Ishizuka

THE VERDICT

Melbourne’s finest Japanese diner, Ishizuka is an intimate spectacle, serving up elaborate, thoughtful and tantalising banquets, tucked away on a basement level down a lane off Bourke Street.

The subterranean nature of the restaurant lends itself perfectly to the quiet, orderly and gastronomic kaiseki that awaits. For those not in the know, kaiseki is the pinnacle of Japanese haute cuisine. Elaborate dishes, complex flavours and an ethereal presentation, often in different layers, heights and serving vessels. It’s quite the to-do. 

The cuisine harks back more than 600 years to the ceremonial cooking practices of Japanese Zen monasteries, which, if you ask us, executive chef Katsuji Yoshino has mastered.

The seasonal menu rotates often but one thing stays the same; the emphasis on dashi—or in layman’s terms the stock and umami flavour, which Yoshino prides himself upon.

You might find yourself eating perfectly seasoned sushi, hand-pressed in front of you, rice straight from a donabe, (read: a multipurpose cooking claypot) just one of the many traditional cooking implements and methods on display. 

The rice melts away leaving the perfect firmness of tuna, flown in from Tokyo’s fish market, while over the counter the satisfying crunch of nori being sliced ever so delicately breaks the silence as diners quietly sup and enjoy their meals.

Abalone soup, hibachi slow-grilled wagyu, and a perfectly matched wine and sake pairing are just a few more things to expect as the degustation goes on. Chefs explain each dish as it is prepared and then presented before your very eyes, as you sit, kaunta seki (that’s along the counter, reminiscent of izakaya) and feel a part of the action.

The ceremony of eating is part of the experience here. When I went, the summer seasonal menu featured a duck noodle, the soup poured over somen noodle through a Paragon filter, extracting a clean and crisp flavour over the top of the dish. And paired perfectly with a Dhillon rose from Heathcote, a mind-bending combination of freshness, sweet and savoury all in one.

My recommendation: take the thinking out of the process and match your drinks. Their knowledgeable (and frankly, masterful) somm is happy to run you through everything from grand cru French wines to Japanese domestic sake like Aramassa Ameneko, brought in especially for the restaurant, with a lactic acid tang that does more than whet your appetite.

The tremendous sense of theatre and elaborate, yet satisfying fare makes Ishizuka perfect for special occasions and wow dinners, and with their seasonal menu there’s always a reason to head back.

Their kaiseki starts at $315 with matched alcoholic beverages for $250, while a non-alc pairing runs only $80, fair play for a restaurant that’s earned itself two hats in 2025. 

Book your experience over here.

Words: Navarone Farrell
Images: Ishizuka 

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