Ippin Dining

Just when you thought West End’s West Village couldn’t get any tastier, along comes yet another foodie offering. A luxurious, 140-seat venue overlooking West Village’s open-air space, The Common, from its perch on the second floor of the South Pavilion, Ippin Dining comes to us from the restaurateur and owner behind Sydney’s Kuon Omakase, Allta and Funda restaurants, Kenny Lee. 

A handcrafted moon sign welcomes you into the sophisticated Japanese restaurant, with a fit out that ties into the feel of West Village just next door. Natural timber furnishings, black and white marble tabletops and polished concrete pillars are complemented by tan banquet seating and plush blue circular booths, while overhead curved neon lights create an intimate ambiance. 

On the menu you’ll find both traditional and creative Japanese eats that showcase local meat and seafood. Start with bites like popcorn lobster, miso eggplant and wagyu beef tataki before moving on to a selection of sashimi from the raw bar. Next, get something fiery from the robata grill, whether it’s prawn skewers, miso marinated toothfish or a juicy wagyu steak tenderloin, then finish with yuzu panna cotta from the dessert menu. 

All the eats are of course best enjoyed with a drink in hand, and you can take your pick from the extensive list of Australian, French and Italian wines, or even a top notch sake. Be sure to kick things off with a cocktail or two though—concoctions like the Yuzu Whisky Sour with Suntory Toki, yuzu juice and yuzu honey concentrate or the Matcha-Groni, with matcha-infused gin, matcha powder, midori and vermouth, are sure to get your appetite going. 

Image credit: Supplied

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