresh and tasty and he enjoyed the dinner very much. I ordered the Miso Ramen which had a delicious pork broth, however, I could not discern any miso in the broth. It may have been there, but it was a very mild miso flavor. Otherwise the ramen was very good and it was completely enjoyed! Service was very polite & attentive and they frequently refilled the hot tea and water. I recommend this Japanese restaurant with good food at a reasonable price, but I'm guessing there will a line at dinner time due to the small space.

For $28 ... it was ok. similar to the old shabu shabu on Lonsdale St in the city which is now…read morelonger there. the soup base is high in msg. the "nutrition soup" aka herbal was / became not drinkable near the end. hmmm I'd rather pay $10 more and have all u can eat jap at isshin! Prawns weren't fresh. Everything else was ok

A very innovative way to have hotpot ingredients going around on a sushi-train style conveyor belt…read more The ingredients are fresh and there is a good amount of varieties to satisfy most people. They also have individual hotpot for those clean-freaks who don't like to share a huge pot with their friends.