En Izakaya

Best and most modern, unique Japanese food in Melbourne. Totally recommend it!
I’ve eaten there a number of times and each time is outstanding. Sashimi of tuna with wasabi and pistachio dressing and mind blowingly good as are test of the dishes. Also try tofu with eggplant and miso paste and son in law meatballs.

I’ve been told for a while now to enjoy a nice meal here, and I finally had the chance for a late lunch.
I selected their ‘from the sea’ lunch menu for just $ 17.
Soup was a lovely start to a winters day meal.
I wasn’t disappointed with the lovely tasting main either. Everything was at a high standard.
Service was friendly. Atmosphere was welcoming. Menu was extensive and I’ll be back for sure to try more next time!

Clean, simple and well priced-​2 of us ate here last Friday night and we thoroughly enjoyed our experience.
Remember to look on the specials board when you arrive as half of what we ordered to share was from the blackboard and the dishes were oh so delicious.
–Hamachi seared scallops and scallops on nigiri: smokey and fresh
–Thin waygu slices on silken tofu: refreshing on the palate
–Seared moment tofu and miso infused eggplant: I pretty much gobbled this one up by myself
–Tuna sashimi with soy and wasabi dressing: dressing may be a bit strong for some however I would have preferred to have an additional kick!
I must say the food is better than the service as the waiter’s did not seem to know what to call each dish when they served but it attempted to describe them to us however I would return as the service was still friendly.

The pumpkin miso soup set the bar high. I am not generally a soup person, but this stuff was legendary: Sweet, smoky, creamy, and full of flavour, with delectable morsels of fried leek arranged prettily on top. This stuff was so good that I point my husband had to remind me that it was uncouth to jam the entire Japanese soup spoon into mouth. One is supposed to sip daintily from the edge apparently. We had high hopes for the next dish. And the next. And the next. Unfortunatly the rest of the food was uniformly uninspiring. Kingfish and salmon sushi was served room slightly warm for some reason. It was serviceable, but too thinly sliced and meagre (four pieces) for 18 dollars. Sweet potato dumplings were heavy and bland and the accompanying grated turnip did nothing to enhance the flavour of the dish. We were hoping that the meal would be saved by the delish sounding fried whitefish wrapped with salted plum. Imagine our surprise when this dish came out fifteen minutes after the last one had been served (cue finger drumming), and was sans salted plum. We kept looking for said plum, to no avail. Was it hiding underneath the breading? Was it perhaps behind the plate? No. It was just plum out of plums, with no explanation from the waiter.
Service was plodding, which was inexcusable considering that there were three chefs in the kitchen and only six diners. The price for our four small dishes and glass of wine was 70 dollars, about what you’d pay at the far superior Izakaya Den in the CBD. You know where I’ll be going the next time I’m craving Japanese small plates.