Komeyui

Well known as one of Melbourne’s best venues for authentic sushi and sashimi, Komeyui has expanded north, bringing its delicate Japanese eats to Spring Hill. Tucked away on Wharf Street, the restaurant is deliberately minimalist and tranquil, featuring grey tile floors, light timber furnishings and a lengthy sushi bar, because here, the art is on the plate. 

If you're keen to splurge, the seven-course omakase ($200) and kaiseki ($190) offerings are definitely the way to go, but if your budget is a little tighter, the lunch menu features a shorter four-course menu for $128 or an epic bento box option. Prefer to make your own choices? The a la carte menu features plenty of sushi and sashimi of course, using seafood sourced locally from Victoria and Tasmania, as well as premium tuna imported from Japan. And if you’re a nigiri aficionado, you know that the rice is just as important as the fish, and here it’s perfectly cooked using a Hagama, a traditional cast iron rice cooker. 

Once you’ve had your fill of sushi, work your way through appetisers like nori crunch and edamame, little dishes such as pork gyoza, wagyu tataki and fried chicken karaage, and mains like wagyu foie gras rice, braised black pork belly and grain-fed striploin from the Josper charcoal oven. Drinks on offer include sake aplenty along with cocktails and whisky highballs, wine and beers. 

Possibly our favourite thing on the menu is Komeyui's signature sushi cake, though you do need to order this one in advance, whether it's for dine in or to take home for a special occasion. A stunning creation which was created by owner Chef Kumano in Melbourne in 2017, the 'cake' is made with flavoursome sushi rice and delicate sashimi artfully assembled and presented on a plate. It will set you back $280, but is well worth it for the 'wow' factor alone. 

Image credit: Komeyui