Ocha

Ph: (03) 9853 6002; 156 Pakington St, Kew 3101

Japanese, $$, * for Food
Open Tue-Fri noon-2.30pm; Tue-Sat 6-10.30pm, Closed All public holidays; Licensed, BYO, Corkage $4 person; AE DC MC V, Seats inside 30, Outside seats
Chef Yasu Yoshida (7-11-07) Owner Yasu Yoshida & Michelle Fong (7-11-07)

Mietta's Review
Still difficult to get a seat at short notice at this very tiny Japanese haven, however sometimes, on the off chance, a passer by can strike it lucky!! Just because you're supposed to, play with the menu, read it, finger the paper, but then hand it over and let the waiter decide for you. The sushi and sashimi selection offers an interesting blend of favours, at times sublime. But the menu goes above and beyond sushi platters with the special board listing innovative modern Japanese dishes. The service is knowledgable and attentive, and the wine list whilst short is well priced, but you can BYO here too.

Other published opinions

Age Good Food Guide 2008 Score: 15/20, One Hat "Two-month waiting lists for a table at a modest neighbourhood restaurant may sound unlikely, but it's been that way at Ocha pretty much since it opened in 1994"

Gourmet Traveller 2008 Australian Restaurant Guide "Ocha is a unique proposition not only because of the exceptional Japanese food but that it's served in a tiny, unassuming suburban restaurant that's so good you have to book weeks in advance"

The Age Good Food Guide 2006 score 15/20, 1 Hat "Size does matter. Ocha is a decade old and it is still booked out three months in advance at weekends, six to eight weeks on weekdays. Not because it is grand, but because the food is great, it's good value, the place is buzzy and it's absolutely tiny: just a handful of tables squeezed into a suburban shopfront in the wilds of north Kew."

Gourmet Traveller 2006 Australian Restaurant Guide * "Take a straw poll of Melbourne's food mafia and Ocha would be on nearly everyone's top 10 hit-list or should we say waiting list? This tiny, modern Japanese restaurant, run in such a friendly manner by loyal, long-term staff, is like a little club where everyone knows each other."

The Age Good Food Guide 2005 score 15/20 One Hat "WITH its tucked-away location, tiny dining room and three-week waiting list, you might think Ocha was playing hard to get. But with food and atmosphere this good, it doesn't have to play at anything. The closely set tables seem intimate rather than cramped, a feeling enhanced by flattering lighting and friendly, knowledgeable staff who are enthusiastic about the food."

Gourmet Traveller 2005 Restaurant Guide * "Ocha is the model of the consistent, small, specialist suburban restaurant. Why? The food is a crowd-pleasing combination of traditional Japanese dishes )hotpots and udon broths, sushi and gyoza), a contemporary specials list that mixes modern thinking with Japanese ideas (such as the porterhouse carpaccio), an a la carte sushi list with a few surprises, and signatures like the grilled-eel nigiri sushi."

The Age Take 5 John Lethlean 22/8/04 "I have favourite places. And Ocha is definitely one, which probably makes me one of thousands super-loud to this tiny modern Japanese restaurant in Kew."

The Foodies' Guide 2004, Allan Campion & Michele Curtis,'Be thankful they do takeaway here,it's nigh on impossible to get a table here unless you've booked weeks in advance.Think sushi and choose your favourites,add some squid tempura and both fresh and fried oysters-the more small dishes you order, the merrier you'll be.'

The Age Good Food Guide Awards 2004 1 hat, score 15/20, wide selection of vegetarain dishes

The Age, Sunday Life, 31/8/03, John Lethlean

The Age, A2, 26/7/03, John Weldon

Vogue Entertaining & Traveller, March April 2003

The Age, Epicure, Restaurants, John Lethlean, 19/3/02. Score 15/20